MyLifeYoga

Once upon a time, a shepherd found the newly born lion’s cub. He took it home, fed it with goat’s milk, and bred it with his herd of goats. Consequently, though it was a lion, it always moved, ate, and drank like a goat. The cub thought he was a goat.

One day, the cub went to the forest with the goats. At the forest, a lion appeared who roared at the goats. All the goats got scared and ran away. The cub also began to run. The lion saw the cub running away and said, “Hello son, goats flee when I roar, but why do you run away? You are like me, a lion.”

The cub who was brought up with the goats said, “You are lying. I am not a lion. I am a goat. I am afraid of you and I want to run away.”

The lion realized that the cub had stayed with the goats and thought he was a goat. The lion said, “Friend, am I wrong ? If my gigantic body makes you think that way, then you are mistaken. Your face is also round like mine. It is not long like a goat’s. Your waist is as slender as my waist, and your feet have paws not hoofs like those of a goat. Look at your beautiful tail! The goat has a very tiny, ugly tail. The goat and the lion are two entirely different animals. Cast aside your false impression and roar like me. Then you will be sure that you are a lion and not a goat.”

These words clarified the cub’s doubt. He roared and began to think of himself as a lion. He started living the life of a lion.

Like the cub we have been wrongly identifying ourselves with our mind-body and ego-self. We should remember that the physical body does not constitute our true “Self.” We are the soul with infinite capacity. We should develop and manifest our capabilities with this idea in mind. It is time for the lion to roar once more.

Credit: We found this story here and have modified it slightly.

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“The day that Haachi met Owen was utterly incredible. It was electric. It was spiritual… they immediately understood they were going to work together as a team.” ~ Colleen Drummond, Owen’s stepmother. Owen is a 7-year old boy with a rare syndrome that leaves his muscles in a constant state of tension. Haatchi is an Anatolian Shepherd that was left to die on the railroad tracks, but managed to escape with a severed leg and tail. The shy little boy and the giant three-legged dog have been best friends since the day they met. “Everything changed in my life with him,” says Owen of Haatchi. Drummond adds: “Owen and Haatchi simplify everything with pure love.”

Credit: Karma Yoga.

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It is never easy to break a bad habit. Here is a story from the life of the younger brother of Yogananda, Sananda Lal Gosh, that throws some light on this subject. It is from the time when they were both in their teens. Sananda refers to his older brother affectionately as “Mejda” or “middle brother”. Though still young, Yogananda already was aready a spiritual stalwart and was held in high esteem by his younger brother. Here is his account:

While I was a student in Sermapore College, I succumbed to the influence of some of my friends and developed a strong liking for cigarettes. In India it is considered a discourtesy to some in the presence of one’s elders or superiors, so our relatives did not know that I had acquired this noisome habit. I soon realized that I was a slave to smoking, so I tried several times to quit. But the habit had such a pernicious hold; I could not give it up.

His words struck a deep chord in my mind. I realized he was trying to help me break my hidden habit of smoking. “If I can’t even control the desire to smoke,” I thought, “how will I accomplish anything worthwhile in my life?” That day promised myself I would never smoke again, even if it killed me. It was difficult; the withdrawal symptoms were painful. For several days I experienced digestive problems. A little soda water and some digestive medicine helped. And after some days I knew the habit had been broken. When I next saw Mejda, I bowed at his feet. He just smiled, and said nothing. We understood each other.

The key takeaway from this story is that Yogananda helped his younger brother by encouraging him, while at the same time he was not judgmental. This applies for us too. Once we find ourselves in the grip of a bad habit, it does not help if we are judgmental on ourselves. It does us no good to beat ourselves up. Rather focus your energy at the task at hand and use your will power to overcome your habit.

Credit: This account is provided in the book Mejda written by Sananda Lal Ghosh.

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