THE SOURCE OF OUR FRAGRANCE

 


“Who looks outside, dreams;

Who looks inside, awakes.”

Karl Jung

One of the often-told stories, relating to our happiness and self-worth, comes from the ancient texts – Upanishads. How timeless and how apt it is to our lives, even today! It’s the story of ‘Kasturi Mriga’ - the Musk Deer.

One day, when this musk deer was roaming in a forest, it got drawn to an alluring fragrance of musk. The musk deer was so captivated by the fragrance, that it went on a long, hard and desperate search of it… It hopped from one terrain to another, one forest to another, one mountain to another… only to be alluded by it. Finally, one day, in desperation to find the source of musk fragrance, it fell off a mountain cliff… There, in that battered state, it was astonished to find, at last, where the fragrance emanated from: its own navel!

Alas! By then, it was too late…

What a sad ending that’s!

The story of Kasturi Mriga – the musk deer – is regularly told to us to make us aware of our own ignorance and desperation. Like the deer, we look for our source of happiness – and sense of self-worth – ‘somewhere out there’… Far, far away. The whole life goes in this frantic pursuit. But, unlike the deer, many of us don’t even realize, till we die, where our fragrance comes from!

I have told this story, hundreds of times, to young ones to drive home this point: “Your talents, strengths and skills are inside you… Wake up to them. It’s the source of your self-worth and happiness.”

“Kingdom of God is within you.”… Did someone tell this to us, long, long ago? “The Acres of Diamonds are right under your own feet.”… Did a wise man say this, too,  to us, long years ago?

Despite these reminders, our ignorance and blind pursuit persist…

Alas!



There is another story, which is, often, told to us… but, for a different reason. It’s the story of that donkey who carried sandalwood on its back. This donkey was drunk with another belief: the rich fragrance, that enriched the lives of people along its way,  actually emanated from it!

What a delusion!

I tell this story, often, to remind my students and readers, that we need to be humble and grateful… That, we all are just the sandalwood-carriers… God has placed the sandalwood on our back, so that we can become His medium to enrich lives around us… We shouldn’t forget that… We should not be drunk with our delusion. 

Can the musk deer become the donkey, and can the donkey become the musk deer in these stories?

It helps to know where you and I stand in these stories!




GERALD D’CUNHA

Pic's.: pixabay

Video: Dare to do Motivation

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