A king once noticed a traveller asleep on the pyol of a house. The King asked the traveller what he did for a living. The traveller said that it rained for four months in a year in his village, and for these four months, he would be without work. But this did not bother him, for he knew that in order to be happy during the rainy season, he had to work when it was sunny. To be peaceful in old age, one must work in youth. To have a good night’s rest, one must work during the day. This is sound advice for all of us. But the moral of the story is that one must aim for moksha even while one is strong and not postpone the seeking of moksha, said Kidambi Narayanan, in a discourse.
Our thoughts should be directed towards that which is right, and this is possible only if we think out our decisions. Kumbhakarna is one of the wisest characters in the Ramayana. He says there are three kinds of rulers: one who makes up his mind and then consults his Ministers; one who acts according to his preference and never consults anyone; one who consults and then decides on the basis of the inputs he gets. The last category of ruler is the best, because he has the wise counsel of many, to help him make up his mind.
Decisions should be made rationally and not emotionally. The detachment of a woman in labour, detachment because of a death in one’s family, or detachment that comes soon after a person has heard a religious discourse, are all just emotional responses. A person must think and analyse on the basis of what is taught through our Itihasas and Puranas, and then his detachment will be lasting and he will come to realise that the only thing worth desiring is moksha.
