13. 53. Pride.
# 53. Pride
- Pride is good It will protect us from feeling inferior. When it changes into self-conceit, useless pomp or arrogance, that itself will ruin us.
- The enthusiasm that pride gives is equivalent to the intoxication given by narcotic drugs.
- The drug will make the body a slave; Feeling of pride will make the mind a slave.
- Only the body will be spoiled due to drugs. The illusory feeling of pride, in the process of spoiling the mind, will also damage the body.
Time has now come to tell the patient the truth.
Doctor said to the patient: Don't feel sad. Your condition is serious and there is room for anxiety. At the maximum you may own this body for next 2 days. You may like to do many things in your last days. Further, would you wish to see somebody?
Looking at the eyes of the doctor, the patient replied in a feeble voice, 'Yes.'
When the doctor eagerly asked, 'Who is that?' the patient said, 'Another good doctor.' The doctor was shocked.
- In all the circumstances when a man feels broken down he gets attacked only in his feeling of pride! It is easy to tell a thousand reasons for feeling proud or for feeling low. But it is very difficult for the mind to tell one good reason to lead a simple life.
How many different new ways man invents to roam about tom toming pride!
While tom toming one's own pride is one type, the other type is a more cunning one.
These types of people will think and feel proud by speaking about matters concerning themselves not directly but in an indirect manner. They will live in the world with a type of imagination.
At all occasions when we take pride about a VIP known to us, about our religion, about our caste, or going beyond these, about our children, about our friends and relatives, in the depth of our hearts, it is only for our own pride, we talk proudly about them. If we observe this keenly, we can understand.
It is not wrong to just talk proudly. It is only a part of a conversation. It is wrong only to strive to tom tom one's own pride again and again being driven by the thought deep in the mind, 'I am not competent enough'.
This is a sort of self-inflicted sin only.
Nothing else is so mean like going about talking with pride. The reason is that it is only the meanness inside a person which induces him to go about talking proudly and exhibiting useless pomp.
Datungir was one such person who got himself entangled in the dragnet of pride by thinking he had achieved some thing very big just because he had learnt to perform certain occult things.
The name Datungir had given for beating his own drums to others about his superhuman powers was 'Spiritual rinsing'.
In the search path of a person seeking enlightenment, he will get some super human powers.
Leaving aside the reaching of final and real enlightenment, if one engages himself in super-human powers, then he will only reach the pinnacle of pride. He will miss the path of enlightenment.
Datungir, who was going about speaking with everybody as if he was a great spiritual person, once happened to meet a lady Hasid Master by name Shalana.
Beginning with a pride-filled preamble, Datungir said to her: Only an enlightened person like you can really understand me. So far I have not met even a single wise person. Hence I feel very happy meeting you.
Shalana asked with a smile: So, as far as you are concerned, excepting you, all are fools. Is it so?
Shalana's words straightaway attacked the self-boasting feelings of Datungir. Datungir felt as though he was wounded somewhere in his person.
To hide the feeling of being wounded, he managed by saying: No, no, I did not say in that meaning. Instead of saying that there are no wise people like you, by mistake, I have said like that.
Further Datungir said: It is all right. I wish to discuss with you about spirituality thoroughly.
Shalana very humbly said: I am an ordinary woman. I just remain blissful. That is all. Further I do not know any thing about spirituality. If you know any thing, please teach me.
Datungir's joy knew no bounds. He thought: All believe this lady, who does not know any thing, as an enlightened Master. But she is not able to pretend or pose as an enlightened Master to me, who has mastered occultism. So thinking, Datungir's pride grew multiple times.
Datungir said in a bold voice: Come on Shalana. Let us discuss spirituality while we walk up and down on this river in spate.
He used to tell many that he had learnt after spending many years, the magical and occult art of walking on water.
While people listened with wonder and asked: Is it so? Datungir will show them his walking on the water.
When people would wonder and shower praises on him, Datungir would feel very proud within and laugh. This is what would happen usually. But... Shalana's reply gave him a rude shock.
Shalana said to him, who had just then told her that they could talk while walking on water in a polite manner: Oh Datungir, I am getting fed up with walking on flowing river again and again! Come, let us climb the skies. Let us fly up and down there and while so doing, you can teach me spirituality. I will learn.
Datungir was heart-broken.
In Shalana asking him to fly with her in the clouds, Datungir's pride got broken to pieces. While he was priding himself about his walking on water, the way in which Shalana asked him humbly and simply with no airs about her, 'Come let us fly in the clouds' did something within Datungir.
With pride shattered, Datungir said in a low voice: Oh lady! I know only to walk on water, how to fly in the clouds?
Shalana said: Oh child! What is there if you know or not to fly in the clouds? Whether walking on the land, or walking on the river or talk while flying in the clouds, whatever are we not going to talk the same thing? Will spirituality differ from place to place?
Datungir agreed: Yes, it won't change at all.
Shalana asked: Through walking on the river, what did you learn in spirituality? How much did you grow?
Datungir thought for a moment and said: Nothing.
Shalana said: If you play with such super-human powers, which are in no way useful for the growth of individuals in general, only evil will remain. All the years you had spent for the sake of a single super-human power, you have actually wasted all those years. What finally remains is only that of beating your own pride has grown in your mind like a cancer.
Even now, without realising your mistake, you are only asking next, how to fly in the clouds. Do you understand?
So saying, she made Datungir understand his mistakes.
Knowing truth, the ultimate noble truth should only be the sole aim. This is the essence of spirituality.
Making a man deviate from his path of searching for the ultimate wisdom is only this quality of out coming of proclaiming of pride of a person either directly or indirectly.
A meaningful incident.
It was spoken with pride in a public meeting of the dogs:
The leader said: There is very, very small difference between us and the god.
When the crowd asked: Is it so?
The leader said with pride: Yes our name is DOG. If you reverse it, it is 'GOD'.
- It is very easy to talk with pride. But it is waste of time! It is an enemy for individual growth.
Meditation chisels. Chisel No. 8.