78. Maya and the hungry bird
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Q: Nithyanandam Swamiji, why is the mind not getting the truth of reality and just coming out of Maya (delusion), even when the mind knows Maya is bad?
PN: In Mundaka Upanishad, there is a story. There is a huge tall tree with many high and low branches and fruits. On the tallest branch, a golden bird is sitting, unclutched from everything, in bliss. On a lower branch, there is a small bird which jumps here and there eating the fruits. When it eats a bitter fruit, it feels bad, and looks up at the golden bird sitting in samadhi, in ecstasy, and it feels, 'Why should I also not be like that, out of all this Maya?' But unfortunately, when this same bird eats tasty fruits, it even forgets that it is caught in Maya!
You are asking, When mind knows Maya is bad, why is it not coming out? Whenever it knows Maya is bad, it does come out! But after some time, it says, 'Maya is tasty.' Mind does not understand all 24 hours that Maya is bad!