Yard [0058] : The Story of Kasturi-Mriga

Dear Friends,

Namaste!

We have got introduced to terms “Jeeva” (a being), “Jagat” (world) and “Jagadisha” (God). “Jagat” consists of several “Jeeva” and is ruled by “Jagadisha”. This is the inter-relationship between the three. Actually all three are just manifestations of the same Brahman (the energy) and the entire journey or evolution of a being is nothing but the discovery of the real “self”, the real “I”. Initially, every being starts with the misconception that he or she is the body which is the most gross of worldly possessions for a “Jeeva” (the other more subtle possessions or faculties being the mind and the intellect). The awareness of a Jeeva always goes from the gross to the subtle. A Jeeva’s notion of its own identity gets subtler and subtler till the Jeeva understands that (s)he  is nothing but pure “Brahman the energy” (“Aham Brahmasmi”) that:

1.    was never born, nor will it ever die, is just eternal and merely changes bodies to complete Jeeva’s evolution (“Sat”)

2.    is perennially aware of its existence (“Chit”)

3.    has nothing but bliss and happiness as its quintessential nature (“Anand”).

The journey of a Jeeva is long drawn (spans several births) and in most cases extremely arduous. Majority of the journey takes place in ignorance of its true Happy and Perfect nature. This causes tremendous suffering for the Jeeva.  We shall see why this is so when we discuss the story of Brahman later. Today, let’s understand the plight of a Jeeva through the oft-quoted story of “Kasturi-Mriga” (Deer with Divine Perfume)...

“Kasturi” is the Divine Perfume that has the most intoxicating scent possible. It is embedded inside the navel of a deer called “Kasturi-Mriga” (“Mriga” stands for “deer”). Since it is embedded inside the navel, it is not visible to the naked eye. However, the scent of Kasturi comes out of the deer’s navel and spreads in the surroundings.

The scent is very very addictive and exciting. The deer, of course, smells it and becomes totally attached. So much so that the deer wants to smell Kasturi all the time. However, it has no idea that the scent is coming from within its own body. Therefore, it starts searching for the scent in its surroundings.

When it does not find the source of scent anywhere, it goes wild. It starts running from here to there and from pillar to post. It forgets to eat, it forgets to drink. It runs faster for the fear it may never find Kasturi.

The Mriga gets tired. But the scent comes unabated. It keeps permeating its surroundings, driving it crazy and provoking it to start the mad search again. The Mriga gets up yet again, starts pushing its old and worn out legs in search and eventually drops to the ground due to sheer exhaustion and dies!

At the time of death, it has still not found Kasturi – because it was looking for Kasturi  without and all the time Kasturi was present within!

Just like it is natural for water to find its level, it is natural for a Jeeva to find its own self. And since that “self” is nothing but eternal, infinite and irreversible happiness, all Jeevas always keep hunting for eternal, infinite and irreversible happiness.

However, like the poor Kasturi-Mriga, they keep looking for this happiness outside in their environment (“Jagat”). They think if they have loads of money they will become happy. They assume if they had all the power in the world, they will become happy. They believe if they had the most beautiful/handsome spouse, healthy, loving and capable children they will become happy. They imagine that having the most enviable social network will give them bliss. They surmise having huge mansions, yachts, sports cars, ornaments or a supremely healthy body will yield them harmony.

Therefore, they keep yearning for all this, working for all this, every second of their lives. Majority of the time they fail to get all of what they want. In the rare circumstance that they do get all they want, they discover much to their chagrin that they are as far away from getting eternal, infinite and irreversible happiness as they ever were.

This tires them, this wears them out, they get beaten. They collapse from pure exhaustion and die!

Then evolution takes over and takes them on the path to discover that the happiness they looked without for lied all the time within them. In fact, they arethat happiness.

Initially they don’t even know that they don’t know where to find this happiness (“Kasturi”). Later they know they don’t know and start looking for a solution. Over a period of time they know that they know how to get there. Finally they don’t have to know that they know as they become bliss personified!

Bhetu...