Aptavani-2
41
One man was riding his pony. He was a heavyset man and
the pony was small and frail. The pony seemed to buckle under
his weight. As they were trudging along, he came across another
man who asked him if he wanted some green grass for his pony.
This fellow was tempted to take the grass since it was free but
at the same time he was concerned about the added weight on
the pony. He thought a little bit and not being too bright, decided
that if he put the bale of grass on his own head, the pony would
not have to carry the extra weight. So he put the bale of grass
on his head and sat on the pony and took off. On the way he
comes across a Vanik gentleman who tells him, “Brother, you
are carrying the bale on your head, but the load still falls on the
pony and that is why both you and the pony look as if you drank
some castor oil!”
This worldly life is like the pony. Thinking the pony to be
a weakling, that man sits on it worrying about the weight the
pony has to bear but his assessment is incorrect. Ultimately the
load falls on the pony alone. Similarly, all of you should put the
load of your worldly life on the worldly pony where it belongs.
Do not sit on the pony of the worldly life with any worries. Do
not have worries as you live your life. The Self, the knower of
the universe has entered the worldly life and lost his knower-
ship; his original abode. Everyone in the world is fooled in this
way. Only the vitarag Lords understood that worries of the
worldly life should not fall on one’s mind; they belong to the
worldly pony. Vitarag Lords were very clever in their calculations
and that is why they attained liberation whereas those with
calculating minds have been left behind to wander.
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