{"id":4061,"date":"2013-07-13T01:53:09","date_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:53:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/?p=4061"},"modified":"2013-07-13T01:53:09","modified_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:53:09","slug":"64-the-elephant-vol-03-questions-and-answers-volume-03","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/02-works-of-the-mother\/01-cwmce\/03-questions-and-answers-volume-03\/64-the-elephant-vol-03-questions-and-answers-volume-03","title":{"rendered":"-64_The Elephant.htm"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
\n
\n


\n
\nThe
\nElephant <\/font> <\/span><\/i>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As
\nthe elephant on the battlefield endures the arrow shot from the bow, so also
\nshall I patiently bear insult, for truly there are many of evil mind in the
\nworld. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

It is
\na tamed elephant that is led to the battlefield; one whom the Raja rides. The
\nbest among men is he who patiently bears insult. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Trained
\nmules are excellent, as also the thoroughbreds of Sindh and the mighty tuskers.
\nBetter yet is the man who has brought himself under control. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Not
\nby mounting one of these animals does one attain the unexplored path, but by
\nmastering oneself. By that mastery one attains it. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

In
\nthe mating season it is difficult to control the mighty elephant Dhanapalako.<\/span>\u00b9<\/span> When
\nhe is chained he refuses to eat, he yearns only to be once more a wild elephant
\nof the forest. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

When
\na man is slothful and gluttonous, always sleepy and rolling from side to side
\nlike a fat hog in the mud–this fool is compelled to be born over and over
\nagain. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Once
\nthis mind wandered where it would from one thing to another, according to its
\npleasure, but now I shall master it completely as the mahout with his goad
\nmasters the elephant in rut.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n


\n\u00b9<\/font><\/span>One
\nwho guards the treasure.<\/font><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 281<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

<\/span><\/div>\n

Delight
\nin vigilance, guard carefully your mind. Lift yourself out of evil as the
\nelephant sunk in a swamp. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

If
\nfor company you find a prudent friend, who leads a good life, who is
\nintelligent and self-controlled, overcoming all obstacles, do not hesitate to
\nset out with him joyfully and courageously. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

And
\nif you do not meet with such a friend, who leads a good life, who is
\nintelligent and self-controlled, then like a king renouncing a kingdom he has
\nconquered, or like a solitary elephant in the forest follow your path alone. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

It is
\nbetter to live alone, for one cannot take a fool as a companion. It is better
\nto live alone and do no evil, carefree, like the elephant in the jungle. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

It is
\ngood to have friends when need arises. It is good to be satisfied with what one
\nhas. It is good, at the hour of death, to have acquired merit. It is good to
\nleave all grief behind you. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

In
\nthis world it is a joy to respect one’s mother; it is a joy to respect one’s
\nfather; it is a joy to honour the monks; it is a joy to revere the Brahmins.<\/span>\u00b9<\/span> <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

It is
\na joy to live purely throughout one’s life. It is a joy to have a steadfast
\nfaith. It is a joy to acquire wisdom. It is a joy to abstain from all evil. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

The first verse gives some very wise advice: the war elephant who
\nhas been well trained does not start running away as soon as he receives an
\narrow. He continues to advance and bears the <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n


\n\u00b9<\/font><\/span>The
\nholy men; the men of wisdom<\/font>\u00a0
\n<\/font> <\/span><\/span>
\n <\/font><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 282<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

<\/span><\/div>\n

pain, with no change in his attitude of heroic resistance. Those
\nwho wish to follow the true path will naturally be exposed to the attacks of
\nall forms of bad will, which not only do not understand, but generally hate
\nwhat they do not understand. <\/span><\/p>\n

If you are worried, grieved or even
\ndiscouraged by the malicious stupidities that men say about you, you will not
\nadvance far on the way. And such things come to you, not because you are
\nunlucky or because your lot is not a happy one, but because, on the contrary,
\nthe divine Consciousness and the divine Grace take your resolution seriously
\nand allow the circumstances to become a touchstone on your way, to see whether
\nyour resolution is sincere and whether you are strong enough to face the
\ndifficulties.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Therefore, if anyone sneers at you or says
\nsomething that is not very charitable, the first thing you should do is to look
\nwithin yourself for whatever weakness or imperfection has allowed such a thing
\nto happen and not to be disconsolate, indignant or aggrieved, because people do
\nnot appreciate you at what you think to be your true value; on the contrary,
\nyou must be thankful to the divine Grace for having pointed out to you the
\nweakness or imperfection or deformation that you must correct. <\/span><\/p>\n

Therefore, instead of being unhappy, you
\ncan be fully satisfied and derive advantage, a great advantage from the harm
\nthat was intended against you. <\/span><\/p>\n

Besides, if you truly want to follow the
\npath and practise yoga, you must not do it for appreciation or honour, you must
\ndo it because it is an imperative need of your being, because you cannot be
\nhappy in any other way. Whether people appreciate you or do not appreciate you,
\nit is of absolutely no importance. You may tell yourself beforehand that the
\nfurther you are from ordinary men, foreign to the ordinary mode of being, the
\nless people will appreciate you, quite naturally, because they will not
\nunderstand you. And I repeat, it has absolutely no importance.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

True sincerity consists in advancing on
\nthe way because you <\/span>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 283<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

<\/span><\/div>\n

cannot do otherwise, to consecrate yourself to the divine life
\nbecause you cannot do otherwise, to seek to transform your being and come out
\ninto the light because you cannot do otherwise, because it is the purpose of
\nyour life. <\/span><\/p>\n

When it is like that you may be sure that
\nyou are on the right path.  <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>1 August 1958<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 284<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Elephant \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0   As the elephant on the battlefield endures the arrow shot from the bow, so also shall I patiently bear insult, for…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[115],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4061","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-03-questions-and-answers-volume-03","wpcat-115-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4061","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4061"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4061\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4061"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4061"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4061"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}