Today’s thought –
“The man who acquires the ability to take full possession of his own mind may take possession of anything else to which he is justly entitled.”
Andrew Carnegie
Kabir Day 40
The couplet transliterated:
Baazaigar ka bandara, jeeva man ke saath |
Nana naach nachaya kari, raakhe apna haath ||
Translation:
Like the showman’s monkey, man is slave to his mind |
Making him dance to its tune, the mind controls him ||
My understanding:
Two different ways of looking at the same statement, coming from two completely different times and societies, but stating a most basic and essential truth – the relationship of mind and body.
Kabir has compared man to the average showman’s monkey – not a pet, but more of a puppet, dancing to a predefined and limited tune, trained to perform specific dances and steps, no more and no less. The monkey, at least in the public eye, is permitted only so much exhibition and no more. So is it free to express? Yes – but only as long as the expression fits the tune and is part of the repertoire – so the real answer is no.
Man is similarly bound by the mind, which in turn is driven by desire. The desire may be lofty or more basal, but it binds the mind, which in turn restricts the body.
Hence, be it Kabir, Carnegie, or the many teachers, preachers and wise men in between, the message is to understand – for understanding is the beginning of taking back the control and freeing the mind from those silken bonds.