THERE was a man who had a pet dog. He used to caress it, carry it about in his arms, play with it and kiss it. A wise man, seeing this foolish behaviour of his, warned him not to lavish such affection on a dog. For it was, after all, an irrational brute, and might bite him one day. The owner took the warning to heart and putting the dog away from his arms, resolved never again to fondle it or to caress it. But the animal could not first understand the change in his master, and would run to him frequently to be taken up and caressed. Beaten several times, the dog at last ceased to trouble his master any more.
Such indeed is everybody’s condition. The dog you have been cherishing (i.e., lust) so long in your bosom will not easily leave you, though you may wish to be rid of it. However, there is no harm in it. Do not caress the dog any more, but give it a good beating whenever it approaches you to be fondled, and in course of time you will be altogether free from its importunities. (182)
The Hungry Goat
A king once had a goat and announced a handsome reward for anyone who could feed it until its stomach was completely full and it refused to eat anymore.
Many people took up the challenge. They would take the goat, feed it all day long, and bring it back to the king in the evening. However, the goat had a specific nature: no matter how much it had already eaten, if someone placed a basket of fresh, soft grass in front of it, it would immediately start eating again. Knowing this, the king would place a fresh basket of grass in front of the returned goat. The goat would start eating, and the participants would lose the challenge.
One day, a sage (Mahatma) came to the king and offered to take the challenge. The king was skeptical, noting that the sage survived on alms himself, but he allowed him to try.
The sage took the goat, placed a basket of grass in front of it, and waited. As soon as the goat lowered its head to eat, the sage hit it with a stick. He repeated this process—placing the grass and raising his stick. Very quickly, the goat learned that trying to eat the grass resulted in getting hit. Soon, whenever the grass was placed in front of it, the goat would just stare at the stick and refuse to eat.
The sage then took the goat back to the king. As usual, the king placed a basket of soft grass in front of the goat. But this time, the sage stood behind it holding his stick. Seeing the stick, the goat refused to touch the grass. Amazed, the king asked the sage what he had fed the goat to make it so full. The sage replied, “I didn’t feed it anything; I just fed it the stick.”
The Moral and Spiritual Meaning
This story explains the nature of human desires and the importance of self-restraint (Indriya Sanyam):
- The Goat represents the Human Mind: Just like the goat, our mind is constantly hungry for more.
- The Grass represents Worldly Pleasures (Bhoga): Sensory pleasures (sight, taste, smell, touch) are like the fresh grass. No matter how much we indulge in them, our mind is never truly satisfied. Just as adding ghee to a fire only makes it burn brighter, feeding our desires only makes them grow stronger.
- The Stick represents Self-Control (Sanyam): You cannot satisfy the mind by giving it everything it wants. The only way to tame the endless hunger of the mind is through the “stick” of discipline and self-restraint.
- The Ultimate Lesson: When we learn to discipline our minds and restrain our endless desires, the “King” (representing God) rewards us with true inner peace and devotion.