A mouse once caught in its paws a rope tied to a camel. When the camel began to walk, the mouse thought that he was pulling the camel.
“How strong and mighty I am”, he boasted.
Little did he realize that the camel was walking by himself. The two then arrived at a river. Here, the mouse came to a stop.
“Why have you stopped, brother mouse?” asked the camel. “Keep leading me on, for you are my guide and leader.”
“But this is a deep river. I am afraid I’ll drown,” replied the mouse.
“Let me see how deep it is,” said the camel, stepping into the water.
“Why, it only comes up to my knee,” the camel revealed. “Do go on, brother mouse.”
The mouse of course could not cross the river on his own. “Oh great camel,” he said, “the river is like an ant to you, but to me it is like a dragon.”
The camel took pity on the mouse. “Jump up and sit on my hump,” he told the little creature. “Be not so arrogant another time,’ said the camel, ‘lest your body and soul are consumed by these sparks. Emulate mice like yourself; a mouse has no business to hobnob with camels.”
“I repent,” said the mouse. “For God’s sake get me across this deadly water!”
“Listen,” said the camel, taking compassion on the mouse. This passage has been entrusted to me; I would take across hundreds of thousands like you. Since you are not the ruler, be a simple subject; Be a vassal since you are not a lord: do not steer the boat yourself since you are not the boatman.”
The END
The Learnings
1: This is a beautiful story where we learn how our mind works. The mouse represents our naughty mind and how easily it starts believing that it is in control of our lives. The camel can be equated to God, the higher power and the real essence within us. GOD is continuously watching how our mind takes us to various places and our body keeps roaming around led by the whims and fancies of the mind. Pause for a moment and see how your mind has been taking you for a ride your whole life.
2: The story explains beautifully how our mind lives in an Illusion of control. Although it was the camel which was majestically moving in the desert, the mouse thought that he was having the camel in control. That's what happens with nature. Its our Past and present Karma (ordained and arranged as per the wish of God) which is driving our journey in life but it is our mind which makes us think that we are in control.
3: When the mind thinks that it is in control, it also takes up what is called the position of a “doership”. The minds makes us that think that we are the one who is doing all the work. This happens in stock market all the time. The fund manager ( the mouse) normally believes that he is the one creating the returns (doership) although it is the Market ( the camel) which is moving and all fund managers are merely benefitting from that movement.
4. This thought of the doership is what creates the pride/ego in us which is referred to as “Ahamkara”. Let us understand the origin of this word – Aham-kara, which basicalls means “I am the Doer”. Although we all know who was doing the things in this story, are we really aware of who is really the doer in our lives? Are we able to see the holistic picture of our lives?
5. When the camel and the mouse reached the river, the mouse realized his limitations and then he turned to the camel. To him, the river appeared to be an unsurmountable problem but for the camel it was just a small task that he could easily do. It is in the moment when our mind hits a roadblock that we realize our limitations and we turn towards God (as the mouse turned towards the camel) and it is God’s helping hand that help us to overcome our problems.
6. In the end of the story, the mouse realizes his position in the game of life and he starts a symbiotic relationship with the camel. However, many of us forget that it was God who helped us move ahead in the times of difficulty and we again start thinking that we are in control. This is the reason why GOD keeps reminding us again and again through our problems to help us understand who is really in control.
7. Just like the camel was amused by the play of the mouse, GOD is amused with the games that our mind plays as he watches over us. Only when we are in trouble, we realize his power and ask for help. However, if we notice closely, he is always with us, always travelling with us and always looking after us like a parent looks after a child!
STORY CREDIT: This story has its source in the six volumes of Masnavi by Jalalu'din Rumi, translated by Maryam Mafi
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