Swami Ram Tirtha
There is beautiful story in the Puranas. It speaks of
Krishna jumping into the river Jumna while his
father, mother, friends and relatives stood by, struck
dumb with amazement. In their very presence he
jumped into the torrent. They thought that he
was gone, that he would never rise again. The story
says that he went to the bottom of the river and
there was a thousand-headed dragon. Krishna began
to blow his flute, he began to play the man tram
OM, he began to kick down the heads of the
dragon, he began to crush down the heads of the
dragon one by one, but as he crushed the many
heads of the dragon one by one, other heads sprang
up and thus it was very hard for him. Krishna went
on jumping and dancing upon the crested head of
the dragon: he went on playing the man-tram on his
flute, he went on chanting his man tram and still
jumping and crushing down 'the heads of the
dragon. In half-an-hour the dragon was dead; with
the charming note of the flute and the crushing of
the dragon by his heels, the dragon was dead. The
waters of the river were turned to blood and the
35Parables of Rama
blood of the dragon mixed with the water of the
river. All the wives of the dragon came up to pay
homage to Krishna, they wanted to drink the nectar
of his sweet presence. Krishna came up from the
river, the amazed relatives and friends were beside
themselves, their joy knew no bounds, so happy
were they to find their beloved Krishna, their
beloved one, in their midst again. This story has a
double meaning. It is an object lesson, so to say, for
those who want to gain an insight of reality into
their own Divinity.
That lake or river represents the mind or rather the
lake of the mind, and whoever wants to become
Krishna (the word Krishna means or stands for
Deity, God), whoever wants to regain the paradise
lost, he has to enter deep into the lake of his own
mind, to dive deep into himself. He has to plunge
deep into his own nature, reaching the bottom he
has to fight; the venomous dragon,, the poisonous:
snake of passion, desire, the venomous dragon of
the worldly mind. He has to crush it down, he has to
destroy its crests he has to kick down its many
heads, he has to charm and destroy it. He must
make clear the lake of his mind; he must clear his
mind this way. The process is the same as that
36Parables of Rama
followed by Krishna. He is to take up his flute and
play the man-tram OM through it. He has to sing
that divine, blessed song through it.
What is this flute? It is simply a symbol for you.
Look at the flute. Indian poets attach great
importance to it. What great deed was it that the
flute performed, that it was raised to such a dignity?
By virtue of what great Karma was it elevated to
such a position? Why was it that Krishna who was
the object of worship, who was loved by mighty
monarchs, who was worshipped by thousands of
fairy maidens in broad India; how was it that
Krishna, the beloved-one, the powerful one, the
love personified, that Krishna who did not
condescend to look at kings or monarchs, why gave
he this flute kisses? What raised it to such a.
position? The flute's answer was, "I have one virtue,
one good point I have. I have made myself void of
all matter." The flute is empty from head to foot, "I
emptied myself of non-self." Just so applying, the
flute to the lips means purifying; the heart,: turning
the mind unto God - throwing every things at the
feet of God, the beloved one. Just give up from
your heart of hearts. Give up all claims upon the
body, give up all selfishness, all selfish connections,
all thoughts of mine and thine - rise above it.
Wooing God, wooing Him as no worldly lover woes
his lady love; hungering and thirsting after the
realization of the true Self, just as a man of the world
hungers and thirsts for what he has not had for a
long time; hungering and thirsting for the Divine;
yearning for the Truth; craving after a taste of the
supreme reality of Self, putting yourself in that state
of mind is applying the flute to the lips. In this state
of mind, in this peace of mind, with such a pure soul
begin to chant the man tram OM; begin to sing the
sacred syllable OM. This is putting the breath of
music into the flute. Make your whole life a flute.
Make your whole body a flute. Empty it of
selfishness and. fill it with divine breath.
Chant OM and while doing it begin that search
within the lake of your mind. Search out the
poisonous snake with its many tongues. These
heads, tongues, and fangs of the poisonous snake
are the innumerable wants, the worldly tendencies
and the selfish propensities. Crush them one by one,
trample them under your feet, single them out,
overcome them and destroy them while singing the
syllable OM.
Build up a character, make firm resolutions, make
strong determinations and take solemn vows so that
when you came out of the lake or river of the mind,
you may not find the waters poisoned:; so that the
waters will not; poison those who drink from them.
Come out of the lake having purified it altogether.
Let people differ from you, let them subject you to
all sorts of difficulties, let them revile you, but
despite their favours and frowns, their threats and
promises from the lake of your mind, there should
flow nothing but divine, infinitely pure, fresh water.
Nectar should flow out of you so that it may
become as impossible for you to think evil as for the
pure fresh spring to poison those who drink from it.
Purify the heart, sing the syllable OM, pick out all
points of weakness, and eradicate them. Come out
victorious having formed a beautiful character.
When the dragon of passion is destroyed, you will
find the objects of desire worshipping you, just as
the wives of the dragon under the river paid homage
unto Krishna after he had killed the snake.
MORAL: Mind can be purified by killing, one by
one, all selfish desires or wants, and singing the
syllable OM.
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