The Journey's End - Part I Contd...

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Why does this happen? Why the difference? This too is answered by Ramana through an illustration which is best stated in his own words.

'Suppose a cow plays a rogue and strays into the neighbour's fields to graze. She is not easily weaned from her stealthy habit. How is she to be kept in the stall? If forcibly tethered in the stall she simply bides her time to play the rogue. If she is tempted with fine grass in the stall she takes one mouthful on the first day and again waits for the opportunity to run away.

The next day the cow takes two mouthfuls; so she takes more and more on each succeeding day, until her straying tendency gradually weakens. When entirely free from the bad habit she might be safely left free and she would not stray into the neighbour's pastures. Even when beaten in the stall she does not afterwards leave the place.

Similarly with the mind'. In this illustration, the mind is the cow playing the rogue, the thoughts are the neighbour's pastures. The pure mind free from thought is the stall. The joy and peace of the pure mind is such that one would not stray into the thought world.

The mind then becomes sharp like the end of the grass blade, for, its energy remains integral and is not broken up into thoughts. The jobs on hand get done perfectly and there would be no hang-over of thoughts to disturb. One has then arrived at the journey's end.