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## The Aspirations of a Shravak
**Verse 142-145 from the Third Light of Yoga Shastra**
**Verse 141:**
When will I, clothed in worn-out garments, with a soiled body, embrace the path of a Muni, taking refuge in Madhukari (begging for alms)?
**Explanation:**
Madhukari refers to the way a bee collects nectar from flowers planted by others, without causing any harm to the flowers, and thus satisfies its own needs. Similarly, a monk, without causing any harm, accepts food prepared by householders, with a sense of gratitude and devotion, and thus satisfies his needs. In this world, one who is free from external and internal possessions is called a Shraman. Just as a bee naturally collects pollen from blooming flowers, a Sadhu naturally accepts a small amount of food to sustain his body and continue his journey of self-control. The comparison to a bee highlights that the alms received by a Muni do not cause any harm to other beings. This is called Madhukari Vriti.
**Conclusion:**
A Shravak should aspire to live a life of Madhukari Vriti and thus partake in the Muni-charya, which is the path of the Muni, characterized by the fundamental and advanced virtues.
**Verse 142:**
Abandoning the company of those with bad character, touching the dust of the Guru's feet, when will I, practicing the three yogas, become capable of ending the cycle of birth and death?
**Meaning:**
The company of those with bad character includes those who are immoral in the worldly sense, such as adulterers, actors, singers, and prostitutes, as well as those who are immoral in the spiritual sense, such as those who are arrogant, lazy, deceitful, attached, and self-indulgent. By abandoning the company of such people and touching the dust of the Guru's feet, one should practice the three yogas of knowledge, vision, and conduct, and thus become capable of ending the cycle of birth and death.
**Verse 143:**
When will I, in the dead of night, outside the city, in a beautiful natural place, be absorbed in Kayotsarga, and when will bulls mistake me for a pillar and rub their shoulders against me?
**Meaning:**
A Shravak who practices Kayotsarga should aspire to be absorbed in it, outside the city, in a beautiful natural place, in the dead of night, to the extent that bulls mistake him for a pillar and rub their shoulders against him.
**Implication:**
A Sadhu who practices Kayotsarga is always absorbed in it. A Shravak should aspire to achieve such absorption.
**Verse 144:**
When will I, sitting in Padmasana in the forest, with a fawn nestled in my lap, be able to have the old leaders of the herd of deer sniff my face with trust?
**Meaning:**
When will I, sitting in Padmasana in the forest, with a fawn nestled in my lap, be able to have the old leaders of the herd of deer sniff my face with trust?
**Implication:**
Old deer are not easily trusting of humans. But when they see the unwavering stillness of a person in deep Samadhi, they become so trusting that they can lick or sniff their face without fear.
**Verse 145:**
When will I be able to have the same attitude towards enemies and friends, grass and women, gold and stone, gems and dirt, liberation and the world?
**Meaning:**
When will I be able to have the same attitude towards enemies and friends, grass and women, gold and stone, gems and dirt, liberation and the world?
**Explanation:**
One may find people who have the same attitude towards enemies and friends, grass and women, gold and stone, gems and dirt, but a truly detached soul is one who sees no difference between liberation, which is the state of being free from karma, and the world, which is the state of being bound by karma.