Bondage and Freedom

Author(s): Chitrabhanu
Publisher: Divine Knowledge Society

Page 20

I put him this question, Maharaj fell down in a dead faint." The parrot realised the significance of what had happened. This then was his answer—'a dead faint.' When evening came, the parrot acted upon the answer that Maharaj had sent him. He would not take any food or drink, his chatter ceased and he shut his eyes and was seemingly dead. His master made many efforts to revive him, but it was all in vain. The parrot seemed to be dead. So finally his master took him out of the cage and threw him out of doors. As soon as the parrot found himself outside the cage, he fluttered his wings and prepared to fly away. His master was astonished, “What's all this farce?” he demanded. “I thought you were dead!” The parrot replied, "You brought me the reply to my question from your Guru and yet it seems you did not understand it. Maharaj showed me the way to liberate myself and I acted upon it instantly. He has also shown you the way to liberate yourself from the prison that your senses and desires have built up around your soul. You will liberate your soul only when you act upon his advice and learn to subdue them to your will. Only then will you be free like me.” And so saying, the parrot winged its way to freedom...
Truly, the soul is a prisoner within the body, for it is governed by the senses. Each one of our senses prompts us to do something undesirable for its own gratification. So long as we do its bidding, the soul will not be released from its confinement. The
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