________________ 12 Vol. II/No. 3. Eternal Wisdom The Dewa is very surprised by the answer and says to himself: "The man has no other way of saving himself, and by his good fortune he has found this vehicle. Even then, he prefers to wait ! How sad! Is there no end to such foolishness !" And the Dewa flies away... The parable is explained thus : The large tree is the World ( FATT). The honey comb is the life that Man leads in it. The globules of honey represents his happiness and worldly pleasures (ge ) - through his attachments to wife, children, family, wealth, authority, prstiege etc. The branch-root on which the Man is hanging is his life-span. The two large rats which are gnawing at the branch-root represent time as day follows night. The deep well that is below is the endless (bottomless) chain of births and rebirths. The four snakes are the four Kashayas (7412 - i. e. anger, pride, treachery and greed) which are the cause of this chain; alternatively they also represent the four types of future births (as Dewa - a denizen of heaven, or as human, oras Tiryancha (fararsa) - animal / bird | insect / vegetable etc., or as Naraki ( art) - a denizen of hell). The elephant represents death. The stinging bees are the painful experiences of existence in the shape of disease, anxiety, unhappiness due to things, people etc. The Dewa is the learned and compassionate Guru (Teacher), and his celestial vehicle is the ten-fold Dharma (Religion) that is shown by the Omniscient. This Guru is telling the Man, "o blessed Soul (because you are capable of freeing yourself from all pain and anxiety), you have been very fortunate to have gained the very rare condition of birth as a
