Mahabal Malaya Sundari Diwakar Chitrakatha 058

Author(s): Sanmatimuni, Sanjay Surana
Publisher: Mahavir Seva Trust Mumbai

Page 35

CARNAL PLEASURES ARE LIKE DROPS OF HONEY
Carnal pleasures give happiness when experienced. But a being obsessed with fondness for them experiences sorrow, grief and pain in the end.
In order to explain the transitory nature of carnal pleasures as well as the long string of miseries attached to the momentary joys, sages have narrated the story of drops of honey.
A young man spent many years doing business in some faraway country. After earning a lot of wealth he was returning home. On his long journey home he entered a dense and large forest. On a narrow trail he came across a huge black elephant. Afraid of the elephant, the young man ran back into the jungle. The elephant gave him a chase. To save his life the young man climbed a tree. The elephant soon reached there. The young man was sitting on a high branch. The angry elephant violently shook the
trunk to uproot the tree. This weakened the man's hold on the branch and he started slipping. Luckily he found two slim dangling branches and caught hold of them. Right overhead was a honeycomb. Honey was dripping from it. A few drops of honey fell into the man's open mouth and he enjoyed it. On the tree there were two rats, one black and one white. These two rats started nibbling the two branches held by the man. Just below the suspended man was a old dry well. In the well were poisonous snakes. Looking at the suspended man the snakes were also hissing and waiting for him to fall.
Just then a Vidyadhar (a divine being) passed from there. When he saw the man trapped from all sides by certain death he felt pity for him. He stopped his celestial vehicle and called the youth - "Son! See there is death all around you. I will bring my vehicle near you. Jump into it and I will shift you to a safe place."
The youth said — “O benevolent person! Please wait a minute. Let me taste just one more drop of honey. It is very sweet and tasty." The divine person persuaded — "Win over the greed for honey. See the death surrounding you and jump in my vehicle."
"One more minute. Just one more drop of honey." Thinking thus the youth could not abandon his greed for honey. The Vidyadhar left disappointed.
Message : This worldly human existence is like that tree. Death is like the elephant. Day and night are like white and black rats continuously nibbling at life-span that is like the branches. Lowly birth in hell is like the well. Carnal pleasures are like the honey drops. A noble teacher is like the Vidyadhar who offers salvation in the form of religion like the celestial vehicle. But humans are not abandoning the obsession of carnal pleasures like that youth. Even the warning of a noble teacher fails to save them.
(courtesy : Sushil Sadbodh Shatak)