The Quarrelling Senses
Dr. Sampadananda Mishra
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Once upon a time all the sense organs had a dispute amongst themselves as to who was superior. Each one boasted saying: "I am superior, I am superior." It went on and finally they all decided to approach Prajapati, their father. They asked him: "Sir, who is the best among us?" Prajapati replied: "He by whose departure the body looks the worst – he is the best among you."
Following his words the organ of speech first departed and, having stayed away for a whole year, it returned and said: "How have you been able to live without me?" The other organs replied: "We lived like a mute who lives without speaking, but breathing with the prana (nose), seeing with the eye, hearing with the ear and thinking with the mind."
It was then the turn of the eye to depart and having stayed away for a year, it returned and asked: "How have you been able to live without me?" The other organs replied: "We lived like a blind, without seeing, but breathing with the prana, speaking with the tongue, hearing with the ear and thinking with the mind."
Then the ear departed, and having stayed away for a year, it returned and said to the other organs: "How have you been able to live without me?" They replied: "We all lived like a deaf, without hearing, but breathing with the prana, speaking with the tongue, seeing with the eye and thinking with the mind."
The mind then went out. After being away for a whole year, it came back and said: "How have you been able to live without me?" The other organs replied: "We lived like a child whose mind is not yet formed, without thinking with the mind, but breathing with the prana, speaking with the tongue, seeing with the eye and hearing with the ear."
Now, when the breath was about to depart, tearing up the other senses, they all gathered round him and said: "Revered Sir, be thou our lord; thou art the best among us. Do not depart from us." Then the organ of speech came and said to the breath: "Sir, that attribute of being most excellent which I possess is thine." So, said the eye, the ear and the mind. Hence these (the organs of speech, eyes, ears, mind) are not simply sense organs, but they are all signs of life, the prana. For Prana alone is all these.
(From the Chandogya Upanishad 5.1.6-15)
0 Comments