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The Lion and the
herd of goats
Once upon a time, a shepherd
found the newly born lion's cub. He took it home, fed it with goat's milk,
and bred it with his herd of goats. Consequently, though it was a lion, it
always moved, ate, and drank like a goat. The cub thought he was a goat.
One day, the cub went to the
forest with the goats. At the forest, a new lion appeared who roared as
usual. All the goats got scared and
began to run away. The cub
also began to run. The lion of the forest saw the cub and said, "Hello
brother, goats flee when I roar, but why do you run away? You are like me, a
lion." The cub who was brought up with the goats said, "You are lying. I am
not a lion. I am a goat. I am afraid of you and I want to run away."
The lion realized that the
cub had stayed with the goats and thought he was a goat. The lion said,
"Friend, am I wrong ? If my gigantic body makes you think that way, then you
are mistaken. Your face is also round like mine. It is not long like a
goat's. Your waist is as slender as my waist, and your feet have paws not
hoofs like those
of a goat. Look at your
beautiful tail! The goat has a very tiny, ugly tail. You possess a mane on
your neck. The goat does not. The goat and the lion are two entirely
different animals. Cast aside your false impression and roar like me. Then
you will be sure that you are a lion and not a goat."
These words clarified the
cub's doubt. He roared and began to think of himself as a lion. He started
living the life of a lion.
Like the cub we have been
wrongly staying in tune with our physical self. We should remember that the
physical body does not constitute our true "Self." We are the soul with
infinite capacity. We should develop and manifest our capabilities with this
idea in mind. To achieve such developments, we should try to stay away from
the worldly attachments.
Question:
1) Why was the cub raised by the shepherd?
2) What happened to the cub when the lion
roared?
3) What did the lion tell, the cub?
4) How does this story affect our lives? |
