The Distinction

 It was then, that the great yogi made an appearance in a mentation, the man had taken on the form of a snake, that being the nature of all beings as he had thought of last.

The yogi looked so serene and inviting, that the snake wanted to pour his heart out. All he could utter, was, ‘I am known to bite even those who feed me, so no one accepts me any more.’

Come! Wrap yourself around my neck in embrace, said the yogi. I am known to accept those who are shunned.

You ask for me to embrace you simply on the premise that I feel shunned? Asked the snake.

Yes, I ask everyone to embrace me, said the yogi. Everyone is shunned by someone .The poor, for example, are shunned by the rich, the rich by the religious, some people shun themselves; even the spiritual are shunned by many. I am a lover of all.

But I may not be able to guarantee my nature, said the snake, sliding up to the yogi, I may still bite.

Not sure of yourself, said the yogi, but it is no matter, I am used to swallowing venom created by others. Don’t worry about your bites, they shall enable me to test my own nature from time to time.

You are all my own, he continued, snakes, pups, men, all. So, your bites serve as a test; do I have the capacity to understand why my own bite me in return? In fact your bites serve not only as a test, but also work as an arrangement.

An arrangement?

You see, I have a habit of slipping into mystical inertia, a yoga nidra. So your bite, your provocation, if you wish to call it that serves as my invocation.

How, the snake wondered, could that be?

Ah, yes, said the yogi. Having done with creation. I leave the world to go on by its own directions, and remain absorbed in a transpersonal meditation.

Like a plane on autopilot? Asked the snake

Very much like that, answered the yogi. It takes the intense, probing meditation of man to stir me up; our energies get connected; man, at personal meditation level, and I, at transpersonal meditation level. This is how the Antarnag ‘in wokes’ the Antaryami, and I am here with you. You have been referring to your probe on God, as a bite to the creator have you not?

The snake nodded in affirmation.

Now, that someone has meditated deeply enough to stir me up, the arrangement begins. The serpents are bitting, the bells are ringing; things are stalling in the world again. I must answer the calls.

The pilot taking charge of the flight again? Asked the snake.

You will understand, what flight I talk of, said the yogi, but for now, let us begin with the skins you shed, and, you feel like a lost pup, do you? Such feelings have deep animistic significance, to understand which. I shall guide you.

And so began the most mystical journey of the snake.

          I fear to ask, said the snake, but you made a distinction between religion and spirituality, why?

          Ah, religion, fear. Religion sometimes asks you to fear God, said the yogi, a spiritualist will only ask you to know Him. Knowing Him, you shall love Him.

          Do you mean we should not fear God? Asked the snake.

          Do I? asked the yogi. I am showing you the distinction between two ways of reaching God.  Fear of God, is one way, Love of God, is another. The motive of fear of God, is that we should not inflict unkindness upon others, we should not invoke His wrath by doing so. The motive is correct, but to what extent can it work? We fear retributions, therefore, fear does repress certain undesirable traits. But, fear is a negative quality, it is bound to result in negatives, such repression of traits, will thus be short lived. Love of God, works differently. Love is a positive quality, it is bound to result in positives. You cannot really be natural if you are being kind to others, Out of fear, for example. But if you love others, kindness will flow naturally, you understand? So you can lead your whole life being scared of God, who will judge you for your actions, and yet, go on accumulating wrong actions. These wrong actions spring from ignorance, of what God is. My mysticism, on the other hand, will introduce you to a self awareness, which shall grow you naturally. By the time you have to be judged, there shall be nothing left to judge, nothing done to be scared of. This self awareness is not just conscience, it is consciousness.{Excerpt from "The Yogi and the snake" by Shailendra Gulhati,1995}