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11. THE MOTH

Mistaking the flame of a lamp to be some kind of fruit the moth rushes to it and meets its end. Similarly, one who has renounced everything should not be duped by lust and gold which are verily the manifestations of maya. If he does (fails to control his senses) he gets caught up and will meet destruction.

12. THE HONEY BEE

The bee goes from one flower to another collecting nectar drop by drop without causing any discomfiture to the flower. Similarly a sanyasi should receive bhiksha without causing any discomfort to the grihasta (householder). He should receive, as bhiksha, only that amount required for the sustenance of his life.

Attracted by the fragrance of the lotus if a honeybee decides to live in that flower instead of moving from one flower to another it will get trapped inside the lotus at sunset. Similarly a sanyasi who gives up his wandering life and stays with a grihasta will be trapped in samsara.

Irrespective of the size of the flower the honeybee collects honey from all. Similarly a sanyasi should imbibe the essence from all the shastras in an unbiased manner.

The bees do not consume the honey they collect but instead save it in a honeycomb. And it is this honeycomb that brings about their end. Similarly a sanyasi should never save, what he receives as bhiksha, for the morrow.

To be continued......

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