The monkey and the ogre

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The monkey and the ogre

 

In a lake there once lived a horrible ogre. His face was black, his

 

belly blue, and his hands and feet were red. He had great tusks for

 

teeth.

 

Whenever an animal came to drink water, The ogre suddenly came out of

 

the lake, seized him, and drew him down by force.

 

Once a troop of monkeys came to the lake, led by their king. The

 

monkeys were all thirsty. But the monkey king, who was very observant,

 

noted that the footprints of various animals led to the lake but none

 

led away from it. He was suspicious and worried.

 

He gave strict order that no one was to drink water from the lake

 

until he gave the word. So the monkeys now waited by the waters of the

 

lake, impatient, thirsty. Their discipline was good, however and the

 

monkey King's orders were scrupulously followed. Hours passed.

 

Everything was still and hushed. It was a tussle of wills between the

 

monkey king and the unknown monster whose existence the former had

 

assumed.

 

It was the ogre who gave the first. Unable to restrain his greed, he

 

popped up from the centre of the lake and said in a stentorian voice.

 

" Why do you not drink? I am the guardian of these waters. I tell you

 

that the water is pure, refreshing, cool and sweet. Drink, my friends,

 

drink. "

 

The monkey replied, " No, my good fellow, your wished will not be

 

fulfilled in the way that you want. You won't able to catch us. We

 

will drink the water of the lake and yet not fall into your

 

clutches. "

 

The monkeys then plucked reeds from the marshes and drank the water

 

through the reeds.

 

Thus was the ogre frustrated.

 

Moral: The material energy may look very attractive, but actually it

 

is full of suffering. However, some people need to get kicked by maya

 

to gain realization of the hellish nature of the material energy. But

 

a truly intelligent person takes advantage of the revealed scriptures,

 

which enable him to get realization of the suffering in the material

 

world without having to undergo that suffering himself, just as the

 

monkeys used the reeds to drink the water so that the ogre could not

 

catch them.

 

--- A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada