There is a famous quote that the *grass appears greener on the other side*.
So we always have a tendency to compare our position with others and to
imitate to be like them. But the reality is when we try to imitate others,
we would not be able to sustain the show also for a long time.
In this regard, we may find an interesting small story about a donkey and a dhobi. The
donkey had to carry loads of clothes every day for his master. He was very
bored with his tiresome daily routine and always thought that the animals
in the forest are very lucky as they were roaming freely all day and did
not have to do any hard work like him. He felt that among all the wild
animals, animals like lions and tigers are the most luckiest as every other
animal in the forest are afraid of them. He yearned to become a tiger. So
one night when the dhobi was fast asleep, he left for the forest. As soon
as he entered the forest, he started enjoying the chill breeze and was very
elated about his new life there. To his surprise he came across the skin of
a dead tiger. He considered himself very lucky and quickly got into that
skin. And now as he walked in the forest, even the smaller animals started
fleeing away from him, thinking that he is a tiger. Pleased by this
experience, the donkey decided to have some fun with the villagers and his
master as well. So he went back to the village and everyone, including the
dhobi started running away as soon as they saw him. The donkey felt
very happy and soon he reached the master's house. The place and
surroundings were very familiar to him and he felt 'at home'. Soon he saw
the fresh juicy grass in the garden and started relishing it. And out of
joy he started braying loudly. The dhobi realised that it was the sound of
his lost donkey and when he peeped out of his window, he was surprised to
see tiger eating grass. Not realising that he is being watched, the donkey
brayed again and then the dhobi started beating him with a stick and the
tiger skin fell-off and the donkey got exposed.
The moral of the story is that we should not artificially try to be what we
are not. Posing before others for cheap adoration and power is cheating.
Such pretension results in pain. So it is better to be ourselves than to
pretend. In Bhagavad Gita verse 3.6 Lord Krishna says,
*karmendriyaani samyamya / ya aaste manasaa smaran
indriyaarthaan vimudhaatma / mityaacarah sa ucyate*
"*One who restrains the senses of action but whose mind dwells on sense
objects certainly deludes himself and is called a pretender.*"
This wonderful story is taken from the mailing list
All Glories to God!
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