219. Bondage to Liberation
K rishna says, “ Tej (radiance of character), forgiveness, patience, purity, freedom from hate, absence of conceit -are the wealth of a divinely inclined person (16.3). Vainglorious pride, arrogance, conceit, anger, harshness and ignorance mark the man who is born with a demonic nature (16.4). Two types of men exist in the world - the divine and the demonic (16.6). The divine nature bestows liberation ( vi-mokshaya ); the demonic nature leads to bondage” (16.5). Since liberation and bondage are experiential, any explanation about them is likely to lead to confusion rather than provide clarity. The story of the trapped monkey will help us understand the dichotomy between bondage and liberation. Some nuts are kept in an earthen pot with a narrow mouth ( surahi ) in which the monkey’s hand barely fits. The monkey inserts its empty hand by squeezing through the mouth of the pot and grabs a fistful of nuts. As the fist is full, its size increases thus, it can’t come out of the pot,...