Control your Mind

This is story of a prince who sacrificed all his riches and surrendered his life towards Gautam Budha. The prince enjoyed all the luxuries of life and had all comforts but still he was not happy. He came under Gautam Budha's sharan begged for shelter and requested Mahatma to make him his disciple.
Gautam Budha agreed and told him that he has to lead a life of a Bhikshu. He has to go to people's door and beg for food and he has to sleep on the floor in the open space. The prince politely agreed.
Mahatma told him to take bhiksha from only one house. In that house a rich and young lady used to stay. She was also a disciple of Mahatma.
First day when the prince went to the rich lady's house for bhiksha, she opened the door and called him inside. She gave him delicious food to eat. He relished the food and thanked the lady. When he was about to leave, she asked him "before coming here you were thinking in your mind that in bhiksha you should get rich food to eat and all that you wanted to eat I have cooked for you."
The prince agreed and left. He was thinking how could she read his mind. Anyway he touched Gautam Budha's feet and narrated everything to him. Next day again the Mahatma told him to go to the same lady's house for Bhiksha. The prince in his mind was feeling happy. He took pot and on the way was remembering his prince hood days. How he would get tasty and rich food.His wife would sit beside him. How much he was attached to his children. He slept on comfortable bed, everything was so easy. His parents and other family members would love him and now he has nothing. This way he was lost in his thoughts and reached the lady's house.

The lady opened the door for him. She offered him nice food and after that requested him to sleep on the comfortable bed in her house. After he got up from sleep, she said"I know you are missing your good old days which you have sacrificed. While on your way you thinking about rich food, comfortable bed, your family. Is it right." The prince felt ashamed that this lady can read his mind and whatever he thinks of eating, she cooks accordingly. She provides him all the possible comforts he thinks in his mind. Anyway he thanked her for all that she gave and left her house.

After that he went straight to Mahatma and requested him that next day onwards he will not go to the lady's house as she can read his mind.

Mahatma Budha insisted that he should take bhiksha from her house only. He should learn to control his mind. Gautam Budha said "now since you know that the lady has power to read your mind, try to control your mind. If you practice everyday to control your mind your desires will minimise. Your ego will be under control and the attachment(moha) towards family and the comforts you enjoyed those days will reduce. You will then learn to become a perfect disciple. Your mind is still with your rich old days. If you are serious and want to tread on my path, learn to sacrifice not the outside world but the thoughts within, the desires within. It is easy to sacrifice the outside world like money, family, friends, comforts, riches everything that we touch and feel through our senses but when you introspect within you know how much dirt is accumulated in you. You cannot live in peace. Once you have mastered the art of controlling your mind and have created the habit of introspecting within then only you can become a true saint. Short term sacrifice will not help, sacrifice from within can make you strong and you can win over anybody.

Suspicion

A young boy went to a Mahatma. He touched his feet and requested him to give him knowledge about Atma and Paramatma. The saint made the boy sit next to him and said "how eager are you know about Atma and Paramatma?
The boy replied "I am very eager and I want to learn fast." The boy said that he has come from far of place and all the people suggested him to visit you. Now You are the only person who can give me gyan about God and Soul. The saint asked "how much time can you spare of your life to learn about God"
The boy said "I want to learn instantly."
The saint said "you have to stay with me for sometime and then only I can teach you. It can take one day, one weak, can be one year or more." The boy thought for sometime and replied "yes, I am ready to stay with you and I know I can learn fast."
The Mahatma said "you have to do whatever work I tell you to do."
The boy agreed.
The next day Mahatma handed over a box which was locked and told the boy to handed it over to another Mahatma, his friend, who stayed 2 to 3 klms. away from his ashram.
The boy obediently agreed and took the box and started walking. On the way he felt some funny sound coming from the box. He became curious to know what was inside the box. He first controlled himself but later on got tempted. He unlocked the box and saw a rat jumped out of the box. The boy was surprised and could not decide as to what to do as the rat ran away. He anyway caught hold some other rat and locked it in the box. He reached the Mahatma's ashram, touched his feet and said that this box has been gifted by his Guru.
The Mahatma without opening said "in this box there is a rat. You opened the box to see what it contained. The rat jumped out of it and you have kept another rat instead. Am I right?"
The boy was stunned as he did not know what to say. He apologised and begged sorry by saying "I got curious to know what the box had as it was making some funny sound and as I opened it the rat jumped out and I kept another rat so that my Guru should not know that I opened the box. But swamiji how did you know that I opened the box and exchanged the rat?"

The Mahatma smiled and replied"you are very young and eager to know things fast. But first control your mind. It is running like a rat. First sacrifice something to learn about God. Your Guru gave you your mind in the form of a rat tightly locked in. But see as you opened it, it jumped and ran away somewhere else and you exchanged it with some other rat, the mind. Since your Guru has sent you to me I will try to help you to be steady. Never get tempted. Think, judge and then act. Once you know the art of controlling your own mind, you will also get the blessings of reading other persons mind. So be patient, your queries will be solved.