Welcome dear friends,
Before we begin,
Let's take one slow breathe in and a soft breathe out.
Today I want to share something very human,
The quiet pressure to appear bigger than we are,
To impress,
To pretend,
To wear masks so the world accepts us.
We all do it sometimes,
And for this I would like to share an old story from the Panchatantra,
A simple story but with a very deep mirror.
Long ago in a dense forest,
There lived a small ordinary jackal,
Not as strong like the lion,
Not fast like the deer,
Not powerful like the tiger,
Just a thin,
Hungry jackal surviving day by day.
One evening,
While searching for food,
He wandered too close to a village.
Dogs began barking,
People started shouting,
He panicked and ran blindly through the streets.
In fear he jumped through an open window and fell straight into a large tub of blue dye kept outside a washerman's house.
Splash!
When he climbed out,
His entire body had turned a deep blue.
Startled,
He rushed back into the forest,
But something strange happened.
When the other animals saw him,
They froze.
They had never seen such a creature before,
Blue fur shining unfamiliar.
The deer stepped back,
Monkeys climbed trees,
Even the tiger hesitated.
Fear filled the air and in that moment the jackal realized something,
They are afraid of me.
For the first time in his life,
No one chased him,
No one threatened him,
So he straightened his back and spoke in a deep,
Serious voice.
Do not be afraid,
I have been sent by the heavens to rule this forest and protect you.
The animals believed him,
The lion bowed,
The tiger obeyed,
Food was brought to him every day,
Small jackal was now treated like a king.
Days passed,
He began enjoying the power,
Giving orders,
Walking proudly,
But inside he was still the same frightened jackal.
Always alert,
Always afraid someone might discover the truth.
And then one night,
From far away,
He heard it,
A familiar sound,
Other jackals howling at the moon.
How?
His body reacted automatically.
Without thinking,
He forgot the act.
He lifted his head and holed back.
The forest went silent.
The lion looked at the tiger,
The tiger looked at the deer.
This is no divine creature,
They realized.
It is just a jackal.
Within moments the illusion broke and the very animals who once bowed chased him out of the forest.
Not because he was small,
But because he had deceived them.
Now pause for a moment.
This story isn't really about a jackal,
It's about us.
How often do we die ourselves in lieu?
Pretending to be more successful,
More spiritual,
More confident,
More perfect.
Speaking differently,
Acting differently,
Trying to impress,
Hoping the world will respect us.
Maybe it works for a while,
People admire us,
Hear praises.
But inside,
There's tension.
Because pretending is heavy.
Must constantly remember the role,
Constantly protect the image.
And one day,
Life makes you whole.
And truth comes out.
Because when we are pretending to be,
It takes effort.
But what we truly are is effortless.
The lesson is simple.
Respect built on illusion feels temporary.
Peace that comes from authenticity feels steady and effortless.
Yoga and meditation were never meant to make you special or different from others.
They begin with something very ancient.
Brahma Jigyasa.
A gentle inner query.
Who am I really?
A turning inward,
A remembering,
Slowly discovering your true nature.
You start seeing that the same life energy moving the stars,
The trees and the oceans is moving through you too.
There's nothing extra to become,
Nothing to prove.
Just something beautiful to recognize.
When pretending drops,
The body relaxes.
Mind softens.
You move through life more simply,
More honestly.
You stop performing and start being.
And in that quiet presence,
You realize something powerful.
You were always enough,
Always unique,
Always connected.
That is freedom.
So today,
Notice gently.
Where am I trying to appear blue?
And where can I simply be myself?
Take one slow breath.
Let the masks drop.
You were enough from the beginning.
Thank you for the listening.
God bless you.
Have a great day.
