One day, I was walking through the walking paths of woods of the ashrama. It was a gorgeous evening; Sun was preparing to set. Suddenly, there was a big snake in front of me. I had almost stepped on, no one around and this could be painful death. I was paralyzed by fear, my body had broken into a sweat, my heart was beating to pop out. 
But then, suddenly Guruji came and he dared to have a glance at the snake. Surprisingly, he claimed, “Devadutta, it is a rope. That snake is a rope”. Now I realized I am safe and free from the fear of the snake. I can encounter this false snake for years after year. The entire Gurukula or for that matter the entire world could come upon this snake and scare themselves to death – I could remain fearlessly. 
Guruji continued, “We build up our own stories, fear, pain and judgements about why it is a snake and not a rope. Our argument is to prove that the rope is a snake. We see and make others see a snake in the rope”. Now, I am not afraid of this snake, there would be no way that I could believe their stories and be frightened. I discovered the truth of this snake – ignorance of the snake had dissolved in the knowledge of what “Is” – the rope. 
We are taking to be a snake that is really a rope; one has to realize it for oneself. Unless one realizes and discovers, one would always be in the world of snakes; that the rope is a poisonous snake and there is a danger. We carry many snakes in the mind, give and take snakes as a “parampara”. When we enquire and question these snakes, the truth of the snake is revealed. The cause for thoughts in our mind is the rope – “Is”. Fearlessly questioning our thoughts, that says we are the body, mind and senses helps us discover for ourselves the variety of snakes in our mind are really the rope.

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