A Housefly or a Honeybee?

The seemingly meaningless task that their guru had entrusted them with annoyed the disciples. Only the previous week were they enlisted in the new gurukul, and instead of teaching them traditional scriptures, the guru seemed bent on giving them these inane activities that left them baffled. Yesterday, he had asked them to observe houseflies. And this morning, instead of asking them what they observed and explaining the meaning behind this strange exercise, the guru asked them to observe honeybees the entire day. Compared to the previous day, it was difficult since honeybees couldn’t be spotted everywhere. They searched for the bees in the backyards of the houses in nearby villages or in groves surrounding the gurukul.

The next morning, the guru asked them to describe their observations about the first day. The excited disciples told the guru how houseflies constantly flitted from one place to another, from food in the kitchen to the sweetmeat shops next door to even the garbage pile nearby. One disciple’s description of seeing a fly sit on a festering wound on a man’s knees elicited disgust from the listeners. It led to a friendly banter, which the guru quelled by asking them about the second day’s observation. The banter continued when one of the disciples jocularly remarked that bees are comparatively unexciting since they sit only on flowers before they move back to their hives.

Hearing this, the guru guffawed. Then he explained, ‘Aren’t we similar to these houseflies, forever hopping from one worldly pleasure to another without realising their end consequences, even when one has known the sweet taste of the Divine during those momentary phases of prayers and meditations? The idea is to become as steadfast and unwavering as a bee that’s only interested in the nectar in the flower that helps produce honey. Need I tell you what that nectar means?’

It’s a story that umpteen gurus have narrated to their disciples. It still holds true. Truth be told, most humans are like flies and keep prancing around, squandering their energies on unnecessary issues that lead us nowhere, be it in their spiritual quest or in their material life. The need of the hour is to tune our minds with steadfast intent, similar to a bee. The choice is completely ours.