“Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion.”
~ BIBLE (PROVERBS 11:22)
Acharya Prashant: Questioner has asked me to speak on two verses, and I’ll pick the most spicy one of the two.
“Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion.”
~ BIBLE (PROVERBS 11:22)
There is that which has been given to you, and then there is that which lies at the center of all that which has been given to you. You can not only gift a pig with a gold ring in her snout but actually drape her with all kinds of gold fineries, ornaments, in fact, gold clothing. Now all around the pig is gold. And what lies at the center of all the gold? ‘The pig.’ So, there is gold all around, and within the gold is the pig. Yes? (Addressing the questioner) All around there is gold. Over the legs, over the back, on the snout, on the forehead, even the tail is covered in gold and at the center of the gold is the pig.
Similarly, there can be talents and attractiveness and a proportionate body all around somebody, and at the center of all the attractiveness is the pig. So lovely eyes outside, lovely body outside, fair complexion, proportionate limbs, glowing skin, flying hair, shining teeth, lovely elocution, banks of knowledge, praises, and praises, all-enveloping somebody. What is inside the envelope? ‘A pig.’ It’s a beautiful envelope, lovely eyes. What nose, what curves, the most curvaceous envelope you’ll ever see, and you come close to the envelope and open it, and out jumps the pig. The face was so beautiful that you went close and close and looked a little behind the face, and you saw that the pig was searching for some shit.
Man’s talents, man’s intellectual prowess, man’s knowledge, man’s accomplishments, man’s senses, man’s ability to analyze, memorize, compare, contrast, conclude, all of these things are given to man. All of these things are given to somebody that somebody must not be a pig. What will a pig do with gold? You must have heard the story of the monkey who got a sword. What did he do with the sword? He only brought misery to everybody around him and to himself. In fact, there was a monkey, it’s another story, who loved his master greatly and the master had a gun. And once when the master was asleep, the monkey picked up the gun, aimed at some place and fired, and he fired as monkeys fire.
The master was gone in a second.
There is the gun and there is somebody who is holding the gun. The one holding the gun is more important.
There are so many who are gifted with genetic riches. They are born talented. The question is not so much about the talent. The question is about the one carrying, wielding the talent. What do you do with your talents? You must know the right use of what you have. If you know the right use of what you have, then that defines the one within the envelope. If the right one is within the envelope, then he’ll know what to do with the envelope.
You must know what to do with your body. You must know what to do with your riches, your beauties, your capabilities, your possessions.
All that you have, time, energy, capabilities, everything, you must know what to do with them. Put them in the service of Truth.
That’s what a pig won’t do. If you teach a thug the verses of the Upanishads or the Bible, it’s quite likely that he’ll use those verses to be a more proficient thug, yes? Giving a gold ring to the pig does not change the pig, neither does it help the pig. One must be determined not to remain a pig.
Therefore,
If you want to give something to somebody, give something that changes him. Give him something that dissolves his illusions.
You know, pigs really don’t exist. ‘Pigness’ is a myth. If you want to give a pig something, give him something that rids him of his ‘pigness.’
It does not matter what you have, what matters is how you are using what you have. And how you are using what you have depends on how you know yourself, how you define and identify yourself.
If you have legs, use the legs to go to the temple. If you have a car, use the car to go to the temple. If you can fly, fly to the temple. If you have nothing else but imagination, then use the imagination in the service of the temple.
Doesn’t matter what you have. Whatever you have must be deployed, used rightly.
To use what you have in the right way, you must be placed rightly.
