Spotty shares his dream with the other cubs

Mum Lioness peeked outside to see what the cubs were up to. Spotty was speaking in hushed whispers. Seemed he was recounting a dream to the other cubs.

I was going past this big house. There were signs outside. One said "Instant Enlightment -- 5 days for Indians". The cubs giggled at the "Instant Enlightenment".
Another sign said "Enlightenment - only 21 days for foriegners"
There were huge sums of money mentioned.
On the gate was a sign saying "Swami Enlightenmentananda".

Om cub asked, how much money.
Oh, they were really large figures, i can't count that much. But there were many zeros.
Oh, that's big, said Tirucub.
The one for Indians said rupees, the other one said dollars.

Then i went past a window, and the Swami was sitting in front of a safe. The safe was open,
(The cubs' eyes opened wide).
There was a lot of money inside, but there was something different about the notes. This was ego money.
What!!!! asked the cubs, what's ego money?"

Well, explained Spotty, it sort of had ego written all over it. Like the money paid by the seekers gets converted to ego. It inflated the ego of the Swami!

Then I peeked into the other rooms where the participants were sitting. I could see that they were looking quite happy.

Arunacub interjected: Yes, the ego is getting happy, since it is getting inflated.
Om cub added: Participants come to these programs for Instant Enlightenment, but their egos get inflated, and they feel happier.
Tiru asked: So they are paying to have their egos inflated? Then the programs should be called: Instant Ego-inflatenment !

The cubs laughed at this.

Then Spotty continued:
The Swami was charging more for giving the participants the ablity to heal others and pass bliss onto others.

Ah, a big ego trap, observed little Omcub sagely.

Some sort of special connection to some divine force, added Spotty.

A neat way of getting more people to hear of this Swami, so they can come to him for Instant ego-inflatenment, remarked Tirucub.

You mean like whenever you see someone unhappy or unwell you offer healing, and then start telling them about Swami EnlightenmentAnanda, asked Arunacub

Precisely. Subtle is it not, asked Tirucub. As against just going around stopping people and telling them about him.

So what else happened in the dream, asked Om cub impatiently.

Oh, yes I just remembered. These people were going in for instant enlightenment and their heads were swelling up. I just knew that their heads were getting filled up with --

EGO, the other cubs shouted.

Spotty: Some were shouting, I am enlightened, I am enlightened.
Others were looking sad, and were being told that they have to submit to Swami EnlightenmentAnanda in order to get enlightened. Only if they accepted him as God would they be enlightened.

How did Swami Enlightenmentananda look, asked Omcub.

Well, if you took ego-stuff and made a human being out of it -- that's how he would look. But the people around him were saying how handsome he is looking, and how beautiful his wife was.

Wife!!! shouted the cubs.

Yes, did i not say there was a wife, too. Really filled out, like Mama Hippolyta.

The cubs laughed.

Truth to tell, I thought it was Mama Hippo wearing a saree.

(At this, even Mum Lioness, preparing idlies, burst into laughter).

They were very fancily dressed up - aspensive clothes, jewelry, sitting on a throne.

A THRONE!! shouted the cubs.

Yup, did i not say so earlier. Everything there was stinking of ego.

Ego has an awful smell, observed little Omcub wrinkling his tiny nose. Worse than poo.

Only Bhagavan Ramana can destroy the ego, stated Arunacub. Those who surrender to Him, will be realized. Maybe one or two more can, too. The rest will only inflate the ego.

Spotty said: In the dream there was talk of Swami Enlightenmentananda causing global enlightenment.

Omcub almost choked on this. It looks like he is preventing it!

Bhagavan Ramana is the only one who can bring about global enlightenment. But He never speaks about such things. He is the highest power, way way above and beyond a jnani, said Arunacub.

Bhagavan sees all as realized, explained Tirucub.

There was one very disturbing thing about the dream, said Spotty. There was a constant fighting of animals going on. Dogs barking at each other ferociously and biting each other. Monkey fighting viciously.

Bad energy over there, observed Om cub.
Very bad energy! added Arunacub.
A clear sign, said Tirucub, Humans can be hypnotised and brainwashed, but animals can't. This shows that the energy at this Swami Egoananda's -- (the cubs burst into fits of laughter) -- was not good energy. Had it been, the animals would have been living peacefully like they do on Arunachala, especially in the vicinity of Bhagavan Ramana.

At that moment, Uncle Stripes appeared, and sat down along with the cubs.

Unca Stripes, is there anyone other than Bhagavan Ramana who can help people realize the Self.

I sure hope so, cubs. But it seems that most poeple are only amassing a fortune at the expense of others. Some may be realized, but can they help others ? Bhagavan certainly has, and can.

People say Self-enquiry is difficult, is that true, Unca Stripes, asked Arunacub.

Maybe for those who are not devoted to Bhagavan. I think they will find it harder to disengage from the mind and be by themselves. The ego is a very attractive thing. However, there is only one thing in this world that is more attractive than the ego. And that is our Father Arunachala Ramana. If you love Him, you will believe and follow his words. When he says you are not the mind, you will be able to disengage from the mind. If devotion is not there, the ego will keep pulling you, and the instruction "I am not the mind" will fail.

When deep devotion is there, we will do anything to find the real Bhagavan, even detach from thoughts. If that longing to be one with the real Bhagavan is not there, what incentive have we, to detach from the mind which can be so attractive.

What if we have devotion, but can't do Self-enquiry? asked the cubs.

That's okay. Since your aim is to defeat the ego and be one with Him. He is clearly guiding your life already. He is already holding your hand and carrying you. Keeping one's thoughts on Bhagavan, or in silence seeking the Self, are both ways that allow Bhagavan's grace to flow in, although like sunlight, His grace is always there.

So you little cubs are doing just fine -- melting lovingly into the Self.