Vedantic Tales: The Discipleship of
Sri Nag , The Cobra

Sri Nag sighed. By this time he had lowered his fore body; he lay prostrate at the feet of the monk, whose aura of serenity was sweeping over him. In a small voice he said, for he was a deeply truthful cobra, 'Sir, I am not able to master myself. I act as I am forced to act by a power stronger than I. Our family traditions are extremely compelling. What can I do?' He put his head on the feet of the sannyasin and said, 'Please teach me.'

Again there was silence. Sri Nag felt that he was being turned inside out, that he was shedding skin after skin. At length the sadhu spoke.

'Be strong,' he said. 'Strike no one. It is true that there are powerful forces at work within you, but they are as nothing compared with the infinite power of your true Self. Be a real Cobra! It is far greater to conquer your impulses than to obey them and be master of this field. That is no mastery at all. It is slavery! I will give you a mantra.' He intoned a few Sanskrit words and asked Sri Nag to say them after him. 'Repeat that mantra to yourself,' he went on. 'Say it out loud whenever the impulse to strike comes over you. Can you do that?' He reached down and laid his hand on Sri Nag's head. The cobra felt a tremor go through his long body.

'Yes,' he whispered, too moved to say more.

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