Trap

At the doors of large granaries are placed traps containing fried rice (Moori) to catch


mice. The mice attracted by the flavor of the fried rice, forget the more solid pleasures of

tasting the rice inside the granary, and fall into the trap. They are caught therein and

killed. Just so is the case with the soul. It stands on the threshold of divine bliss, which is

like millions of the highest worldly pleasures solidified into one; but instead of striving

for that bliss, it allows itself to be enticed by the petty pleasures of the world and falls

into the trap of Maya, the great illusion and dies therein.

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.

Anger Management

The teachings of great masters help one to rise from base behaviours to become a balanced individual. Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, the great Indian master illustrated an event to his disciples to handle anger.


Once the great master was standing by a river in the company of His disciples. As they stood there, the master pointed out to a boat that was advancing upstream. The boatman was shouting out to another boat that was moving down stream in the opposite direction to avoid collision. When the boat in the opposite direction rushed closer, the boatman realised that it was an empty boat with no one to monitor its movements. Hence he just changed his course of movement and avoided the danger.


Ramakrishna Paramahamsa then explained to the devotees that the boat man neither tried to change the course of the other boat nor did he continue to yell. All that he did was to steer around the on rushing boat. Ramakrishna compared, the boat without a boatman to a person who is angry. Hence when one is confronted with the anger of another person it is wise to move away like the boatman who avoided the onrushing boat. He taught not to indulge in flinging abusive words in return. When when retorts back in anger, his case is also like that of a boat without a steerer