As per a transformation story, a pregnant lioness, while pouncing upon a flock of sheep, gave birth to a baby and died. The sheep flock, feeling pity for the little lion cub, took care of it with great love and affection. Very soon, the cub, being attached to the flock, started moving and playing around under their loving protection. As the days passed by, the elderly sheep became the role model for the baby lion. The little one would imitate whatever the elders did, whether it is in bleating or eating. In this way, years passed by and the cub grew up to become a huge lion with all the characteristics of a meek sheep.
One day, as the sheep were grazing, a wild lion entered the forest and gave a loud roar. Scared, the sheepish lion also took to heels along with other sheep. The wild lion, seeing this uncommon scene, chased and caught hold of the sheepish lion, who, trembling with fear kept bleating, saying "Please don't eat me..." Astonished, the wild lion tried all ways to make him-understand that he was not a sheep but a lion. When nothing worked, he took him to a nearby pond and showed his face in the water. The sheepish lion saw that his form resembled that of the wild lion. Now the wild lion gave out a loud roar and asked him to repeat.
Soon, the sheepish lion too roared like any other lion. Since then, he lived like a true lion and roamed fearlessly in the forest.
Here the sheepish lion is the individual soul, the wild lion is the Guru, the pond is the scriptures and the reflection seen in the pond is the knowledge of the Self. The roaring is the realization of the Mahaavaakya "I am Brahman"!
The sheepish lion was never a sheep. It was only his wrong notion born out of constant false imagination. He was always a lion, even though he never knew it earlier.
The essence of the transformation story applies to us as well. In the same way, our nature is ever Sat -Chit - Ananda, though we may not accept it in our present state of ignorance.
Meditation helps us to remove this veil of ignorance (meditation transforms). It is by meditation alone that all ordinary persons transformed themselves into great stalwarts to become the redeemers of mankind of their times, be it Narendra (Swami Vivekananda), Mohandas (Mahatma Gandhi), Ratnakara (sage Valmiki), Thimmappa (Purandaradas) or Siddhartha (Gautam Buddha).
Meditation reveals to us our true nature when the misleading mind is disciplined to silence, it simply transforms. It is only when the silence starts speaking in the loudest voice that we come to know that there was an 'Ever Perfect One' in us whom we ignored all through our lives in search of perfection outside!
About the author: This article is written by an anonymous author as per the teachings of Swami Chinmayananda for the 'Vedanta Vani' magazine of Chinmaya Mission. The article carries a transformation story of a lion to illustrate the point, the fact that meditation transforms.
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