Placed at the pinnacle of evolution, the homo-sapient man is fitted with a manufacturer’s wonder: the intellect. To use this wonder equipment as opportunity for his own ascent or descent, then becomes the glory or the tragedy of man. Having heard of the highest goal, “to see the queen”, the Pussy Cat (seeker) externalises it. Rather than seeking within to search our true selves, the seeker imagines that the queen (goal) is far away in London. Our spiritual journey then becomes long and arduous. We make great preparations (spiritual disciplines) to reach London, but somewhere down the journey, our overpowering desires pull us to different enchantments. The Cat’s eyes forget the queen, their only focus now is the “little mouse under her chair”. The powerful tendencies degenerate the goal to a petty insignificant one, hidden below eye level, “a little mouse under her chair”. The Cat’s mouse desire is too low to let her lift her gaze to the higher, (the queen).
Interestingly, the Cat’s boast, “I frightened a little mouse” assumes strikingly egoistic connotations. It’s a dramatic visual of the fallacy that power over others, the skill and efficiency in subjugating or destroying others alone, can bring you great applause and fame and thereby happiness.
By now, the Cat (seeker), entirely forgetting the self stated purpose of her long and arduous journey, “to see the queen” is elated at her own low achievement of frightening a little mouse who was already hiding under a chair. So also the seeker in us after having achieved the society determined “goals” of our lives, of power, position, wealth and status look as smug as the Cat who “thinks” that she has just licked the cream! Only till a more powerful animal makes her his goal! The game goes on.
Prarthna Saran, President Chinmaya Mission Delhi, can be contacted at prarthnasaran@gmail.com