Manush & Manas

Once upon a time there lived a lonely man called Manush. He loved to go for his tranquil morning strolls by the playground. It brought him away from the busy corporate life into the depths of nature and the environment.

More than the strolls, he enjoyed sitting at the park bench, eyes closed, enjoying the quietness.

And every time he went for his evening walk, he brought his lovable little doggy, Manas. He loved Manush so much that everywhere Manush went, Manas followed too.

And Manush gave Manas a lot of freedom. Even though he had a restraint collar tied to him, it was about 2 metres long so that Manas could move about freely.

When Manush saw Manas running around chasing butterflies or leaping from one place to another, he smiled to himself. He was happy that Manas was enjoying himself. Manas was his only companion – his happiness in a world filled with sorrow, grief and regrets.

There was one concern though.

After his short stroll, when Manush sat at the park bench to enjoy the peace and tranquility, the restraint held in his hands will jerk as Manas runs about chasing things. Manas will tug at the restraint continuously, jolting him from his peaceful rest. That distressed him a lot.

But – Manas was happy. That made Manush happy too.

As time went by, Manush realized that by making the restraint shorter, he could control the movement of Manas. Manas had lesser things to play with and so he moved less. He rolled the restraint in his hands, keeping Manas closer than a metre away from him.

Now Manush could close his eyes and delve into himself - enjoying the peace and calm within him.

But still, out of a sudden Manas would tug at his hand when he sees insects or butterflies near the bench.

However, Manush noticed that even though Manas saw the butterfly, he did not run or chase after it. That was a lot of improvement.

So he decided to experiment further.

The next day, Manush reduced the restraint further. Now Manas was closer to him, and within his control. Manas too now started to realize that his movements were very restricted.

He reduced his movements and started staying still. Manas was mostly quiet – no agitation or sudden movements.

On that day, Manush enjoyed a longer session of quietness as he sat on the bench. It was a new discovery for Manush.

He looked at Manas as he got up. And Manas got up too, ready to leave. Manas was wagging his tail, following his footsteps as he walked.

Manush now decided to put Manas to a final test.

So, on the following day, Manush completely left Manas free. He did not hold the restraint.
He sat on the bench, closed his eyes, confident that Manas will not jolt him out of his peaceful journey.

And Manas kept still throughout, wagging his tail, in submission to his Master.

And that day, as Manush closed his eyes, he saw the light.