18. Three Robbers on the Path
Once a man was going through a forest when three robbers jumped on him and robbed him. One of the robbers then said, “What is the use of keeping this man alive?” He was about to kill him with his sword when the second robber stopped him, saying: “What is the use of killing him? Tie him to a tree and leave him here.” The robbers tied him to a tree and went away.
After a while, the third robber returned and said to the man: “I am sorry; are you hurt? I will untie you.” After setting the man free, the thief said: “Come with me. I will take you to the public highway.” After a long time, they reached the road. Then the man said: “Sir, you have been very good to me. Come with me to my house.” “Oh no!” replied the robber, “I can’t go there. The police will know it.” The forest is this world.
The three robbers are the three Gunas: goodness, passion and laziness. It is they who rob us of Selfknowledge. Laziness wants to destroy us. Passion ties us to the world. Goodness frees us from the grasp of passion and laziness. Under the protection of goodness, we are rescued from anger, passion, greed, and laziness. Goodness also loosens the bonds of the world. But goodness is also a robber. It cannot give us the pure knowledge of God. It can only show us the path leading to the house of God. We have to rise above the three Gunas and develop love of God.