Podcast details
Beggar's pot
The human mind is an insatiable pot of desire, the source of all conflict and unhappiness.
A king, boasting of his perfect kingdom, is confronted by a beggar with an empty pot. The king tries to fill it with rice, but the pot can never be filled. The beggar reveals the pot is made of the human mind, which knows no satisfaction. This greed and lack of inner contentment causes all strife, from personal fights to world wars. Lasting peace requires turning from selfish desire to the dharma of helping and loving others. True happiness comes from inner satisfaction, santoṣa. We are distant from our real Self, our thoughts constantly wandering externally. Through meditation and yoga, we return to ourselves, assess our inner qualities, and achieve the union of individual consciousness with the cosmic.
"Sir, a beggar's pot is made from the human mind."
"Yes, sir, I am lonely—since you arrived. Before that, I was one with myself."
Filming location: Melbourne, Australia
This text is transcribed and grammar corrected by AI. If in doubt what was actually said in the recording, use the transcript to double click the desired cue. This will position the recording in most cases just before the sentence is uttered.
The text contains hyperlinks in bold to three authoritative books on yoga, written by humans, to clarify the context of the lecture:
- Yoga in Daily Life - The System
Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda. Ibera Verlag, Vienna, 2000. ISBN 978-3-85052-000-3 - The Hidden Power in Humans - Chakras and Kundalini
Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda. Ibera Verlag, Vienna, 2004. ISBN 978-3-85052-197-0 - Lila Amrit - The Divine Life of Sri Mahaprabhuji
Paramhans Swami Madhavananda. Int. Sri Deep Madhavananda Ashram Fellowship, Vienna, 1998. ISBN 3-85052-104-4
