This is the third in the series of ‘’Great men Think Alike’’; they even teach us through dolls.
‘’ There are three dolls—the first made up of salt, the second made up of cloth and the third of stone. If these dolls are immersed in water, the first will become dissolved and lose its form, the second will absorb a large quantity of water but retain its form, and the third will remain impervious to water.
The first doll represents the man who merges his self in the universal and all pervading self and becomes one with it; he is the liberated man. The second represents the bhakta/ devotee or the true lover of god, who is full of divine bliss and knowledge. And the third represents the worldly man who will not admit even a particle of true knowledge into his heart’’.
------From Sayings of Sri Ramakrishna – saying No.36
Children’s Doll
Little children play with dolls in outer room just as they like, without any care or fear or restraint; but as soon as their mother comes in, they throw aside their dolls and run to her crying ‘’Mamma, Mamma’’. You too ,O man, are playing in this material world, infatuated with dolls of wealth, honour, fame etc, and do not feel any fear or anxiety. If, however, you once see your Divine Mother, you will not afterwards find pleasure in all these. Throwing them all aside, you will run to her--- Saying No12 from R.K.Paramahamsa.
Tiruvalluvar on Dolls in Tamil Veda—‘Tirukkural
Tamil poet who lived 1300 years ago has used dolls in two places in his book Tirukkural:
Kural/ couplet 1058: The great cool world will be moving like a lifeless puppet show if no one asks for help.
Kural /couplet 1020: the men, who do not possess sensitiveness to shame in their personality, are like the wooden dolls operated by strings.
Kamban on Kaikeyi in Tamil Kamba Ramayana
Kaikeyi is like a wooden doll. She would not feel shy or ashamed: Tamil poet Kamban in ‘Kaikeyi conspiracy’- verse 34
Tirumular on Elephant Doll
Tamil Siddha teaches philosophy through wooden doll of elephant. A child sees only elephant in the doll but a carpenter knows it is not elephant but wood. We see the world like a child without knowing its real nature. Brahman, the sole reality remains concealed in it. (Tamil Maraththai maraiththathu Maamatha Yaanai)
Three Wise Monkeys from India
Under the above title I posted an article on 22 November 2011. I have explained that the principle of See no evil, Hear no evil and Speak no evil went from India to other countries.I will give only a few points from my old post.
1. Mahatma Gandhi had a porcelain doll of three monkeys by his bed side. It was presented to him by some Chinese visitors. Since Gandhiji’s days this doll became a popular figure in India. Moreover the theme the monkeys explained is a typical Indian theme: See No Evil, Hear No Evil and Speak No Evil.
2. The Japanese call these three monkeys “Mi zaru (see no evil), Kika zaru (hear no evil) and Iwa zaru (speak no evil)”.
3. A monkey was mentioned as a favourite animal of Indra in Rig Veda (10-86).
4. Lord Krishna says in the Gita (Chapter 2-29),”one SEES him with wonder, another likewise SPEAKS of him as a wonder, and as a wonder another HEARS of him, yet even on (seeing, speaking and hearing) some do not understand him”.
5. But the oldest and the clearest evidence comes from a Tamil book called Naladiyar. It is a Tamil book of ethics with 400 poems on different topics. They were composed by Jain saints 1500 years ago.
One of the poems runs like this:
“If one knowing what is right, be deaf to the secrets of others, blind to the wives of his neighbours, and dumb in calumniating others, it is not necessary to inculcate any virtue to him.”
Another story about THREE WISE DOLLS
6. A king in India was presented with three dolls by a wise man. The king was wondering why someone would present such dolls. He called all the wise people to find out their meaning.
Several people came forward, examined the dolls and came with no answer. One or two people found some holes and yet could not say what they were for. At last a very wise man came and asked for a string from the king. He passed the string through the holes in each doll. The string went through one ear and came through the other ear in the first doll. The wise man explained that represents a person who can’t retain anything and whatever he hears leaks through the other ear. The second doll had one hole in the ear and another in the mouth. This person will tell everything you tell him to everyone in the world and so he is dangerous, explained the wise man. And in the third doll the string went through one ear but never came out. He is the most trustworthy person fit for a job in the royal palace, said the wise man. The king was very happy and amply rewarded the wise man.
Pictures are taken from various websites; thanks.
