June 8, 2026
kadācinnirvṛtiṁ yāti sa śamaṁ ca tarau kvacit
manohariṇako rājannājīvamiva bhāsvati (49)
VASIṢṬHA continued:
The tree of meditation casts a cool shade in which all desires and cravings come to an end and all the burning distress ceases. Meditation expands the shade of self-control which promotes steadiness of the mind.
A deer known as the mind, which had been wandering in the wilderness of countless concepts, notions and prejudices and which somehow finds the right path, takes shelter under this tree. This deer is pursued by its many enemies who covet its hide or covering. It hides itself in thorny bushes known as the body in an attempt to save itself. All this effort wears out its energies. Running hither and thither in the forest of saṁsāra, harassed by the winds known as vāsanā or latent tendencies and scorched by the heat of egosense, the deer is afflicted by interminable distress.
This deer is not easily satisfied with what it gets. Its cravings multiply and it continues to go out far in search of satisfaction of those cravings. It gets attached to the many pleasure-centres known as wife, children, etc., and it wears itself out in looking after them. It is caught in the net of wealth, etc., and it struggles to free itself. In this struggle it falls down again and again and injures itself. Borne down by the current of craving, it is carried far away. It is haunted and hunted by innumerable ailments. It is also trapped by the different sense-experiences. It is bewildered by its alternate rise to the heavenly regions and its fall into the hell. It is crushed and wounded by the stones and rocks known as mental modifications and evil qualities. To remedy all these, it conjures up by its own intellect various codes of conduct, which prove ineffectual. It has no knowledge of the self or the infinite consciousness.
This deer known as the mind is made insensible by the poisonous exhalation of the snake known as worldly pleasure and craving for such pleasure. It is burnt by the fire of anger. It is dried up by worries and anxieties. It is pursued by the tiger known as poverty. It falls into the pit of attachment. Its heart is broken by the frustration of its own pride.
At some stage, this deer turns away from all this and seeks the refuge of some tree already described (the tree of meditation) and there it shines brightly. Supreme peace or bliss is not attained in any other condition but the unconditioned state of consciousness, and this is attained only in the shade of the tree known as samādhi or meditation.