In the ancient Indian scripture “Kathopanisad”, a young boy named Nachiketa asks the lord of death Yama – What am I? Yama gives the Chariot analogy as follows:
The chariot
(horse-drawn carriage) is made-up of the body of the chariot, horses, reins to control
horses, charioteer (driver) holding the reins and the passenger seating in the
chariot.
Your body is
the chariot. Five senses (seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and touching) are
five horses. Sense objects (objects providing sights, sound, smell, taste, and
touch) are the roads on which respective senses run. Mind (thoughts and
emotions) is the reins. Intellect (understanding/deciding) is the Charioteer. You
are the passenger.
The purpose of
the chariot is to take the passenger to his/her destination. The journey will
be safe and successful only if:
- The body
of the chariot is strong and well maintained
- Horses
are well trained to follow driver’s command through reins
- Reins
are strong and firm (not loose)
- Charioteer
is well informed about the destination and well-focused
Similarly, if
you wish to achieve your goals in life, you must:
- Keep
your body healthy and strong
- Train
your senses to be under mind’s control and not run away on their own
- Develop
a firm mind dedicated to the chosen goal
- Educate
the Intellect about your goal and develop its ability to clearly differentiate between
‘what’s in line with the goal’ and ‘what’s not in line with the goal’
Choose your
goal wisely. Your ultimate goal is to realise your own Self.
