Ramakrishnas Parable of the Cat and Mouse

Dadi: "Guddu, let me ask you something. Have you ever seen a mother cat carrying her baby?"

Guddu: "Yes! She picks up the kitten by its neck!"

Dadi: "That's right. And have you seen a baby monkey with its mother?"

Guddu: "The baby holds onto the mother's tummy really tight!"

Dadi: "Perfect! Now, the great saint Ramakrishna used these two animals to teach a beautiful lesson about how we can approach God. Would you like to hear it?"

Guddu: "Yes, Dadi!"

Dadi: "Think about the baby monkey first. When the mother swings from tree to tree, the baby has to hold on with all its strength. If the baby's grip is weak, what happens?"

Guddu: "It falls down!"

Dadi: "Exactly. Ramakrishna said some people approach God like the baby monkey. They rely on their own effort, their own strength, their own willpower. "I will meditate harder! I will pray more! I will control my mind!" But here's the problem - what happens when their strength runs out?"

Guddu: "They fall?"

Dadi: "Yes, beta. When we depend only on our own effort, we can only go as far as our strength allows. And human strength has limits."

Guddu: "So what about the kitten?"

Dadi: "Ah, the kitten! The kitten can't hold onto its mother at all. It's too small, too weak. So what does it do? It just meows! "Mew! Mew!" And what does the mother do?"

Guddu: "She picks it up!"

Dadi: "Yes! The mother knows exactly what her baby needs. She gently lifts it by the neck and carries it wherever she goes. The kitten doesn't do anything - it just hangs there in complete trust, completely surrendered."

Guddu: "So the kitten is safer?"

Dadi: "Much safer! Because it's not depending on its own weak grip. It's being held by its mother's strong mouth. Ramakrishna said this is how we should approach God - with complete surrender."

Guddu: "But Dadi, isn't it lazy to just wait for God to carry you?"

Dadi: "That's a good question! The kitten doesn't do nothing - it has to call out. It has to say "Mother, I need you!" That's not laziness, that's humility. It's admitting, "I can't do this alone. Please help me.""

Guddu: "Like when I ask you for help with my homework?"

Dadi: "Exactly! You try your best, but when you're stuck, you ask. And do I help you?"

Guddu: "Always!"

Dadi: "And God is an even better parent than any grandmother, beta. Ramakrishna had another beautiful example. Imagine a father walking with two children. One child holds the father's hand but keeps letting go to clap at airplanes and chase butterflies. Sometimes that child stumbles and falls."

Guddu: "Because he let go!"

Dadi: "Right. But the other child is being carried in the father's arms. That child can clap at airplanes all day long and never fall. Why?"

Guddu: "Because the father is holding him!"

Dadi: "Yes! When we surrender to God, we can still enjoy life, we can still do our work - but we're being carried through it all. We're not depending on our wobbly grip."

Guddu: "So should I be like the kitten or the monkey?"

Dadi: "Most of us start as monkeys, beta. We think we can do everything ourselves. But as we grow wiser, we realize that true strength comes from surrendering to something greater than ourselves."

Guddu: "It sounds a little scary to just... let go."

Dadi: "I know. But think of it this way - the kitten is completely relaxed while being carried, while the monkey is always tense, always struggling. Which one is more at peace?"

Guddu: "The kitten."

Dadi: "And that peace is what God offers us. Not a life without problems, but a life where we don't have to carry our problems alone. "Nothing is in my hands," we say. "I will do my best, but the result is Yours.""

Guddu: "Okay, Dadi. I'll try to be more like a kitten."

Dadi: "Just remember to meow, beta. Call out to God. And trust that you will always, always be picked up."