You probably have seen people riding on a horse. May be, you have also heard of people riding a camel in the Arabian deserts. But riding a tiger? No way!
But, strangely, many of us keep doing that. Though we rarely realize it.
But, strangely, many of us keep doing that. Though we rarely realize it.
I am not talking about the fierce creature that rules the jungle. I am talking about an altogether different kind of a beast. I am using the word tiger, figuratively.
There are many kinds of tigers, that people often ride on.
Some ride on the tiger of supremacy. They want to tell the world that they are the super powers, and everyone has to bow down to them. They decide what is right and what is wrong for others. They dictate how others should behave.
There are others, who ride on the tiger of power. They want to control everything. They always hold a whip to lash others who err. They take on the roles of moral policemen. They gather piles of weapons of mass destruction. But they make a hue and cry when someone else does that. They threaten others that they would decimate those who don't fall in line.
History has seen that such people who ride on tigers of supremacy and power, always lived a life of fear, suspicion and betrayal.
Some are content with riding the tigers of wealth. They go on amassing wealth with a never-ending zeal. More the wealth they accumulate, more their thirst for wealth. That allows them no time to dismount the tiger.
But tigers are tigers, after all. You can manage to ride them. But there is no getting off their back. The moment you dismount, or even attempt to, they would pounce on you, and you are finished. Even if you manage to escape, there are other tigers, just waiting for a weakling.
So, riding a tiger is never a safe option.
Unfortunately, we have Gurus who coax their disciples to ride tigers of wealth, tigers of name and fame. They say that there is nothing wrong with amassing wealth. Austerity is an old fashioned virtue according to them – the kind that the he likes of Jesus or Buddha preached.
People throng to such Gurus. That helps these people to justify their own tiger rides.
But what happened to those Gurus who went on such rides? They were betrayed by their own close associates. They led a life of fear and suspicion, and finally got eliminated by their own trusted followers.
That is what any tiger would do if you can't keep a hold on that.
Look at the present scenario. The ones who ride the tiger of supremacy are giving moral lessons to others. And those who ride the tigers of absolute power, are giving sermons to others about peace. The ones who are riding tigers of mass destruction, want others to abandon arms and accept their dictate.
Even at individual level, many of us make the mistake of riding tigers of relentless craze for wealth and luxuries.
Why does one make this mistake of riding tigers?
This is exactly the question that Indian warrior Arjuna asked Krishna in Bhagavad Gita.
He asked :
Krishna's simple answer was :
Krishna compares these two, to smoke that masks the fire. Fire by itself is bright and luminous. But when covered with smoke, it loses its radiance.
Similarly when a person comes under the influence of these two, their innate benign nature gets distorted.
He says they are like the dirt that gets accumulated on a clean mirror. A clean mirror reflects whatever is in front of it. It shows things as they are.
But when the same mirror is covered with dirt, it is incapable of displaying the same true nature of the person in front of it.
Patanjali calls the same as raaga and dwesha. He says that these two are pre-wired in the minds of people. People often act wrongly, under their influence.
Buddha also cautions against these two enemies and advises to keep them under control. An uncontrolled tiger is always dangerous.
So did Jesus. He always preached simple living and being compassionate and understanding.
That, is one of the root causes of wars, and conflicts that we see around. But what is the solution?
As Krishna says:
That is easier said than done. Many of us have grown up with deeply ingrained mental makeup.
As they say —- "An old dog cannot learn new tricks.". It is very difficult for grownups to change their mental tendencies. They tend to make mistakes, unknowingly, and sometimes knowingly.
So, what is the solution?
Our only hope is to bring up our children in such a way that they don't fall for such traps.
Are we at least doing that ?
That is the right time to mold their minds. That is time to plant good seeds so that they blossom into wonderful beings.
Now, coming back to the solution to wars and conflicts, there is no use fire fighting when all the damage has already been done. History cannot be erased, nor the present can be changed to a large extent. We can only hope for a better future.
For that, we need to do at least two things.
We need to inculcate these in the early education of our children. We need to bring them up as responsible beings and not just money minting machines.
But, are we doing that ?
There are many kinds of tigers, that people often ride on.
Some ride on the tiger of supremacy. They want to tell the world that they are the super powers, and everyone has to bow down to them. They decide what is right and what is wrong for others. They dictate how others should behave.
There are others, who ride on the tiger of power. They want to control everything. They always hold a whip to lash others who err. They take on the roles of moral policemen. They gather piles of weapons of mass destruction. But they make a hue and cry when someone else does that. They threaten others that they would decimate those who don't fall in line.
History has seen that such people who ride on tigers of supremacy and power, always lived a life of fear, suspicion and betrayal.
Some are content with riding the tigers of wealth. They go on amassing wealth with a never-ending zeal. More the wealth they accumulate, more their thirst for wealth. That allows them no time to dismount the tiger.
But tigers are tigers, after all. You can manage to ride them. But there is no getting off their back. The moment you dismount, or even attempt to, they would pounce on you, and you are finished. Even if you manage to escape, there are other tigers, just waiting for a weakling.
So, riding a tiger is never a safe option.
Unfortunately, we have Gurus who coax their disciples to ride tigers of wealth, tigers of name and fame. They say that there is nothing wrong with amassing wealth. Austerity is an old fashioned virtue according to them – the kind that the he likes of Jesus or Buddha preached.
People throng to such Gurus. That helps these people to justify their own tiger rides.
But what happened to those Gurus who went on such rides? They were betrayed by their own close associates. They led a life of fear and suspicion, and finally got eliminated by their own trusted followers.
That is what any tiger would do if you can't keep a hold on that.
Look at the present scenario. The ones who ride the tiger of supremacy are giving moral lessons to others. And those who ride the tigers of absolute power, are giving sermons to others about peace. The ones who are riding tigers of mass destruction, want others to abandon arms and accept their dictate.
Even at individual level, many of us make the mistake of riding tigers of relentless craze for wealth and luxuries.
Why does one make this mistake of riding tigers?
This is exactly the question that Indian warrior Arjuna asked Krishna in Bhagavad Gita.
He asked :
"Why do people indulge in wrong things, as if compelled to do so?"
Krishna's simple answer was :
"It is the excessive desire and hatred, that motivate one to make such mistakes. They are one's greatest enemies"
Krishna compares these two, to smoke that masks the fire. Fire by itself is bright and luminous. But when covered with smoke, it loses its radiance.
Similarly when a person comes under the influence of these two, their innate benign nature gets distorted.
He says they are like the dirt that gets accumulated on a clean mirror. A clean mirror reflects whatever is in front of it. It shows things as they are.
But when the same mirror is covered with dirt, it is incapable of displaying the same true nature of the person in front of it.
Patanjali calls the same as raaga and dwesha. He says that these two are pre-wired in the minds of people. People often act wrongly, under their influence.
Buddha also cautions against these two enemies and advises to keep them under control. An uncontrolled tiger is always dangerous.
So did Jesus. He always preached simple living and being compassionate and understanding.
That, is one of the root causes of wars, and conflicts that we see around. But what is the solution?
As Krishna says:
"One should control these tendencies with a strong will"
That is easier said than done. Many of us have grown up with deeply ingrained mental makeup.
As they say —- "An old dog cannot learn new tricks.". It is very difficult for grownups to change their mental tendencies. They tend to make mistakes, unknowingly, and sometimes knowingly.
So, what is the solution?
Our only hope is to bring up our children in such a way that they don't fall for such traps.
Are we at least doing that ?
That is the right time to mold their minds. That is time to plant good seeds so that they blossom into wonderful beings.
Now, coming back to the solution to wars and conflicts, there is no use fire fighting when all the damage has already been done. History cannot be erased, nor the present can be changed to a large extent. We can only hope for a better future.
For that, we need to do at least two things.
- Eliminate mutual hatred and misunderstanding that arises from religious fanaticism. This can be done by proper understanding of one's own religion as well as that of others. That is what I discussed in a previous episode. Secondly,
- Avoid being slaves of uncontrolled greed and hatred; by staying away from tempting tiger rides.
- Avoid being slaves of uncontrolled greed and hatred; by staying away from tempting tiger rides.
We need to inculcate these in the early education of our children. We need to bring them up as responsible beings and not just money minting machines.
But, are we doing that ?
© Dr. King, Swami Satyapriya 2026
If only everyone understood all that you have said we would have such a peaceful and blissful world! There would be no need to ride tigers at all!
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