Life as a flute

[1]

Sri Rameshji Jain [1]

Our life and a flute have many similarities. Like a flute our life has many holes — stress, failures, moods, imperfection, disappointment etc. Unless we know how to play the flute of life, it can be harsh on us.

Sri Krishna’s favourite musical instrument was a flute. His flute teaches us three important lessons and whoever can incorporate these into their lives, can live happily and even progress easily towards salvation. These three lessons are:
A flute speaks only when we want it to speak.
Whenever it speaks, it speaks sweetly, and
It always remains empty inside.
If we can acquire these three qualities of the flute, our life too can be a pleasant experience like the music of flute.
The first lesson from a flute is to speak only when you are required to speak. Do not speak when not required, not desired and when not necessary. Do not give advice when not asked for, never project your intelligence or boast about your success. You should speak based on what situations and circumstances demand. People who speak unnecessarily, without relevance and not in harmony with the situation attract a lot of negativity. They spend their life fighting with these negativities and thus lead a miserable life.
The second lesson from the flute is whenever you speak, speak sweetly. Whenever we are required to speak we should speak only that which gives happiness to others; we should avoid speaking unpleasant words and in a harsh tone. Even if we are required to speak some truth which could be unpleasant for the other person, we should speak it carefully so that it’s not offending or insulting.
The third lesson from the flute is to always remain empty inside. This means that we should not remember the painful past, not be anxious about the future, and not unnecessarily condition our mind with fixed ideas, perception, behaviour and attitude. Mind filled with such garbage weakens our inner potential power and spoils the joy of our present.
Empty mind is peaceful. Peaceful mind is joyful and a joyful mind enjoys life itself as well as helps others enjoy it too. Learn to live life like a flute and learn to play pleasant music out of it. Not only it will be soothing for you but it will also soothe the whole environment as the flute played by Lord Krishna used to soothe the whole universe.

Sri Rameshji Jain is a modern age spiritual guru and founder of Poorna Ananda, a Centre for Spiritual Evolution
and Joyful Living.