Part II
MHO 2-5. These questions asked by Ursula Aznar-Schoeler and her family were answered by Sri Chinmoy during a visit to their jewellery factory in Talisay, Cebu, on 10 January 1993.Question: I once saw a picture in my mind of a sword and a snake. The image keeps coming back to my mind as if it wants to make sure that I don't forget it. Can you tell me the spiritual significance?
Sri Chinmoy: What was your feeling while looking at the snake?Answer: I felt inner peace and a kind of joy, but afterwards confusion entered.
Sri Chinmoy: Was the snake black or grey, or was it red or another colour?
Answer: It was coloured.
Sri Chinmoy: In your case, the snake represents dynamic life-energy. In India we have a cosmic god whose function on earth is to transform human beings. There are quite a few snakes around his neck. If the snakes are coloured, they represent dynamic energy. This dynamic energy constantly gives us new hope and new promise and also protects us from doing wrong things.
The body, by nature, is lethargic, idle; it does not want to move. But if there is dynamic energy inside the body, then immediately the body starts functioning. We get up, we walk, we run, we do many things for our lives.
The vital can be restless. This restlessness is not good, we all know. At every moment we are only shaking our life-tree. But if dynamic energy is flowing up to the top and then coming back down, if energy is percolating throughout the entire life-tree, then each and every branch of the life-tree will be full of strength and vigour, and the life-tree will produce most beautiful flowers and fruits.
If dynamic energy is flowing in the heart, then loneliness, depression and frustration will disappear, because the life-river is flowing and flowing, murmuring, running towards the vast ocean which is all dynamism on the surface and peace at the bottom. On the surface, the ocean is all waves and surges, but underneath it is all peace. Similarly on the outside, the life-energy is very dynamic, but the source of this energy is poise, inner silence.
When you see a sword surrounded with dynamic life-energy, you have to know that this sword is not for destruction as such, not to kill human beings, but to destroy the ignorance that each human being has hidden inside him. So this sword has to be used to destroy the ignorance inside you and inside others. This is the sword of a divine soldier who is trying to destroy the things that are preventing us from becoming good citizens of the world and perfect instruments of God. The sword is destroying the ignorance that is not allowing us to proceed, to dive deep within and to fly high, higher, highest, and the snake is the cosmic energy that is liberating us from our imperfections.
