A cow tied to a pole with a rope has the independence equivalent to the length of the rope. The cow can do whatever within the periphery of the rope but beyond that she has no independence unless and until the master is ready to increase the length or untie the rope.
Our independence is akin to that of the cow. We may feel that we are the controller & the proprietor of our body, our senses, our home and our dependents but our control is very limited. Our pitiable condition can be gauged from the fact that we do not have control even on our senses and mind. This is why several mind control books flood the market. We are utterly subordinate to nature. We have to work as per the laws of nature. We cannot survive even for a moment if we go against its certain specific laws. Can anyone live without breathing? We may temporarily stop eating or drinking or sleeping but not permanently. None of us want to be diseased but still we suffer from it. We do not want to die but still we die. This is our real position – we are not the controller but we are controlled and we are not independent but are mostly dependent.
Being controlled is not a disadvantage for us but it’s rather an advantage. For a kite to fly high in the sky it needs to be controlled and connected by a thread. The threads which will help us rise high in the sky are the words of wisdom espoused in the revealed scriptures. We need to give the reins of our life to Krishna who as a charioteer saved Arjuna from all the dangers and helped him to triumph all his adversaries.
