Lindiyo - The Lion-Goat

Once, while out hunting, a lioness gave birth to a cub amidst a flock of goats. She left her newly born baby amidst the goats and returned to her den in the forest. This baby lion began to live with the group of goats. He ate, slept and stayed with them. As he grew up, the shepherd named him Lindiyo, a name normally reserved for goats and sheep. The lion responded to his name, skipped and danced, like every tame animal. Lindiyo grew up into the full frame of a lion but he himself never knew it.
To himself, he was only a weak, frail goat!

One day, while they were on lush pastures, a huge lion roared and attacked the flock. All the goats fled with fear; they ran in all directions to save their lives. Even Lindiyo scampered away. The lion was astounded and looked twice. ''How did a lion get mixed up with a flock of goats?'' he asked himself. He leaped and chased Lindiyo and soon seized him. Lindiyo was trembling with fright. He shut his eyes tight. ''Hey, you!'' the lion shook him, ''You're a lion. How did you end up in this group of goats?''

''Please, let me go. My name is Lindiyo, Sir, please let me go!'' the lion-goat helplessly pleaded for mercy. ''Come come! You're not a goat! Rather, goats are your daily dinner. Why have you lost your senses? Come with me to the riverside!'' So saying the lion dragged Lindiyo to the river bank and where the water was quite still, he showed him his own reflection. ''See, look at your face. It's like mine. You have a golden mane, see the paws and the claws, everything is like mine.

You are a lion and not a goat.'' He further taught him to stand tall and roar like a lion. ''Come on speak like I speak and roar; and remember these goats are our food, not friends.'' Lindiyo suddenly realised his true identity and broke out from his shell of limitations. He himself roared and drove away the goats. He had become a lion from a lion-goat. We too, suffer from a similar problem. Our true identity is Atma, but we have somehow lost that knowledge and believe ourselves to be the body.

We all see ourselves as Lindiyo. We must realise our real nature and identity as the Atma and become the master of Maya and not its slave. And to attain such knowledge, we need to approach the True Sadhu, who shows and convinces us that we are not Lindiyo but the
pure and powerful Atma.