A Tussle

A Tussle
P K Routray

Lust greed anger attachment vanity and jealousy had once a tussle,
as to which of them to a man is the worst baneful.
Lust boasted “I am your origin and with all of you I exist,,
Attacking the man at his physical and emotional plain I turn him to a beast.
Once he becomes a beast, the man forgets his divinity,
Then you all come to him as a beast’s natural affinity”.
To this Greed thundered with might “I am the demonic monarch and rule over you
I only manifest in man, your strength and health to brew.
To this anger shouted at the top of his pitch “you are all subtle and feminine and have no courage to express,
I am masculine and show my strength valor by putting the man in distress.
Not only I damage their social relation,
But also I become the cause to man’s misery and tension”.
Attachment retaliated softly “I breed the ground for all of you to grow and prosper,
Without me you lose your identity and in future may be no more.
I am the weakness of mortal man and he dances to my call,
He thinks some only are his own hence he succumbs to you all”.
Pride did nor lag behind and pounced upon ‘’I am your forefather,
I was born when a man as a separate entity did appear.
Without pride, vanity and ego you lose your identity and nothing you can do,
I only inculcate a vicious instinct in man so that he possesses you”.
Jealousy came forth with vengeance, “Hey all ! I only torture the living man with dying pain,
I create you all among them to make him insane.”
Man’s memory was listening to the entire quarrel,
It ran to the intellect to tell it to be careful.
Intellect propelled by conscience called all the six and fired those to stay within limit,
or else it will take measures to banish them if they do not keep quiet.
Being upset and frightened they got united,
And unanimously got ego as leader elected,
Under the leadership of ego they all went to mind with many a present,
To ensure that to their kingdom intellect cannot dent.
Mind accepted the gifts and was impressed and pleased,
Assured to look in to their grievance and took time to give the verdict.
At this Intellect has gone to meditation with its breath under control to counsel,
to find a way out for taming mind and a teaching method to tackle.