Story of the two birds - Mandukya Upanishad

There is a beautiful story in the Mandukya Upanishad about two birds on a tree. I will try to re-tell that story here.

 

In a great grand beautiful tree, sat two birds.

 

One was a very ordinary looking bird. It sat on the lower branches pecking at the fruits and flowers. It was very busy, not turning away even for a moment. It came across sweet fruits, sour fruits, lovely little butterflies and nasty insects. Caught in its own desire for more, it went on pecking, searching for the sweet ones.

 

At the topmost branch of the tree sat another bird, resplendent and effulgent in glorious golden glow. It embodied peace; eternal peace. It was unperturbed by anything and everything that surrounded it. The tree, the other bird, the pecking and eating and all the other small and big things in the tree, went on with their business. The Golden Bird sat as a mere witness, ensconced in its permanence and bliss.

 

One day, the ordinary bird, in its very gradual journey up the tree, caught a glimpse of the Golden Bird. It was enchanted by the sight. For a moment, it forgot everything else. It wanted to be like that Great Golden Bird. Soon it returned to its surroundings. Though, it went on pecking and eating the sweet and sour fruits, the thought of becoming like the Great Golden kept coming back to it. At times it stopped eating to watch the beauty and splendor of the Great Golden. At other times, it was busy with its hunger. But after that first glimpse, life for the ordinary bird was never the same again. It wanted to get to the top of the tree to that Great Golden.

 

Yes, the ordinary bird wanted to be near the Golden Bird, wanted to be like the Golden Bird. Eternal peace, tranquility and in the state of one. However, every time it tried to ignore all the fruits and goodies around it and fly upward, just then the juiciest and most succulent ripe fruit would catch its eye. It would think, "just this one and then I will go.". This distraction from reaching Great Golden was, at times, overwhelming. The ordinary bird struggled a lot with this. It really wanted to go the Great Golden, but it was as if, the tree with all the paraphernalia kept it ensnared and entrapped.

 

Finally, one day, with one resolute and sweep decision, it left everything behind and flew straight up to the Great Golden. As it approached the top, it saw that the Great Golden looked very familiar. The ordinary bird moved closer and closer and eventually reached the Great Golden. It found, to its dismay that there was no Great Golden there, but in its place, the ordinary bird saw itself in the same Awesome Glory. There was never another bird in the tree ever, the Great Golden Bird was the ordinary bird itself all the time and that was its true identity.  

 

द्वा सुपर्णा सयुजा सखाया समानं वृक्षं परिषस्वजाते ।
तयोरन्यः पिप्पलं स्वाद्वत्त्यनश्नन्नन्यो अभिचाकशीति ॥

Transliteration:
dvā suparṇā sayujā sakhāyā samānaṃ vṛkṣaṃ pariṣasvajāte ।
tayoranyaḥ pippalaṃ svādvattyanaśnannanyo abhicākaśīti ॥

 

English Translation:
Two birds, inseparable companions, perch on the same tree,
one eats the fruit, the other looks on. The first bird is our
individual self feeding on the pleasures and pains of this world;
The other is the universal Self, silently witnessing all.

 

Hindi Translation:
दो पक्षी, अविभाज्य साथी, एक ही पेड़ पर आश्रय करते हैं,
एक फल खाता है, दूसरा केवल देखता है।
पहला पक्षी हमारा व्यक्तिगत स्वयं है जो अपने कर्म से सुखों और दुखों का भोक्ता है;
और दुसरा सनातन स्वयं है, जो मौन रहकर साक्षित्वरूप​ से सब कुछ देख रहा है।

 

Source:
Mandukya Upanishad 3.1.1