Quick Quibble: Lions don't live in the jungle. In India lions live in a dry deciduous forest, the Gir Forest. In Africa they live on the savanna plains.

Lockdown Broadcast Day 47: excerpt

Prem Rawat:

I would like to talk to you a little bit about something very, very special. And what I want to talk to you about is the Superman in you. You know about Superman? [Audience: Yes, I do.] And he's strong. Even when things on the outside are not good, he's still strong.

And the same way, I want to talk to you about your strength. I know that there are problems-there are problems everywhere-but you have a strength. And you need to tap into that strength, because not all days are going to be good. But even when the days are good and even when the days are bad, you have a strength in you.

Let me tell you a story about knowing your self. Would you like to hear a story? [Audience: Yes!] So, one day, there was a lion, and he was in the jungle-and people were afraid to go into that jungle because they knew there was a big, big lion.

But there was also this farmer and he had some sheep, and he would take them grazing. And sometimes they would get a little close, too close to the jungle, and they would hear the roar of the lion and all the sheep would go running.

One day the farmer came across a little baby lion lying on the side of the road. And the lion was almost dead, very weak. So he picked up the baby lion and he took him home-and he put him under a nice blanket, and he gave him some warm milk and he took care of him. In a few days, the baby lion recovered.

And he started bouncing everywhere-you know, the little baby lion is going here, going there, "Aaa-whaa, ah-whaah, ah-whaah, ah-whaah." So, he thought that the baby lion would tear up his whole house, so he took the baby lion and he put it with the sheep, where all the sheep stayed.

And the baby lion wanted to play with the sheep, and-at first, the sheep were afraid of the baby lion. But then they saw that it was just a baby; that it couldn't really hurt anybody-so they became friends.

And every day, the farmer would let the sheep out, and the baby lion would go out-and he saw the sheep grazing and so he started grazing. And when the sheep would go, "Baah-hah-hah-hah," he tried to go, "Baa-hah-hah-hah," but he couldn't. And day after day after day, being with the sheep, he too thought that he was a sheep. That's all he knew.

One day that big lion from the jungle gave a big roar, and stepped out of the jungle towards the farm. And all the sheep, upon hearing this big, ferocious roar, got very afraid. And all the sheep ran to hide. And some went and hid under the barn, and some went and hid behind that tree, and some went and hid behind the bush….

And the baby lion, too-because what did he think he was? [Audience: A sheep.] Because he thought he was a sheep, also went and hid in the trunk of a tree-there was a big hollow and he went, and he's shaking. All the sheep are shaking; he's shaking. He's afraid.

And the big lion comes into the farm…. And he sees all the sheep are afraid of him-but then he saw something really curious. He saw this lion-and he was afraid of the lion. And he sees this lion is shaking.

So, the big lion said, "I can understand why all the sheep are afraid, but why are you afraid?" And the little baby lion said, "Oh, please, please don't eat me."

"Eat you? Don't you know you are a lion?" "Oh, yes, anything, anything you say, anything you say, but don't eat me."

"So, what's wrong with you? Don't you know who you are?" He said, "Oh, I'm just a poor little sheep. I'm just a poor little sheep. Don't eat me." And the big lion said, "No, you're not. Come with me; I'll show you who you are."

So he took him by the lake, (still shaking), took him by the lake-and he said, "Look, look at your reflection-and see who you are." And both the big lion and the little lion looked in the lake-and the little lion saw, he was not a sheep; he was a lion!

And at this, he looked up, looked up at the lion-and without fear, he too gave out a big roar. Not, "Eh-heh-heh-heh," but a roar. And the big lion roared and the little lion roared. And he said, "Come with me. Come to the jungle, where you can be the king." So, that's the story.