The Blind Man Holding the Cow’s Tail Fallacy

 

Once upon a time a blind person was going to his father-in-law’s house, tracking the way with the help of his walking stick. Very soon while passing through a field he came across a cowherd boy and asked, “O brother, would you please do me a favour by leading me to my father-in-law’s house?”

At this the cowherd replied, “I am busy in tending so many cows. If I take you to your father-in-law’s house, all the cows will run away. Of course, I can do one thing for you - I can lend you a very docile and faithful cow of mine - you can safely catch hold of her tail and she can smoothly lead you to your in-laws house.”

  Thus advised by the cowherd, the blind traveller firmly caught hold of the cow’s tail and the cow began walking while trailing him behind. However, the cow got quite scared of the strong pulling of it’s tail by a blind person, and hence she behaved so frantically that the blind person was virtually being pulled roughly along the road and through thorny bushes while suffering frequent hard kicks of the cow’s hind legs. As a result the blind man’s body was severely injured and his garments were all torn apart.

   Anyway, he arrived in the dead of night to his in-laws house, in a very wretched condition with cuts and bruises and totally naked. The servants of his in-laws house took him to be a cattle thief and punched and slapped him in order to get him to release the cow’s tail from his hold. Thus the blind man suffered unlimitedly.

 

PURPORT

Those who have ulterior motives take shelter of so-called guru’s instead of a truly bona-fide spiritual master and ultimately suffer very badly like the blind man in his situation.

   Any and every person cannot lead one to the Supreme abode of Godhead and no unauthorised to our true welfare. It is, therefore, obligatory that one should  take shelter of a bona-fide Krishna conscious spiritual master without any hesitation.