HUMAN AND THE RATS

I happened to read a story told by Ramakrishna Paramahamsa to make his disciples to understand the vagaries of the human mind. I found it very interesting and decided to share with you. The story goes like this.

During one dry summer a group of rats found themselves starving. Due to lack of rain during the last season agriculture was very much affected and there was severe shortage of food. So they went in search of food to various places. One day they suddenly found a godown and found a room stocked with grain. To their pleasant surprise, they found a small hole at the bottom of the door through which they could enter inside the room. In fact the path was made by other groups of rats who frequented the godown whenever they were hungry.
One by one the rats entered the room and started eating the grain. Few of them smelt the sweet aroma of coconut dipped in masala. They followed the trail of the aroma and saw a small piece of coconut dangling in front of their eyes. One of them pounced on the coconut to beat others and bit it. A loud sound followed and the rat found itself trapped in a mouse trap. By the time it realized the trap, it was too late. It is not difficult to guess the fate of the rat.
The moral of the story is very simple. The rat could have quenched its hunger simply by eating the grain which was available in plenty. But it was greedy and wanted to eat tastier food and paid the price with its life. We also live like the greedy rat .Instead of leading a simple and peaceful life; we craze for a life full of luxury and lust and crave for more. By the time we realize the folly of our craze, it is always too late.
In the story, men had laid the trap to protect the grains from the rats, so that it can be used when needed. What I can not understand is, in our real life, why and who has laid the trap?

A.K.RAMAN
-----X-----X-----X-----