A King Cobra
Slithered down to me
As I was being meditated
Under a mango tree
He challenged me
"Right now I like your chemistry
If you had a cosmic identity
Would you be afraid of anything?"
-
Author:
Mutley Ravishes (
Offline) - Published: May 19th, 2025 19:28
- Comment from author about the poem: With thanks to Sadhguru for the inspiration.
- Category: Unclassified
- Views: 40
- Users favorite of this poem: Soman Ragavan, Cheeky Missy
Offline)
Comments9
Charming and a fun thought provoking piece. Lovely
Thanks a million!
Sadhguru is a terrific person. His grasp of human nature and experience is mind-boggling.
This short poem packs in drama, suspense. The cobra is anthropomorphized, it is made human-like. One message from the cobra is possibly : you are the highest of all beings on earth. But, right now, can you can you put up a fight with me ?! The cobra is one of the most stark killing machines. Only the mongoose can face up to it. The mongoose has capacities that other creatures don’t have. Eg : agility, patience, successful attack strategies, wearing down the snake to diminish its responses, moving in for the kill when the snake is tired, waiting for the critical break in the adversary’s defences, flicking off just in time from the counter-attacks, etc. The mongoose also has natural immunity against the venom. It searches for a particular plant which it eats to get the immunity. The mongoose is a pitiless killing machine, just like the cobra, but the mongoose wins most of the time. You have to watch the battle in (recorded) slow motion to know more precisely how the whole thing is fought out. The attacks or counter attacks of the mongoose are refined, precise, strategic. It does not bite anywhere but goes to the back of the neck. Once it has grabbed the snake by the back of the neck, the prey can twist and struggle but has been caught for good. It’s a question of minutes before the battle is over. The mongoose-snake battle is a masterpiece of warfare. From the start the mongoose does not waste time or resources. Every move is part of the strategy to wear down the snake, waiting for the critical moment when the prey can be caught by the back of the neck. Soman Ragavan. 20 May 2025.
Some quotes :
---“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”
---“If you wait by the river long enough, the bodies of your enemies will float by.”
---“He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.”
.---“Move not unless you see an advantage; use not your troops unless there is something to be gained; fight not unless the position is critical.”
--Sun Tzu (544 BC - 496 BC), China : “THE ART OF WAR.”
------------
---"Blind aggressiveness would destroy the attack itself, not the defence."
--Carl Philipp Gottfried von Clausewitz (1780-1831), Prussia.
The snake abides by these strategies.
Soman Ragavan.20 May 2025
If the mongoose tries to fight out physically, forcefully from the start, it will have less chance of winning. It has to wear down the powerful, agile adversary, force it to fight back, using up its resources and wait for the right moment to move in for the kill. When the snake is tired, its attacks are milder, less precise.
During the Iraq war, the Americans massed their troops at the Iraqi frontier. They could see the Iraqi troops stationed nearby but deliberately did not engage them. They moved in the corridors between the Iraqi troops and headed towards the capital. The Iraqi did not oppose. The Americans proceeded to surround the capital. Meanwhile, warplanes had softened up targets and offensive assets on the ground. When the Americans had reached the perimeter of the capital, it was a terrific psychological blow for local forces. They quickly knew that the war was lost for them. Then, to rub it in, American troops drove through the streets of the town. Strategies, more than brute force, won the war. In contrast, in Vietnam the Americans used brute force and were defeated by a smaller, guerilla enemy.
Soman Ragavan. 20 May 2025.
-------------------
Yes, Sadhguru is.....unique! One of my favorite quotes of his is something like "the minute you become deadly serious your brain freezes!"
Thanks for all the information on the snake and the mongoose. You've observed them very carefully. And you seem to know a lot about fighting battles (and winning them!) The mongoose strategies reminds me of the world heavyweight champion Olexander Usyk.
Some great quotes you told me too!
You are welcome. Our greatest victories are the posthumous ones... By that time we are beyond the reach of others... while our works continue to win battles...
The cosmic perspective is fascinating!!!
Agreed 🙏🏻🕊️
That's good to hear! Identity is at the heart of it all. I guess.
Indeed🙏🏻🕊️
Snake charming seems to be within the same territory and probably should go hand in hand. 🕊️🙏🏻
I imagine being fearful when trying to charm a cobra would not lead to a good outcome!
Nope, they can sense fear like dogs do but via other sensory pathways🙏🏻🕊️
A very interesting write and mind tingling write, many a snake trying to be charming these days, enjoyed the read
For sure. And so many of us are not studying the snake!
This one slithered and flowed really well. Nicely done.
Thanks a million!
i presume that if you had cosmic identity - you would take up the challenge and come out the winner
btw am absolutely scared of snakes and all creepy crawlies
If one had a cosmic identity would there be any winners and losers?!
depends on the identity of course - on one side and on the other the losers - i presume
what is your take ?
I take a cosmic identity as being able to see “yourself” in everyone and everything. I am most certainly not at that level yet! Why not? Because I’m still identified with the body, thoughts and emotions. It runs so deep. Well, the work goes on!
well truthfully neither have i reached that plane yet - so will also work towards it...though i don't know how successful i will be
To be able to comment and rate this poem, you must be registered. Register here or if you are already registered, login here.