4. THE STORY OF THE STATION MASTER
There was once a station master who worked at the railway station. Every morning he would flag off the Intercity Express as it passed by at dawn and then start his day. He always had a long day. His favourite train was the Shatabdi Express, a super-fast train, after which he would go for his lunch. At night, before he logged off, he would efficiently take care of the passage of the Night Mail train, as it was named.
The station master was a spiritual seeker but he could not understand the meaning of Chit or Consciousness. There was a wise saint who often met the station master and so the station-master asked him. 'What is Chit?' The wise man asked the station master, 'Who are you? Are you the Intercity Express, the Shatabdi or the Night Mail?' 'What do you mean?' quizzed the station master, 'I am none of these 3 trains that pass through the railway station. I am the station master.'
The Saint explained to him. 'Just like you observe these trains come and go every day, you do not observe the 3 states of Consciousness that constantly pass through your life. Instead, you think you are the waker – the one who is awake, the dreamer – the one who dreams, and the one who experiences deep sleep when you wake up. You are none of these. You are the observer of the 3 states of Consciousness. You are that Divine Energy that is aware and conscious of life as it unfolds, just like the trains that pass through your station.’