The Crowd Within

The Crowd Within – A Story About Inner Dialogue and Self-Awareness

Mulla Nasruddin’s Inner Conversations:

Mulla Nasruddin was traveling in a train.

From time to time, he would suddenly burst into laughter—without any visible reason. Then he would fall silent again. The people around him became alert. The man seemed strange. He was sitting quietly, eyes closed—and suddenly, laughter. Then silence. Then again, composed and still.

Finally, curiosity could not be contained.

One man gathered courage, gently shook him, and said,
“Sir, what is the matter? Why do you suddenly start laughing?”

Nasruddin said, “Don’t disturb me. I am telling jokes to myself. I am having a little fun with my own self.”

Then he closed his eyes again.
From time to time, he kept laughing. And sometimes, instead of laughing, he would suddenly scold—“Hey!”

Curiosity grew again.

The man sitting next to him asked,
“Sir, laughing was understandable—but what is this scolding in between?”

Nasruddin replied,
“The same old joke. I have heard it many times, told it many times. But in between, he keeps interrupting.”

 Observing the Inner Dialogue:

The same thing is going on inside us all the time.

Even when we are alone, we are not alone.
We divide ourselves.
And great amusement arises—conversation continues endlessly within.

The Beginning of Meditation:

Just watch this inner dialogue for a while.

That very watching is the beginning of meditation.

~ Translated from Nirvan Upanishad by Osho ( Hindi Discourse), Discourse 3

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