The Two Birds
Two birds on one tree - the individual and universal self.
Two birds sit in the same tree - one eats the fruits (the ego experiencing life), the other merely watches (the witnessing Self). When the eating bird sees the other, sorrow ends.
Two birds, inseparable companions, sit in the same tree. One eats the sweet fruit, the other looks on without eating.
This metaphor beautifully captures the relationship between ego and Self.
Mundaka Upanishad
Written about in
- What the Upanishads say about the self
Two birds sit in one tree; one eats the fruit and the other simply watches. Sorrow ends, the verse says, when the eating bird notices the other one.
- What the Upanishads say about loneliness
Two birds sit in the same tree: one eats the fruit, the other only watches. You are never the sole occupant of your own life — and the companion in this image is not another person, but the part of you that is not currently suffering.