238.
Position
of Vantage
You
know that the Garuda bird [eagle]
feeds on snakes. Well, once Garuda went to
Kailasa Mount to pay respects to Lord
S'iva, who wears snakes on His head,
arms, wrists, neck, waist and ankles. When the
snakes saw Garuda, they were unafraid; they even
dared put out their forked tongues at Garuda and
challenged to come near them. That was the
extent of the courage lent to them by the place
where they had established themselves. So,
establish yourselves in the Âtmâ;
no worry or grief or pride can harm you then.
239.
Alexander
and the Sage
Alexander,
during his campaigns in the Punjab, was anxious
to see a celebrated sage; he went to the cave
where the sage was, and expected that he would
be received most thankfully and with
demonstrations of welcome. But, the sage simply
asked him to move aside and go. He was not
interested in the famous worldshaker, the Greek
conqueror. Alexander was very angry; he
threatened to kill the sage and drew his sword.
But the sage said calmly, with a laugh: "I do
not die", I am the Âtmâ; I
cannot die". That put some sense in Alexander
and he put his sword back into the scabbard.
240.
Beat
Man's Pride
A
man engaged a boat to take him across the
flooded Godavari. When the journey over
the river started, he began a lively
conversation with the boatman. He asked him
whether he had any schooling and when the reply
came that he had none, he said sadly: "Alas!' A
quarter of your life has gone to waste. It is as
if you have drowned those years in the
Godavari". He asked him whether he could
tell him the time from his watch; the boatman
confessed he did not have a watch nor cared to
have one. The pundit deplored and said: "Half
your life has gone into the Godavari".
His next question was about newspapers; did the
boatman read any? What was his favourite paper?
The boatman replied that he did not read any nor
did he care to know the news. He had enough to
worry about already. The pundit declared
forthright that three quarters of the boatman's
life had been liquidated. Just then the sky
darkened with storm clouds and there was an
imminent threat of rain. The boatman turned to
the pundit. It was his turn to put a question.
He asked: "Can you swim?" and when the
frightened passenger confeseed he could not, the
boatman said: "In that case, your entire life is
now going to merge in the Godavari".
This is the case of the educated in India
today. They do not have the training that will
help them in distress, or in dire need to win
back their mental poise.
241.
Beware
You
must be aware of the danger of a fall in time.
Do not behave like the master of a house, who
when his wife said: "I hear some noise, its
perhaps a thief". The master of the house
replied: "I know; do not interrupt my sleep". In
a few minutes, she said: "He has entered the
house", but, the man said: "I know". Later, she
said: "He is opening the box". Still, the man
said: "I know" and kept quiet. After some time,
she said: "He is running away" and the master
said as formerly: "I know". He did not pay any
attention to the warnings of the theft. So,
too, you do not heed the warning, but move into
the calamity, with eyes open.
242.
No
Place to Die
There
was a sâdhaka [denomination for
all entertaining a spiritual discipline]
once who was initiated by a yogî
into some manthram; he wanted to meditate
on it undisturbed and he found his home too full
of distraction. He fled to the forest and
discovered a convenient tree, under which he
could meditate. Before long, the birds roosting
on its branches started to clamor aloud and they
showered on his head their droppings. He was
greatly incensed. "Have I no place where I can
commune with God" he cried? "Children at home,
birds and bats in the jungle! I shall immolate
myself, get born under better auspices and then
start sâdhana afresh", he decided.
So, he collected a pile of fuel and making a
pyre out of it, lit it and was about to ascend
it, when he was interrupted by an old man who
accosted him. He said: "By all means, carry out
your decision; but just now, the wind blows from
here towards those huts where we live; so,
please wait until the wind turns its direction,
for, the smell of burning human flesh does not
agree with us. Or, if you are in hot haste, you
can shift to some other place and avoid being a
nuisance to us poor folk". The sâdhaka
felt he had no freedom even to die. So, he
returned home, and decided to brave it all there
itself. He understood that
karma
has to be carried through in the objective world
itself and there is no use trying to shake it
off in a huff.
243.
The
Idol Turned
When
Kanakadas
yearned to see the idol of Krishna,
installed in the temple at Udipi, though he
could not go into the sacred precincts, the flag
post hid the view. So, he went round the shrine
and tried to find a crevice in the wall, through
which he could gain a glimpse of the
Krishna he loved so much. He found a
crevice; but, that gave him a glimpse of the
back of the idol, not the resplendent face of
the Lord. When he lamented his fate, the Idol
turned round (!) - as can be seen, even today -
and gave him the coveted darsan! That is the
reward for the yearning.
244.
Inner
Ganga
There
was a lady who attended a whole series of
Bhagavata discourses and picked up a few
cliches. She became too lazy to draw water and
slept on till a late hour. When her husband
reprimanded her, she quoted a s'loka
(sanskrit verse) which said that one has in
oneself all the holy rivers, Ganga,
Yamunâ, Sarasvatî, as the Ida,
Pingala and Sushumna nâdis!
The husband was astounded at her impudence and
pseudo-spiritual pose. He contrived to feed her
on highly salted stuff and he removed all the
water pots and jugs from the house. When she
suffered from acute thirst, and called out for
water desperately, he quoted the same
s'loka and wanted her to draw water from
the Ganga, Yamunâ and Sarasvatî
within her!
245.
The
Donkey's Thirst
Adore
the God that is resident in all beings,
motivating them and prompting their very
activity. Ekanath, the Maharashtra saint,
had that vision. He was going on pilgrimage to
Rameswaram, in the extreme south of
India, from Varanasi in the north,
carrying the sacred Ganga in a pot, to be
poured ceremoniously on the
Ramalingeswara idol at that place. His
disciples were with him. On the way he saw a
donkey dying of thirst, in great agony.
Ekanath felt that the
Ramalingeswara in the donkey was calling
out for the holy Ganga that he was
carrying on his shoulder; in spite of the
protests of his followers, he poured the
precious Ganga down the throat of the
dying animal and saved it. His joy knew no
bounds. God is the seed of all this
manifested universe.
246.
The
Seeing Eye
To
be able to percieve good qualities, there is an
example in the Mahâbhârata.
Krishna called Duryodhana with the
intention of testing him. This took place before
the war (Kurukshetra). Krishna
told him that he wanted to do something
important and that he was on the lookout for a
good man with good attributes. He asked
Duryodhana [the chief of the sons of
Dhritarâshthra, the Kurus] to look for
such a man. He searched the world over for a few
days and said that there was no person with
really good attributes and if there was anyone
with good qualities, the best was himself and
that he came nearest to the ideal. Then Krishna
sent Duryodhana away and asked
Dharmarâja [another name for
Yudhishthhira, the eldest Pândava,
meaning: king of righteousness or the
righteous] to come. Krishna told
Dharmarâja to look for a man who is very
bad and whose qualities are such that there can
be no one else worse than him. Dharmarâja
searched the world over and came back and told
Krishna that he could not find anyone with such
bad qualities, and if there was anyone, it was
himself. He said he fits the description which
Krishna gave. For Duryodhana to say that he was
the best man and for Dharmarâja to say
that he was the worst man, the world is not
responsible. The qualities in them and the way
they look at themselves and at others are
responsible. That is why we give so much
importance to the ability to percieve the good
and distinguish it from the bad. No one can
really determine what is good and what is
bad. The only alternative is for one to
have faith in God and improve his own qualities.
247.
Begging
from Beggars
A
fakir went to Akbar and he was told that Akbar
was at his prayers to God and so could not give
audience for some time. He was asked to wait in
the ante-room. But, he refused to wait, he said:
"What can this beggar get from that beggar?"
All are beggars at the gate of God. The hero
is he who does not beg or cringe or flatter or
fawn. He knows that the Lord knows best. If it
is His Will He will grant food and raiments; if
not, well, let His Will prevail.
248.
The
Five Cow Woman
You
judge a person by his conduct, his character as
revealed in his actions. No other witness or
proof is needed. There were two women, living
opposite each other in a bazaar. One had five
cows and the other had just one. The richer
woman was wasteful in habits, very extravagant
and careless. So, she used to borrow milk from
the woman with one cow, and the latter was
helping her in spite of the fact that she had a
large family. When she had thus borrowed about
50 seers [in the Indian subcontinent, a
varying unit of weight, about one kilogram or
liquid measure about one liter] of milk, the
cow of the poorer woman died and she went to the
other woman and wanted her to return the milk
loaned at the rate of a seer per day. At this
the richer woman got wild and deposed in court
that she had never borrowed any milk.
"Why
should I, owning five cows, go to this woman
with one cow for the loan of milk?" she asked.
The magistrate was a shrewd man who sympathised
with the woman whose cow had died. He knew how
to get at the truth. He gave each of them five
'chembus' [large copper vessel] of water
and asked them to wash their feet and come back
to court. The five-cow-woman poured the water of
all the five chembus in one stream on her feet
and came in with all the dirt intact. The one
cow-woman cleaned her feet by skilful use of one
chembu full only and she left the other four
chembus untouched. The act of washing the feet
revealed their character and the magistrate had
no hesitation in convicting the culprit. The
one-cow-woman must have saved and the
five-cow-woman must have wasted and been in
perpetual want.
249.
The
Common Tongue
There
was a man from Puttaparthi who lived in a
solitary hut on the banks of the Ganga some
miles above Haridwar. He was engaged in
severe thapas and was greatly admired by
other monks. One day while bathing in the river,
he overheard a party of pilgrims who had
alighted from their bus at that site, talking
among themselves in Telugu. His attachment to
the mother tongue dragged him thither; he asked
them where they came from. They said
Rayalaseema; he probed further; they were from
Anantapur District; his ears ached for further
details. They were from Penukonda Taluk,
Puttaparthi itself in fact. So, the monk was
very happy; he asked them about his lands, his
family, his friends and when he was told that a
few of them had died, the poor fellow started
weeping like a fool. All his years of
sâdhana had come to nought. They
broke down before the onslaught of language
attachment. He was so bound to his mother
tongue. What a pity!
Practice
detachment from now on. Practice it little by
little, for, a day will come sooner or later
when you will have to give up all that you hold
dear.
250.
Bricks
of Gold
When
Dharmarâja [Yudhishthhira] decided
in a fit of repentance to celebrate three
as'vamedhas [horse-sacrifice] in
a row, in order to win the grace of God for the
sin of slaughtering millions in the
Kurukshetra battle, he had no money with
him nor could his vassal rulers help with
finance. They too were impoverished by the war.
And Krishna said: "Kings derive money only from
the hard toil of their subjects. To spend on a
yajña done in expiation of the
sins that threaten you, the money sqeezed out of
their sweat is very wrong, it will be further
sin."
So,
Dharmarâja was in a fix. He pleaded with
Krishna for helping him out. Then, Krishna told
him: "In bygone times, a ruler named
Maruth performed a yajña in
a style that no ruler has approached so far.
Gold bricks were given away as gifts to the
priests, scholars and ritualists. Gold models of
cows and houses and gold plates were given in
thousands to the poor and the needy. When the
recipients struggled along with the heavy load,
they had to throw away many bricks and models,
for they were too tired. They are available now
on both sides of the road they took. I know the
place. Go, and collect them".
But,
Dharmarâja hesitated. He said: "They
belong to those to whom they were given. How can
we use them without their permission". Krishna
replied: "They have willingly cast them away.
They are not alive today. This took place long,
long ago. They are under the earth. All treasure
troves belong to the ruler. You are the ruler.
No one has the right to object". So, the gold
was brought and the three yajñas
were celebrated.
251.
The
Camera
Our
mind is like the lens of a camera. If you want
to get the picture of the people on the right
side, and you turn the camera to the left, how
can you succeed? Our body is the camera, our
mind is the lens, our heart is the photographic
plate, our thought is the flash bulb, our
buddhi or intelligence is the
switch. If you want peace and happiness
imprinted on your heart, turn the lens towards
the activities and things that can give them,
without any mixture of sorrow and misery.
252.
God's
Plan
When
the Yâdavas [the Yadus,
the name of Krishna's family], the
clansmen of Krishna fought against each
other a fratricidal battle and destroyed
themselves completely, Dharmarâja
asked Arjuna: "Could not Krishna stop it?"
Arjuna said: "The fate of the Yâdavas is
the same as ours. We too Pândavas
and Kauravas, brothers and kinsmen,
slaughtered each other. We had Krishna in
our midst. He willed both battles. No one can
cross His Will or act against His command".
253.
The
Owner of the Kill?
Arjuna
was lost in meditation on S'iva during his life
as an ascetic in the Himalayan valley. Suddenly,
a huge wild boar ran across the place where he
was and evidently standing at bay, was grunting
ferociously and snorting in terrible anger.
Though during the penance, he should not hurt
any living being, he hastily took up his bow and
shot an arrow at the monster. Just at that
moment, a bhil of the forest, also armed with
bow and arrow, appeared on the scene and claimed
the boar as his kill. "Who are you, intruder,
daring to shoot at my prey?" he shouted and was
in a defiant mood. Arjuna felt deeply insulted
by the forest dwelling tribesman. "The forest
and its wild life are the property of all", he
claimed. "Why did you kill the boar I was
stalking?" asked the bhil. From words they soon
came to arrows. Arjuna noticed that his arrows
fell off the bhil, like blades of grass. He
stood helpless and full of rage. Arjuna dealt a
fierce blow with his bow on the head of the
bhil, but, it was the bow that broke. He engaged
the bhil with his fists. They struggled long,
dealing hammer blows on each other, but, it was
Arjuna who flopped on the ground. The bhil was
not exhausted in the least, though Arjuna was
gasping for breath and bleeding. Then Arjuna
realised that the bhil was no ordinary mortal.
He moulded a linga of the S'iva he was
adoring and offered some flowers on it. And, he
saw those flowers on the head of the bhil and of
his wife, who had joined him meanwhile. Arjuna
was overcome with delight, for, he now knew they
were S'iva and His consort,
Pârvatî, come to test his
fortitude and bless him.
254.
The
Curse that was Welcomed
King
Parîkchit said: "I went into the
forest to hunt. Many wild animals were sighted
but they scattered at our approach and the band
of bowmen I had with me also scattered in their
pursuit. I found myself alone and I was far away
from my retinue and overcome with hunger and
thirst. The scorching heat exhausted me.
At
last, I discovered the hermitage of a sage. His
name, I discover now, was S'amîka.
I called out several times to draw the attention
of those inside, so that I could get a little
drinking water. No answer came; no one came out.
So I myself went in. I saw a hermit sitting
unconcerned, lost in what, for him, was
meditation and what for me was utter disregard
of my status and needs. I felt something soft
under my feet. I found it was a dead cobra. My
intelligence was poisoned. A foul thought came
into me - I placed the dead cobra round the neck
of that sage, and chuckled within myself that it
was some punishment for neglecting me. I came
away to my city and palace.
But,
the son of the sage [S'ringi] saw
his father with the dead cobra around his neck!
He knew I had done it. So he cursed me: "May the
King die of a snake bite seven days from today".
Seven days! How kind of him! He could have
cursed me to meet death the very instant. He has
given me seven days, to dwell on God and prepare
myself to reality so that I can reach the
Ultimate! What a great mercy! Few people get
this week's notice when Death threatens"
[see also S.B.
1.18].
255.
Unoccupied
Thrones
When
Bharata, Satrughna and the royal queens, along
with the huge civil and military retinue
accompanying them, reached the âs'ram
of the great sage Bharadwaja, he
consoled them and assured them that Râma,
Lakshmana and Sîtâ were not very far
off and that the moment they set their eyes on
Râma, their grief would disappear.
Using his
miraculous powers or siddhis,
Bharadwaja arranged hospitality for the princes,
the queens, the preceptors and pundits, the
ministers and generals, as well as the citizens
and courtiers, each according to his status, in
the most lavish style. Everything was produced
mysteriously but plentifully, through his will.
When the
Reception Hall was ready, the sage invited every
one inside that marvel of beauty and grace. The
Royal Preceptor was led to a high seat
magnificently designed and covered with
deerskin. The Queens were led into a special
enclosure, cordoned off, as befits the imperial
zenana [a special room for women]. Then
the bright faced disciples of the sage brought
the two brothers into the Hall. The young
ascetics stood respectfully on both sides waving
yak tail whisks and reciting vedic hymns. The
brothers, Bharata and Satrughna, approached the
Lion thrones set for them in the centre of the
Hall and, as they came near them, they fell on
the floor in reverential homage to their
unseen occupants. Then, they took the
whisks from the boys nearby and started waving
them, in honor of the occupants of the Lion
thrones - Sîtâ and Râma. The
entire assembly was thrilled with joyous
appreciation of their humility and wisdom
[see also
Ramakatha
Rasavahini].
256.
Let
These be here Itself
The
Superintendent of a District Jail called the
prisoner to his office and read out his
discharge order. He said that he was free and
had to get out of the jail in half an hour.
"While going, carry with you the mat and pot you
brought with you", he ordered. But, the prisoner
said: "Let them be here itself. I shall be
coming back soon". That is the attitude of
most people. They are reluctant to leave this
prison house of earthly life. They do enough
karma in this life, to deserve another
life sentence and they come back pretty soon, to
undergo the same.
257.
The
Mango
When
the mango is tender on the tree, it is very
unpleasant to the tongue, with an astringent
taste. After some weeks, when it grows big, it
will taste very sour. But when it is fully ripe,
it can be eaten with relish, for, the juice will
be sweet and replete with pleasant flavor.
Man too is
like the mango. The astringent stage is the
early tamasic stage - the stage of
indolence, inactivity and dullness. Man must
then be alert, not to be satisfied with sloth.
He must dream of the consummation that is in
store. Then, man attains the rajasic
stage, as the mango reaches the sour stage. Man
then enjoys power over others; he pursues
vigorously the fancies of his senses and prides
himself on his greeds and hatreds. But, man
must, at this stage be vigilant and pull himself
back in time, and gain control over his passions
and prejudices. This will make him, a sweet
juicy ripe coveted 'mango', of the satvic
type.
258.
Ayodhya
for Him
When
Vibhishana, [see also
RRV-Ch.6]
the râkshasa prince, the brother of the
arch-enemy Râvana, came to the camp
of Râma as a refugee,
Râma accepted him, in spite of the
protests of those around him. He said: "It is my
unbreakable vow; I shall accept all who take
refuge in me". He blessed Vibhishana with
another act of grace also; He crowned him the
Emperor of Lanka, thereby asserting that
Râvana, his elder brother, would
lose both his throne and his life in the fight
that was inevitable. At this, Sugriva
expressed surprise, for, he said: "Lord! If
tomorrow Râvana comes into camp and
surrenders, and craves pardon for his
misdemeanors, how can he be deprived by you, of
Lanka and its throne?" Râma
smiled at his fears and replied: "My word can
never fail. Vibhishana will be the Ruler
of Lanka, whatever happens. If
Râvana surrenders, I shall seat him
on the throne of Ayodhya".
259.
Milk
and Water
Pour
a glass of water into a vessel containing a
hundred glasses of milk; the water you poured
gets the properties of milk and fetches the
price of milk. It improves by the association.
Pour a glass of milk into a vessel containing a
hundred glasses of water. The milk loses its
health-giving sustaining properties and becomes
as tasteless al water itself. This is the
consequence of the company we mix in.
260.
Even
This shall pass
Away
When
Dharmarâja was in exile in the
forest, Krishna visited him in his
retreat and they talked for long on the
vicissitudes of fortune and the effect of
karma and dharma. At last,
Dharmarâja asked Krishna to give him some
upadesh or formula which he can keep in
memory and which will sustain him during the ups
and downs of fortune. Krishna wrote on a piece
of paper a few words and told him to look into
it and read it only when he becomes really
desperate. Later, he opened the precious paper,
and found that the advice, the upadesh was:
"Even this shall pass away". It meant:
"Why worry about this passing show? Put up
with the good fortune as well as bad, knowing
that both are transient".
261.
Sai
Baba and the School Boy
There
was a schoolboy once who was very poor in
mathematics. When the day of examination in
mathematics came round, he went to a temple of
Sai Baba and vowed that if the questions were
easy and he could do all the sums correct, he
would offer 5 kg of sweetened rice to Him. The
paper turned out to be quite within the limits
of his capacity; he finished answering all the
questions within 5 hours; the sums were all
correctly solved; he had an extra hour on hand.
So, he took a
few sheets of paper and drew up a list of items
with their price, to prepare the offering he had
vowed to Sai Baba. He had a ten rupee note in
his pocket; but when he added up the cost of
rice, sugar, cashew nut, cardamom, ghee, dried
grapes etc. the total amount required was found
to be about 15 rupees! He tried cancelling a few
items and reducing the quantities of a few, but
the total was always more than what he could
afford.
Then, he
argued that Sai Baba was not in need of
sweetened rice and that a few fruits should
certainly satisfy Him. Fruits too were pretty
costly, he found; flowers were not so costly;
then he remembered that in the
Gîtâ, God had said that
patram (leaf) pushpam (flower)
phalam (fruit) or toyam (water)
would be enough to please Him. [see
B.G.
9: 26]
So he finally decided that toyam from the
well in his house would be ample payment for the
grace he received that day. He could well save
the tenner for a film he longed to see; he
calculated how much that would cost and was glad
to find that he could take one of his friends to
the picture too. Just when he arrived at this
happy conclusion, the invigilator called that
the hour was over and asked for the answer
papers to be handed in.
Our friend
woke up from his reverie and in the confusion,
he handed over the sheets whereon he had made
all the calculations of cost and quantity for
the sweetened rice offering, the fruits and the
flowers, and finally, the picture. When he went
home and looked into the papers he had brought
home he found to his dismay that they were the
answer papers he had to give the invigilator!
It is all a
matter of 're-action, re-sound and re-flection'.
What you plan to do to another recoils on you.
God is neither angry, nor vengeful. He is the
eternal witness of the play. You punish
yourselves for your evil thoughts and deeds; you
reward yourselves for your good thoughts and
deeds. That is the real Truth.
*** THE END
***
