IV
SOME DISCUSSIONS FROM TRIPURAA RAHASYA
Why are all individuals
different?
Supreme Queen Tripuraa Devi,
the Transcendental Consciousness- ParaaChiti pictures the whole world in ‘Her
being’ like images in a mirror.
She takes on the individuality
of HiranyaGarbha, the golden Wombed Brahma.
Considering the predispositions
of the egos enclosed in that egg (HiranyaGarbha), SHE unfolds the Scriptures
for the wellbeing of the beings.
HiranyaGarbha contains within
himself the infinite unfulfilled Vaasanaas in his being.
Since the embryonic
individuals are full of unfulfilled desires HiranyaGarbha begins to think out
the means of their fulfillment. He elaborates a scheme of cause and effect, of
actions and fruits, and consequently the individuals get born to revolve in
that wheel of cause and effect. They take different shapes and are placed in
different environments consistently with their predispositions. After passing
through innumerable species, the individual evolves as a human being owing to
the merit he has accumulated.
In the first few of his human
births, the individual engages himself in selfish pursuits alone. But his
desires keep on increasing and he undertakes more and more births in the
process of fulfilling them. After many ups and downs, after innumerable births
he will by chance develop a desire for liberation.
Failures are inevitable
everywhere. Disappointments result.
Yet, the aspirant’s
accumulated merits reinforced by association with the wise and by divine grace,
make him persist in the course, and gradually take him step by step to the
highest pinnacle of happiness.
Is there a difference in
the state of realized Knowers?
The state of the Knowers also
differs, according as his efforts have been great or less.
A person with dense Vaasanaas
who gets a glimpse of the Realized state does not slip into Sahaja Samaadhi
state immediately. He has to engage himself in regular practice of contemplation
and destroy his hidden Vaasanaas. In few more births he will reach the final
realization.
There are different types of
realized Yogis.
There are differences in states
of realization according to the level of intellect and the quality of actions
performed.
The Trinities- Brahma Vishnu
and Shiva are Knowers by nature. They manifest in the beginning as all Knowing
Lords of the World. Their actions never bind them. They are eternally free.
Knowledge is not affected by
the hue of the form or mind. Even the three sons of Atri have different states
of Knowledge.
Sage Durvaasa is easily
annoyed.
Chandra is married to twenty
seven daughters of Daksha.
Dattatreya cares not what he
wears or not wears on his form.
Sage Vasishta is the family
Preceptor of the Solar dynasty. He never fails in the strictest adherence to
duty as prescribed by the Scriptures.
Sanaka, Sanandana,
Sanatsujata and SanatKumaara, the four sons of Brahma are totally indifferent
to any action including religious rites.
Naarada is a devotee of Lord
Naaraayana.
Bhaargava or Shukraachaarya
the well-known preceptor of Asuras supports the enemies of the Gods whereas the
equally great Sage Brhaspati supports the Gods against their enemies.
Vyaasa is ever busy codifying
the Vedas, and propagates their truth through Mahabharata, the Puraanas and the
Upa Purana.
Janaka is famous as the
ascetic-King.
Jada Bharata looks like an
idiot.
There are so many others with
individual characteristics such as Chyavana, Yaajnavalkya, Vishvaamitra, etc.
Yaajnavalkya is the Sage of
Sages mentioned in Brhadaaranyaka Upanishad.
Vishvaamitra is the
originator of Gaayatri Mantra.
‘Best of the Sages’ do not
have any Vaasanaas. Even the desires they express do not bind them. Any trace
of the subtle Vaasanaa is destroyed by Contemplation on the Self.
Dispassion need not be very
marked in their cases. Such people need not repeatedly engage in the study of
Scriptures or seek instructions from a Guru, but straightaway pass into
meditation and fall into Samaadhi .They live always as JeevanMuktas.
Another class of Sages does
not consider it worthwhile to eradicate their desires.
If by chance desires arise
due to the old habits of the mind, they do not make any effort to remove them.
These desires do not disturb their Self-state. Therefore their desires continue
to manifest even after realization as before. They are not tainted by such Vaasanaas.
The Vaasanaas do not bind them. They are said to be emancipated and
diverse-minded. They are also reputed to be the best class of Knowers.
He whose mind clings to the
ignorance of the necessity of Karma (Rituals) cannot hope for realization even
if Shiva offers to instruct him.
Similarly the person who is indifferent
towards the truths taught by Scriptures or who misunderstands the statements of
the Scriptures cannot attain realization.
On the other hand, if a man who
is besought with desires and attachments slowly gets over his indifference and strives
hard will surely reach the goal though only with considerable difficulty and
after a long lapse of time by repeated hearing of the Sacred Knowledge;
discussion of the same; and contemplation on it.
Such a Sage will perform
fewer actions because he is entirely engrossed in his efforts for realization. A
Sage of this class has by his long practice and rigorous discipline controlled
his mind so well that Vaasanaas are totally eradicated and the mind is as if
dead. He belongs to the middle class in the scheme of classification of Sages
and is said to be a Sage without the mind.
The last class and the least
among the Sages are those whose practice and discipline are not perfect enough
to destroy mental predispositions. Their minds are still active and the Sages
are said to be associated with their minds. They have not yet become Knowers
and are not JeevanMuktas like the other two classes.
They experience the pleasures
and pains of life like other ignorant men and will continue to do so till the
end of their lives. They will be liberated only after death.
‘Praarabdha Karma’ means
those actions which have begun to bear fruit.
‘Sanchita Karma’ means those
actions which are in store and which will bear fruit in the future.
‘AAgaami Karma’ means those
actions which are performed at present and will bear fruit later.
All three types of these
Karmas get annihilated by the ‘Realization of the Self’.
The mind is the soil in which
the seed namely Praarabdha sprouts (into pleasures and pains of life). If the
soil is barren, the seed loses its sprouting power by long storage, and becomes
useless. Praarabdha (past karma) is totally powerless with the middle class,
who have destroyed their minds by continued practice.
How does action affect our
lives?
The Supreme Tripuraa Devi is
the undivided taintless Consciousness without a second.
In Her exist all possible
states of Existence.
Anything that can be
expressed as an idea can create a field of experience with a world around it.
Such potential possibilities are termed as Vaasanaas. These have no beginning
or end. These states exist as the very nature of the Supreme Consciousness
inherent in it like the ocean consisting of waves.
When any ‘potential
possibility’ (Vaasanaa/Smriti/Brain signal) randomly expresses itself as a thought,
an appropriate field is created projecting a threefold unit of experiencer,
experienced and experiencing.
The experiencer is not a
person with a particular identity, but a cognizer of the field of experience.
Every moment, nay every
fraction of a moment some potential possibility is getting expressed as the
threefold unit of experienced experiencer and experiencing.
In that fraction of a second
there is the experience of the whole world with infinite space and time.
Next moment another Vaasanaa
might express itself as a field randomly; another ego experiences the
cognition.
If the experiences are stored
in a memory configuration, there appears a mirage of an individual living a
life; he is the Jeeva.
If the Jeeva firmly starts
believing in his name/form identity and the existence of a solid world around
him, that particular ego as a Jeeva develops possible states of Vaasanaas which
need more and more fields of experience.
Since Jeeva is not a person
but only an idea of identification with the body or form/name, a shift of field
is imminently possible.
If the continuity of
experiences is there without a memory of the previous field of experiences, it
is termed rebirth; if it is the same field of experience it is called a life in
the world.
Every thought is a potential world
maker.
A hoarding idea can create a
rat hoarding its treasures; a vengeance idea might create a tiger with its world;
dirty vulgar ideas might create a mosquito world or a cockroach world; a quiet
nature may result in a cow’s world.
These are not rebirths, but Vaasanaa-fields
which appear as such creatures.
Any thought created in any
mind will grossify randomly into a field and a world around it.
Therefore a world around you
filled with fights, wars, deaths, diseases, bacteria are nothing but the
collective thoughts of all the minds which are acting as egos.
The worst possible state
around you, you call it Kali Yuga; best thoughts around you is Sat Yuga; and so
on.
But while all this goes on,
the Pure Consciousness remains unaffected by all this play.
At the same time it is the
pure untainted, undivided whole without any space time projections. It is just
Pure Existence, Pure Knowledge, and Pure Bliss.
It contains within itself all
these possibilities, all potentialities, all worlds, all fields of experiences,
all space time projections as its very nature.
The mirror’s very nature is
to reflect. Ordinary mirrors reflect something external to them. But this Tripuraa
mirror itself is the reflecting mirror of itself in itself.
All this space/time
projections, all Vaasanaas, all thoughts, all egos, all experiences are nothing
but the Supreme Consciousness.
There is no one existing as
second person experiencing anything apart from it.
SHE is the very awareness in
each one of the ego experiences.
SHE only experiences
everything, every life, every World.
Jeeva is just an experience.
He is as unreal as a picture drawn in space. Name and form are just imagined
identities.
One must cease to be a
‘carrier of Vaasanaas’ and destroy the Jeevatva, the ‘livingness’. Then the
original a state of ‘Pure Tripuraa Consciousness’ alone remains.
If it is argued that the life
is quite enjoyable without the realization of the truth, it is like saying that
the hallucination created by the brain through drugs or alcohol or some such
substance is enjoyable and should be continued.
Moreover there does not exist
any continuous person anywhere any time with a name and form identity. Every
moment a Vaasanaa creates a field of experience with a name and form and a
built up random memory (Smriti).
Every moment there is a world
with all dream characters as your world denizens.
The Vaasanaas queue up in the
unconscious; grossify every moment with a new experience and new ego, new
Jeeva, with new memory configuration giving the appearance of a continuity.
All names and forms are
unreal; all name and form identities are unreal; all perceptions are unreal;
all space time projections are unreal; there is no solid world with solid
living beings anywhere anytime.
THAT alone is REAL; THAT
alone Exists as all this; THAT alone should be realized as the Self.
Realization alone destroys the mirage of the perceived phenomenon.
‘TAT EVA SAT’
THAT ALONE EXISTS.
THE VARIED PERSONALITIES OF REALIZED BEINGS
A realized person does not
instantly become a superman with all the knowledge of future.
He does not become a miracle
maker. However if he wishes to attain such powers he will follow the required
practices and possess them like Krishna Vaasudeva or Vishvaamitra.
But Sages like Janaka do not
care for such Siddhis. Janaka arranged many a debates on Self-Knowledge and
invited many great Sages and scholars to his courtroom and entertained himself
in listening to their discourses. He lavishly rewarded the winner and spent his
wealth in a just cause.
All realized beings need not
be clever in worldly activities too. Each may have their own talent and wisdom
as connected to their life narratives. A realized person may practice the art
of walking on water, but a person who walks on water is not a realized man.
Miracles are not the symbolic
feature of a realized person.
It is also possible that some
realized souls may get devoted to some particular deity like Sage Naarada, the
devoted disciple of Lord Naaraayana.
Rama realized the Self at the
age of sixteen before he left for the forest with Sage Visvaamitra. Remaining
in the Self state itself, he married Seetaa and got ready for his ‘Avataar’
work.
Krishna realized by the age
of eight or ten when he was a student at Sandeepani School
Seetaa was a realized knower
at a tender age of six or seven. She was always an interested listener sitting
on the lap of her father at all the ‘Knowledge debates’ conducted at the
courtroom of Janaka. Scriptures were her kindergarten books. She was a pet
disciple of Sage Yaajnavalkya and knew all that had to be known when she
married Sri Rama.
Emotions do not cease in
these realized beings. Rama and Seetaa are the ideal human beings ever born. Seetaa
coveting a golden deer is a childish whim and not a taint on her realized
state. Her realized state alone gave her the strength of mind to endure the
hardships at the palace garden
of Raavana
Gaargi was another female
ascetic renowned for her logical prowess. She was always an ardent Opposer of
Yaajnavalkya in all the debates conducted by King Janaka.
They all exist as the Supreme
Self alone. There is no change in their blissful inner existence. But the minds
acting as their identities differ. The personalities also differ.
The mental faculties exist in
them as shadows, like burnt up ropes, just maintaining a vague ego-like
existence. Each mental faculty assumes a particular shape to suit the
particular function. But it is the one single mind of Tripuraa acting as
different shapes to perform different functions at the same time.
The mind of the best among
Knowers is the state of the Self and yet manifests as all without suffering any
change in its eternal blissful nature as the Self.
They are therefore
many-minded.
The Praarabdha of Knowers is
still active and sprouts in the mind but only to be burnt up by the steady
flame of Knowledge.
Pleasure or pain is due to
the dwelling of the mind on occurrences.
But if these are scorched at
their source, how can there be pain or pleasure?
Knowers of the highest order,
however, are seen to be active because they voluntarily bring out the Vaasanaas
from the depth of the mind and allow them to run out. Their action is similar
to that of a father sporting with his child; moving its dolls; laughing at the
imagined success of one doll over another; and appearing to grieve over the
injury to another; and so on; or like a man showing sympathy for his neighbor
on the occasion of a gain or loss.
The Vaasanaas not detrimental
to realization are not weeded out by the best class of Knowers because they
cannot seek new ones to crowd the old out. Therefore the old ones continue
until they are exhausted and thus you find among them some highly irritable,
some lustful and others pious and dutiful, and so on.
The lowest order of Knowers
still under the influence of their minds, know that there is no truth in the
objective world. Their Samaadhi is not different from that of the rest.
What is Samaadhi?
Samaadhi is being aware of
the Self, and nothing else - that is to say - it should not be confounded with
the Nirvikalpa (undifferentiated) state, for this state is very common and
frequent as has been pointed out in the case of momentary fleeting Samaadhi.
Every one is experiencing the
Nirvikalpa state, though unknowingly.
But what is the use of such
unrecognized Samaadhi?
A similar state becomes possible
to the Hatha yogis also (Trance state without Self-Knowledge).
This (trance) experience
alone does not confer any lasting benefit.
A realized man can still perform
his duties perfectly well even while remaining in the same unperturbed state of
the Self.
That is the real state of
Samaadhi. (Sahaja Samaadhi –Natural state of the Self)
What is Sahaja Samaadhi?
Sahaja means Saha+JA - born
with- natural.
When an ignorant man moves in
the world, he is completely identified with his body, senses and mind. He
assumes that he is of a particular form and name.
It is a natural state for him
to act as his body. He need not repeat every moment that he is so and so and
look in the mirror continuously and say I am of such and such a form.
He is what he is; of such and
such a name and such and such a form.
Similarly a realized person
does not repeatedly say I am the Self.
He is naturally the Self-state.
He is always THAT.
This state is known as ‘Sahaja
Samaadhi’.
How is that state experienced
by realized beings?
The wise say that Samaadhi is
the control resulting from the application of the experienced truth (the
awareness of the Self) to the practical affairs of life.
This Sahaja Samaadhi is
possible only for Yogis who follow the path of Knowledge.
A realized devotee has to
maintain a tiny vibration of identity as a different person and worship the
chosen deity as a separate Godhead.
HATHAYOGA
The Hatha yogis are of two
kinds:
the one intent on eliminating
all perturbations of the mind - starts with the elimination of the non-self and
gradually of all mental vacillations.
This requires very long and
determined practice which becomes his second nature and the yogi remains
perfectly unperturbed.
The other practices the six
preliminary exercises and then controls the breath (Praanaayaama) until he can
make the air enter the Sushumna nadi. Since the earlier effort is considerable
owing to control of breath, there is a heavy strain which is suddenly relieved
by the entry of air in Sushumna. The resulting happiness is comparable to that
of a man suddenly relieved of a pressing load on his back. His mind is similar
to that of man in a swoon or a state of intoxication.
Both classes of Hatha yogis
experience happiness similar to that of deep slumber.
JNAANAYOGI AND HATHA YOGI
A Knower on the other hand,
has theoretical Knowledge of the Self, for he has heard it from the Guru and
learnt it from the study of Scriptures and has further cogitated upon the
teachings. Therefore, the veil of ignorance is drawn off from him even before
the consummation of Samaadhi.
The substratum of
Consciousness bereft of perceptions is understood by him as a mirror reflecting
images. He remains in the Self-state and remains free of thoughts even when not
sitting in contemplation.
A Hatha yogi cannot remain in
such a state as the Knower’s Samaadhi; where the veil of ignorance is removed and
perturbation of thoughts is absent.
In the Hatha yogi's Samaadhi,
the thoughts and perceptions are absent, no doubt; but yet it is covered by the
veil of ignorance.
This veil of ignorance is
torn off by the Knower in the process of his contemplation.
His Samaadhi state is not
like deep slumber but a complete awakened state of bliss rising from the
Self-state.
What is the difference there
is between the Samaadhi of a Hatha yogi and the sleep of an ignorant man?
In the sleep state of the
ordinary man, the mind overpowered by deep ignorance is covered by dense
darkness.
In the Samaadhi state of a
Hatha Yogi, the mind, being Saatvic acts as a thin veil for the self-effulgent
principle. Here the mind is not destroyed by the fire of Knowledge.
The Self may be compared to
the Sun obstructed by dark and dense clouds in ‘sleep-state of the ordinary
man; and by a light mist in the Samaadhi-state of a Hatha Yogi.
For a Knower, the Self shines
in its full effulgence like the Sun shining unobstructed in the sky.
This is how the Sages
describe Samaadhi.
What is Samaadhi?
Samaadhi is absolute
Knowledge uncontaminated by the perceived objects.
Such is the state of the best
Knowers even when they take part in the affairs of the world.
The blue color of the sky is
known to be an unreal phenomenon and yet it appears the same to both the
knowing and the unknowing, but with this difference that the one is misled by
the appearance and the other is not.
Just as the false perception (mirage
etc) does not mislead the man who knows, so also all that is perceived is known
to the wise as unreal; he will never be misled by them.
Since the middle class of
Knowers have already destroyed their minds, perceived objects do not exist for
them. Their state transcends the mind-level. They can remain in the Turyaa
state when contemplating.
When perceiving, the mind
assumes the shape of the objects and creates an external world with objects. It
believes those objects to be real and gets agitated.
In these middle class of
Knowers, thoughts are absent and the unperturbed state of the Nirvikalpa
Samaadhi is experienced. That is the transcendental state of Turyaa.
A Knower of the highest order
need not seek the Contemplative states to remain in the state of the Self. He
is always in the contemplative state even while performing a variety of
actions. Every action is performed with a mind newly raised.
He is always many-minded performing
many actions and yet he remains in the unbroken state of Samaadhi.
His is absolute Knowledge
bereft of the ignorance of the reality of perceptions.
V
BRIEF BIOGRAPHIES OF SOME SAGES
STORY OF BHARATA
Bharata was born in the Solar
Dynasty, in the line of Manu Svayambhuva, the eldest of a hundred sons of a
saintly King by the name of Rishabha Deva, who ruled over the earth. When
Rishabha Deva became old, he entrusted the rule of his Kingdom to Bharata and
retired to the forest to perform penance.
King Bharata married a girl
named Panchajani and five sons were born to them. Bharata ruled the kingdom
righteously for a long time. When Bharata became old he entrusted his kingdom
to his sons; renounced everything and lived in a hermitage in the forest
performing penance.
One day while performing the
worship of the Sun on the river bank, he saw a pregnant doe towards the lake to
drink the water. The deer looked weak and exhausted. Suddenly a lion appeared
from nowhere and roared at the deer. The doe was terrified and jumped into the water
and started to swim towards the other bank. Half way through the stream, the
doe gave birth to a young deer midstream and died in exhaustion.
The royal Sage was watching
all this. He was moved by compassion towards the young cub which had lost its
mother. He rescued it took it to his hermitage and cared for it like a mother. Soon
he became attached to the young deer. His mind was always apprehensive about
its welfare. One day death overtook him. Even then he was thinking about the
deer only when he drew his last breath.
That Sage was born as a deer
in his next birth. As a result of his penance
of the previous birth, he still remembered the occurrences of his past birth. He
understood his foolishness. Determined to correct himself, he lived near the
hermitages of Sages and listened to their talks to gain knowledge.
In the next birth, he was
born in a Brahmin family. Now he was free of all attachments and remained
stone-like in all situations. He did not talk or respond when people conversed
with him. He soon became famous as a dunce and was known by all as Jada
Bharata.
He roamed as an Avadhuta
(those ascetics who do not care about their appearance or bodily needs). He was
ill treated sometimes, worshipped some other times; yet he did not bother. He
just remained without reaction to any event of his life.
It so happened that once he
was even bullied into carrying the palanquin of King Rahugana of Sauvira Kingdom
Bharata was clumsy and
couldn’t balance the palanquin properly.
The king reprimanded him with
harsh words.
Without getting affected
Bharata asked him, “Who am I? Who are you? Neither you nor me are these inert physical
bodies. Self alone exists as all. Self does not carry the palanquin. Self is
not sitting in the palanquin. Who is scolding whom?”
The king was shocked by
Bharata’s words. He stepped down from the palanquin; fell at the feet of Jada
Bharata and asked him to forgive him for his stupidity.
Bharata gave him instructions
about Self realization.
STORY OF RIBHU
The Sage Ribhu taught the Knowledge
of Brahman to his disciple Nidagha. However Nidagha was unable to comprehend
the abstract knowledge of the Self and remained addicted to the performance of
rites as prescribed in the Karma Section of the Vedas.
One day Ribhu decided to find
out the depth of knowledge of his disciple and visited Nidhaga disguised as an
ordinary villager.
Nidagha at that time was
absorbed in watching a royal procession.
Ribhu approached him and
enquired him about what the procession was about.
This is how they conversed:
“Oh! It is the King. He goes
in the procession!
“But where is he?”
“There, on the elephant”.
“You say the King is on the
elephant. Yes, I see the two beings there. Which is the King and which is the
elephant?”
“What!” exclaimed Nidagha.
“You see the two beings, but do not know that the man above is the King and the
animal below is the elephant? What is the use of talking to a man like you?”
“Please! Do not be impatient
with an ignorant man like me,” the villager apologized. “But you said above and
below; what do they mean?”
Nidagha was highly annoyed.
He retorted angrily –
“You are seeing two beings
there; the King and the elephant, the one above and the other below. Yet you
want to know what is meant by above and below. If objects seen and words spoken
can convey so little to you, action alone can teach you. Bend
The villager did as he was
told. Nidagha got on his shoulders and said:
“Understand! I am above as the King; you are below as the
elephant. Is that clear enough?”
The villager said, “No! I do
not understand yet! You are saying you are above like the King, and I am below
like the elephant. The ‘King’, the ‘elephant’, ‘above’ and ‘below’ –all these
words are clear now. But two words I do not understand yet. Who is ‘I’ and who
is ‘You’?”
Nidhaga was shocked and
understood that his Guru alone was standing in front of him disguised as the
villager.
He fell at his feet and
realized the Self under his guidance.
STORY OF CHYAVANA
Bhrgu Maharshi married
Khyathi, daughter of Kardama Prajaapati. He had two more wives named Ushaana
and Pulomaa. Pulomaa became pregnant in due course.
One day, the Sage went to the
river for performing rites. Pulomaa was alone in the house,
attending to her own duties.
She was preparing the Sacrificial Fire. A demon also named as Puloma came there
attracted by the beauty of Pulomaa. He
asked the God of fire about Pulomaa. Fire-God was forced to tell the truth and
gave off the truth that she was Bhrgu’s wife. The demon changed himself into a
boar and carried her away.
The baby inside her womb got
angry and came out of the womb and looked at the demon with sharp and angry
eyes. The demon was reduced to ashes. Pulomaa carried the baby and returned to
the hermitage. That child was later known by the name of Chyavana because he
slipped out from the womb (‘Chyut’ -to slip out)
Agni (Fire-God) was cursed by
Sage Bhrgu to become a SarvaBhakshaka (Omnivorous).
Yet he blessed Agni that he
will never lose his purity even if he consumed everything.
Chyavana mastered all the
Scriptures. He decided to do penance and
went off to Vaidoorya mountain area and settled near a lake called Payoshni
(luke warm waters). He entered Nirvikalpa Samaadhi. Ant hills covered
his physical attire. Thousands of years passed this way.
King Sharyaati once came there
to hunt accompanied by his family and a huge army. Sharyaati’s
young daughter Sukanyaa was playing around with her friends. She saw two
glowing points from the inside of the anthill. Curious, she poked those points
with a stick.
Blood poured out of the
holes. Frightened she ran away. Chyavana was a great Sage and the injury caused
by the immature girl led to many ill-effects. The entire army suffered because
of the cessation of their excretory functions. Soon the king came to know of
his daughter’s blunder. He apologized to the blind Sage and offered his
daughter in marriage to him. Sukanyaa served the Sage with devotion. Years
passed. The Sage did not even look at his wife for once. Her beauty did not
affect him in any way. He was always absorbed in contemplation. Sukanyaa never
complained.
But her beauty attracted the
divine physicians Ashvini Kumaaras. They pleaded with her to leave the old Sage
and come and live with them in heaven. Sukanyaa refused them outright and told
them about the greatness of the Sage. She advised them to refrain from such
immoral conduct.
Sage Chyavana came to know of
this. He and the two celestial physicians took a dip in the waters of the
sacred lake and came out handsome and young; identical in every manner.
Sukanyaa by her devotional power recognized the Sage and saluted him.
Later the Sage created a
beautiful world for her sake and enjoyed the marital bliss with
her for many thousands of
years.
STORY OF VISHVAAMITRA
Vishvaamitra was a King in
ancient India
On one of his exploits, he
and his soldiers took rest in the hermitage of Rishi Vasishta. His entire
army was offered food by Sage Vasishta. Vishvaamitra was surprised and found
out that this was possible because of calf named Nandini which was gifted
by Indra. Nandini was the daughter of
KaamaDhenu (wish fulfilling cow) residing in the Indra’s heaven. Kaushika
wanted to take away Nandini to his palace so that the whole kingdom could
benefit by its power. As Vasishta refused to part with the calf, Kaushika tried
to seize it forcefully. Vasishta produced a huge army and defeated the king and
his retinue.
As Vasishta was a Brahmarshi
and had the power of penance, the king decided to attain the same state by
performing severe penance.
Many obstacles blocked his
path from reaching the goal.
He fell for the beauty of
Menakaa the divine damsel of the heaven once. At another time he helped king
Trishanku (who had become a Chaandaala by curse) by creating an upside down
heaven for him when he was thrown out of the heaven by the Gods.
Kaushika remained stubborn
and performed penance till he purified himself. At last he was acclaimed by
Vasishta himself as a Brahmarshi. Because of his compassionate heart, he was
known by the name of Vishvaamitra, ‘A complete friend of the world’.
END
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