Chapter
27
Curse or Godsend
The
pointed words of the father inflicted great pain on the
tender heart of Sringi, the son; they fell like sword
thrusts or hammer strokes; the poor boy could bear them
no longer; he fell on the floor and grasping the feet of
his father, he wailed, "Father pardon me. I was overcome
by anger that the king himself should behave so
outrageously insolent, so irreverently, so inhumanly. I
could not control my resentment at the insult hurled on
you. It is not proper that a king should behave like
this, in this most inappropriate manner, having come into
a hermitage; isnt it?"
Seeing his plight,
Sameeka, the ascetic, took the son beside him and said,
"Son, the compulsion of the moment is inescapable. The
dictates of reason are often brushed aside by man, due to
that compulsion. The drag of destiny will destroy the
reins of reason. The force of the moment faces man with
all its power and he cannot but yield. This king is a
staunch theist, a deep devotee. He has earned spiritual
splendour. He is established in moral behaviour. He is
the lord of all the regions; his fame has pervaded all
the three worlds. He is served always by thousands of
loyal men and minds. When he leaves his mansion and moves
out, he is accompanied by many guards who await with
folded hands and eyes fixed on him, his least command, so
that they may win his favour by executing them to his
satisfaction. As soon as he enters a kingdom, the ruler
thereof accords him a glorious welcome, offers him
magnificent hospitality and respectful homage. A person
accustomed to this rich routine was naturally shocked
when he did not receive any sign of welcome here; he was
not even recognised and respected; the neglect was so
serious that he did not get a cup of water to alleviate
his thirst. He was torn by the pangs of hunger, and of
humiliation, for, there was no response even though he
called out many times. So, unable to bear the agony and
the shock, he was led to commit this improper act. Of
course, it is a fault but, just for this small
misdemeanour, when you reacted so harshly, you brought
irreparable damage to the entire community of ascetics
and hermits. Alas! What a terrible calamity have you
called down!"
The aged hermit closed
his eyes and sat silent for a while, seeking some means
by which the king can be saved from the curse. Finding
none, and realising that God alone can set such things
right, since He is all-powerful and all-knowing, he
prayed with all his heart. "0, Refuge of all the Worlds!
This immature little boy, with no knowledge of right and
wrong, of what is one's duty and what is not, prompted by
ignorance, has committed this great blunder, harmful to
the king. Pardon this boy or punish him; but, promote the
welfare of the king."
The hermit opened his
eyes. He saw the ascetics and the young comrades of his
son who stood around him. In sadness, he told them, "Did
you notice the injury that my son has perpetrated? It is
not right that we, hermits, should insult and injure the
king who is the guardian and guide of humanity, isnt
it?
Therefore, I request
you all to pray God that the king should come to no harm
and that only auspicious things be added unto him." When
the Rishi Sameeka directed them thus, an aged monk rose
from the group; he was the very picture of peace and
resignation; he said, "Great Soul! You are showering such
profuse Grace on this king. The person who pronounced
this curse is your own son; surely your spiritual
attainments are much higher than your son's and, you can
achieve anything, through them. Why then are you so much
concerned about the curse that this boy hurled at the
king? You can make it ineffective, can't you?" At this,
the rest of the group, the elders and the young ones,
exclaimed, "True, true; listen to our prayers and pardon
this boy. Bring about the welfare of the king and save
him from harm."
The sage Sameeka
smiled; he closed his eyes; he saw with his inner yogic
vision the past and the future of the king, and examined
whether his present was conditioned by his past or by his
future. He found that Parikshith had to suffer the
poison-bite of the cobra, Takshaka and that this was his
destiny. He felt that trying to save him from this end
will be going counter to the dictates of Divinity; he
realised that the misbehaviour of the king and the angry
reaction of his son were both the consequences of that
compulsive urge. He concluded that only God, the
artificer of all resolutions and achievements, can modify
events and that, any effort on his part would amount to
an exhibition of egoism.
He knew that egoism is
the deadliest foe of hermits; but, yet he did not amass
his undoubted strength against it and destroy it
completely. He decided to render what little help he
could to the unfortunate king of the realm. Opening his
eyes, he looked on all four sides to select a clever
disciple of his from among the gathering. At last, he
called one student to him and said "You must proceed
immediately to Hasthinapura and return; prepare yourself
for the journey and come to me again." The student
replied, "I am ever ready to obey your command; what have
I to do with preparations? I am ever prepared. I can
start this very moment; tell me what I have to do there."
With these words, he fell at his feet and offered his
obeisance. The sage rose from his seat and took the
student into the inner apartment. He told him in detail
all the points that he had to inform the king. Then, the
student fell at the master's feet and set out towards the
capital.
Meanwhile, the king had
reached his palace and after a short rest, he awoke into
a realisation of the enormity of the wrong that he had
done at the hermitage. "Alas, into what depths of
foulness did my mind fall! It is indeed heinous sin that
I, the emperor, should cast an insult on that ascetic."
He lamented within himself. "How am I to make amends for
this crime? Shall I go to that hermitage and plead for
pardon? Or, shall I offer my head to bear the punishment
that is my due? What exactly is my duty, now?" He
struggled with himself for an answer. Just then, he saw a
guard who came up to the door and stood silent with
folded arms. He asked him why he had come. The man said,
"A student from a hermitage has come and is waiting for
audience; he says, he has been sent by the sage Sameeka;
he says his message is very urgent and important; he is
in great hurry. I am awaiting royal orders."
When these words fell
on his ears, the bed of jasmine flowers on which he was
reclining appeared to have been transformed into a bed of
snakes with fiery tongues, hissing and writhing all
around him. He called the guard to come near him and he
pelted question after question at him about the young man
who had come from the hermitage: how is he? does he
appear sad or angry? or, is he brimful of joy and
equanimity?
The guard replied, "0
King! The sage's son who has come to have your audience
is quite calm and peaceful. He is repeating the words,
'Victory to the king', 'Victory to our Ruler.' "I do not
see any trace of anger or passion on his face." This gave
the king some comfort. He sought to find out what reply
had been given to the questions asked by the young
student. The guard said, "We told him, the King had been
to the forest, he returned only just now, he is taking
rest for a while; please wait for some time; as soon as
he breaks his rest, we shall inform him". The king
inquired, "What did he say in reply to this?" The guard
said, "Lord! The young man was most anxious to see you as
quickly as possible. He said he had some urgent message
to communicate; he said, his master would be awaiting his
return and counting the minutes. He said that the sooner
he sees you the better. He was repeating within himself
all the time, 'May it be well with the king', 'May safety
and prosperity be on him'. We offered him a high seat and
invited him to occupy it, but, he did not accept it. He
preferred to stand at the door; he is counting minutes
there."
Tears of joy welled
within the eyes of the king. Wiping them off, he hurried
towards the entrance, without donning regal robes or
insignia, without caring even to wear sandals or a robe
over the chest. He fell prostrate at the feet of that son
of a hermit; he held both his hands in his own and led
him into the inner apartments, where he placed him on a
high seat and himself sat on the floor beneath. He prayed
that he might be told the reason for the
journey.
The student said, "0
King! My master, Sage Sameeka sends you his special
blessings. He has commissioned me to communicate to you
some special matters," and broke into tears. Seeing this,
the king exclaimed, "Well, tell me soon; if anything has
to be done by me, tell me soon; I am prepared to lay down
my life in the discharge of my obligations. Or, is my
kingdom in any danger? Have I to take any measure of
relief? I am ready to sacrifice anything for saving
it.
The student messenger
replied, "0 King! No danger threatens the realm or the
hermits. No fear can ever bother them. You are the very
person whom dangers threaten, whom harm will overtake."
When he gave this subtle warning, the king declared
exultingly, "I am indeed blessed. When my subjects and
the hermits engaged in asceticism are safe, I do not in
the least care what happens to me. I inhale and
exhale so that I can ensure peace and prosperity for them
both." The king quietened after some time and asked the
Disciple, "Now tell me what your Master wanted me to
know." He replied, "King! My master is very much
concerned over a grievous wrong that has been committed,
out of sheer ignorance. That is the prime reason tor his
sending me to you."
Hearing this, Parikshit
was very much agitated. He asked, "What is the wrong, you
speak about? Who did that wrong? Tell me, tell me all,"
he pleaded.
contents
of this Vahini
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