THE KING AND THE VETAALA
Sage Vasishta said-
“Rama!
This world–appearance is
inside the treasure chest of Chit-atom.
It is just an appearance
projected by the mind like a ghost.
It vanishes through proper
reasoning.
Listen now, as to how the
mind dissolves in the contemplation of the Self when it encounters the
reasoning power.”
[1]
Once, there was a foolish
mind. Mind of course, is always foolish!
It was actually a ghost which
occupied, or rather projected bodies and played around doing weird actions. It
hopped from bodies to bodies and lived happily, or thought that it lived
happily.
Let us call this mind as what
it really is, a Vetaala (a spirit which possesses inert dead bodies).
Somehow, it got bored of all
these ghostly activities and decided to become good.
It kept the company of the
good, studied scriptures; found out that Brahman is supposed to be the highest
thing that needs to be attained and so on.
Vetaala-Mind was very happy
now. It had stopped doing actions contradictory to scriptural dictums. It was
on the correct path and it felt arrogant!
Yes! It had now developed the
arrogance of goodness to which a spiritual aspirant unknowingly falls prey to!
After all, it knew all the
scriptures by heart!
It was on the path of
self-realization, and the so-called Brahman was just a few steps away!
It was in a better position
than all these human-shaped ignorant worms, who wasted their lives on worthless
activities!
[2]
The Vetaala-mind proudly
walked in the forest of the world, its held high and a benevolent smile playing
on its lips.
Suddenly, it felt it could
not move further.
Someone blocked its path!
The Vetaala slightly opened
its eyes and saw who indeed had dared to stand in front of it!
‘King Vichaara’, the
reasoning power stood in front of the Vetaala, blocking its path! He wielded a
very sharp shining sword of ‘Discrimination’ in his hand.
He bravely looked at the
Vetaala and lifted his sword to slice off its head.
Vetaala, though frightened,
immediately put on a mask of bravery and stood confronting the king.
It laughed aloud, and making
terrifying noises to frighten the king, spoke in an arrogant voice -
“Hey! You ignorant wretch!
Get out of the way! Or I will swallow you up in no time!”
The king did not move even a
muscle!
He calmly looked at that
ghost and said-
“If you ever dare to kill me,
your head will be in thousand pieces! Beware!”
It was the Mind-Vetaala who
was frightened of this ‘Enquiry King’.
One hit from his sword and it
would be nowhere!
Better pacify the king by entrapping
him with questions connected to scriptures!
So thinking, the Vetaala made
a show of politeness and said-
“Do not be angry, O King!
You seem to know everything!
Let me ask you some simple
questions.
If you answer them, I will
let go off you and spare your life! Or else…!”
It again made horrifying
imitations of a fearless laughter!
The king was just observing
its nervous actions calmly.
He did not say anything. His
eyes were blazing in anger.
He kept on watching the
stupid actions of the Vetaala!
[3]
The Vetaala held its head
high and asked-
“Do you know, which is that
Sun, in whose light these cosmic eggs float like dust particles?”
It asked many more questions
phrased differently but sounding profound and grandiloquent.
Vetaala had found these statements
again and again in hundreds of scriptures!
It knew the answer for all
those questions was Brahman.
How would this king know of
the answer hidden only in scriptures?
He was always indifferent to
everything!
Vetaala was certain that the
king would not be able to answer the question!
The king looked at that dumb
Vetaala as if it was a worm crawling in the dirty mire!
He said - “Follow me” and
walked away.
Vetaala was surprised but
could do nothing but obey his orders.
Soon they both were in some
empty place where nothing was there.
There was only emptiness,
wherever the ghost passed its eyes.
It was an unnerving
experience!
Suddenly, the whole of the
emptiness was filled with a luster hitherto unseen by anyone.
The glare was blinding the
eyes of Vetaala.
The king held the Vetaala’s
hand tightly before the Vetaala dissolved off in the dazzling shine. The
Vetaala slowly lifted its eyes and looked at the luster.
[4]
The Vetaala saw a huge Sun
now!
The lustrous Sun was enormous
in size and countless dust particles were floating in its light.
The Vetaala understood that
those dust particles were cosmic eggs.
“Huh! I know it already!
But do you know…?”
As it started its mocking
speech, the king said –
“Look inside the Sun!”
Vetaala peeped inside that luster.
The entire sun-sphere was
completely filled with tiny atom like points which were densely collected
together like hairs on the body!
What were they?
No scripture had mentioned
this!
Vetaala looked foolishly at
the king and asked-
“What are these things
filling the Sun?”
The king said- “Go, find out
yourself. I will wait here for you.
Do not be afraid! I will
stand guard over you.”
[5]
The Vetaala jumped into the
Sun-sphere and reached one of the points.
That point was actually a man
of colossal size (Shiva), wearing huge garlands adorning his chest.
Vetaala went closer to the
garlanded man and looked at the garland.
The garland was made of men
(Naaraayanas) having enormous bellies.
Inside their bellies were
huge oceans of countless numbers.
Each ocean was turbulent with
waves of varied sizes (Brahmas).
Vetaala went cautiously and
saw what the tiniest wave was like.
That tiny shallow wave was
made of countless oceans which were densely filled with baskets (Vaasanaa
collections). These oceans could not even quiver because of the crowded
baskets.
[6]
Vetaala peeped inside one of
the baskets.
The huge basket was full of
massive eggs.
Each egg was a gigantic world
consisting of countless universes.
Each universe contained again
countless earths.
Each earth contained
countless islands.
Each island contained
countless extensively spread out countries.
Each country had huge hollows
filled by mountains of massive structures.
These tall and high mountains were densely covered by forests.
These forests contained
clusters of huge trees reaching the skies.
These countless trees
contained countless enormous branches spreading far and wide.
These branches were covered
with countless leaves of worlds and the fruits hung all over. Each fruit was a
cosmic egg covered by layers and layers of skins.
Each skin was ten times
bigger then the other.
Each of these skins was
covered by varied types of beings.
And a sun shone in the eyes
of each of the being.
And the Sun was..?
The Sun was again a huge
luster which covered the empty space in front of the Vetaala!
[7]
The Vetaala-Mind fell down
unconscious!
When it opened the eyes, the
king was sprinkling some water over it and looking at it kindly.
The mind-Vetaala looked at
him for a fraction of a second. Its eyes were moist in the ensuing experience
of some hitherto unknown bliss.
Next instant, it was not
there at all.
The ghost which was never
there, was not there now also.
The king returned to his
palace of bliss.
“And the mind dissolves
through reasoning, O Rama!”
Sage Vasishta completed his
ghost-story and smiled affectionately at Rama.
Rama’s eyes were moist.
He was completely lost in the
bliss of the Self.
His mind-ghost was nowhere!
The Vichaara-King had subdued
it without any violent act or force!
When the ghost vanished, the
king also had dissolved off.
The Chit-Sun was left back
shining in its own glory!
Nothing else was there!
“नेह नानास्ति किन्चन” ॥
“There is no manifoldness whatsoever”
NO-END
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