[22]
ShikhiDhvaja was
not convinced. He said-
“I have
renounced the kingdom, wealth, wife, and land!
How is it
not ‘SarvaTyaaga’?”
Kumbha said-
“Yes! You have
renounced the kingdom, wealth, wife, and land; yet you have not renounced
everything.
Still there is
some excellent part of yours that you have not renounced!”
ShikhiDhvaja for a
moment pondered and said-
“I will
renounce now the entire forest!”
He removed from
his mind the thought of the forest.
He said-“The
forest has been renounced! I have renounced everything now!”
Kumbha said-
“Yes! You have
renounced the forest; yet you have not renounced everything.
Still there is
some excellent part of yours that you have not renounced!”
ShikhiDhvaja for a
moment pondered and said-“I will renounce now the hermitage!”
He removed from
his mind the thought of the hermitage along with the hut, water-stream, trees
etc.
He said- “The hermitage has been renounced!
I have renounced everything now!”
Kumbha said-
“Yes! You have
renounced the hermitage; yet you have not renounced everything.
Still there is
some excellent part of yours that you have not renounced!”
ShikhiDhvaja for a
moment pondered and said-
“I will
renounce now the objects that I had been using!”
He collected all
the bowls, grass-seats, deer-skin, rosary-garland, and other things from inside
the hut and set them on fire. He left the Kamandalu near the water-stream where
it was found.
Then he set fire
to his hut also.
He searched here
and there; collected all the things he had used without leaving anything and
threw them all into the fire. He did not even leave any fruits or flowers back.
After everything
had turned to ashes, he said- “I
have renounced everything now!”
Kumbha laughed
aloud and said-
“Do not pretend to
have renounced everything, King!
Still there is
some excellent part of yours that you have not renounced!”
ShikhiDhvaja for a
moment pondered and said- “I
will renounce now this body!”
He got ready to
throw himself down into the chasm.
Kumbha stopped him
and told him that his poor body was inert and faultless; and did not deserve to
be killed. It was a slave of some one else!
ShikhiDhvaja
asked- “Whose slave is this
body?
What should I
renounce to complete my ‘SarvaTyaaga’? What is ‘everything’?
Kumbha told him
that mind was the seed of everything that is perceived and he should renounce
that alone, to accomplish his ‘SarvaTyaaga’.
ShikhiDhvaja
asked- “How do I renounce the
mind?”
Kumbha told him
that he should destroy the mind by the self-enquiry of ‘Who am I?’
Kumbha gave him
detailed instruction about the knowledge of the Self and the method of
reasoning it out.
[23]
Kumbha took leave
of him saying that he had told him all that was to be told and now he had to go
to the court-room of Indra, where his father would be waiting for him and that
he did not want to annoy his father by any delay.
He floated in the
sky and vanished.
ShikhiDhvaja was
amazed by all that happened.
He was surprised
that he should be taught by a great divinity like Naarada’s son.
He soon was
absorbed in Nirvikalpa Samaadhi.
[24]
Chudaalaa
meanwhile changed into her original form; went back to her palace; attended to
the affairs of the kingdom; and after three days returned to the forest where
her husband was absorbed in Samaadhi.
She saw him
sitting there like a painted picture.
She decided to
wake him up so that he would return the kingdom and take over the
responsibility of ruler-ship.
She stood in front
of him and made roaring sounds of a wild animal. Even after her repeated
shouts, the king did not move even a little.
She understood
that he would continue in that state itself for a few more days; the body would
fall dead at some future time; and he would attain Videha Mukti.
She decided to
give up her body also, for she thought that a life without her lover was not
worth living.
But somehow a
doubt arose in her as to whether the king was completely freed of Vaasanaas or
any mind-factor was left back in him.
Being a Yoginee,
she touched his heart and found out that the king would not be able to attain
Videha Mukti in that state. Some mind-vibration was still left back in him,
which would make him wake up in that world only, maybe after many years. He
would then wake up, only as an old man with dilapidated limbs.
Instead of waiting
for him to become old, sitting there in that forest, she decided to wake him up
then and there. Through her Yogic power she entered the Self-state of
ShikhiDhvaja and woke up his mind.
[25]
ShikhiDhvaja woke
up and saw Kumbha standing in front of him.
Kumbha told the
surprised king that he had become attached to the king’s company and could not
be away from his dear friend. He expressed his wish to live with ShikhiDhvaja
in that forest itself.
From then onwards,
ShikhiDhvaja the dispassionate Sage and Chudaalaa in the form of Kumbha stayed
together always. They wandered all over the earth together and never separated
from each other.
Chudaalaa was
getting tired of all this. Her young lover’s heart wanted to be with her
husband as her own self, as his beloved wife. But she had a slight
misapprehension as to whether the king still entertained the same attitude
towards his wife as before.
Would he get angry
with her for acting like Kumbha?
Will he get
annoyed with her and walk off, angry at her for deceiving him as Naarada’s son?
She decided to
test it out herself.
[26]
One day, Kumbha
told his friend that he had to be in Indra’s court on that particular day of
‘Chaitra full moon’, where his father would be waiting for him. He promised the
king that he will return to earth on that very same evening.
As the king kept
on shouting ‘Come back soon’, Kumbha flew up in the sky and vanished from sight.
As soon the king
was out of sight, Chudaalaa changed into her original form; went to her palace;
attended to her royal duties; again took the form of Kumbha and descended down,
in front of her husband.
Kumbha appeared
very anxious and worried.
ShikhiDhvaja
enquired Kumbha about the cause of his anxiety.
Kumbha told him
this story.
[27]
GREAT SAGE DURVAASA
Sage Durvaasa was
a great Sage filled with compassion and love for all.
He was a realized
Sage. He was always in the state of Brahman. He had no identity with his body.
Body was just a projected shape he presented in front of others. He never even
bothered whether the body was properly covered by clothes or not. He had no name
as such; but people called him by his one and only identity – one who never
wore garments properly- ‘Durvaasa’.
Sage Durvaasa was
a perfectionist. He had no patience for fools. He would get annoyed with any
smallest mistake of others.
He usually kept away
from all people, including all Gods. He was another Shiva in dispassion.
Chudaalaa mentally
saluted him and used his name in her made up story of Kumbha’s curse.
DURVAASA’S CURSE
Kumbha left the
court of Indra as soon as the assembly was over with.
He hurried through
the sky and floated along with the clouds down to the earth. The clouds were
huge, dark and filled with hosts of lightning flashes. At that time he saw Sage
Durvaasa hurrying among the clouds. As the Sage had no thought of a physical
body, he was passing through the clouds as if he was just a piece of space
passing through those dense clouds. He was intent only on reaching the
celestial river Gangaa to perform his evening rites.
Kumbha watched him
with amazement.
He could only see
the black clouds covering Durvaasa’s body, which was getting drenched by the
waters of the clouds. Lightning flashes shone forth all over his body like
shining ornaments. Durvaasa was a cloud among clouds floating speedily towards
Gangaa. And Gangaa was the beloved of the Sage waiting for him under the shade
of the huge trees that covered her banks!
Chudaalaa was a
lover at heart. She was the one hurrying towards her husband in that darkness,
like an ‘Abhisaarikaa’, to meet her lover waiting under the tree.
Abhisaarikaa is a
woman who goes to meet her lover on dark cloudy nights; concealing her form
adorned by ornaments, in dark clothes; and getting wet by the pouring rains.
When Kumbha saw
the Sage, he saluted him immediately.
But, as he floated
down towards earth, he made a witty remark towards the Sage. He said- ‘Hey Sage! You look like an
Abhisaarikaa!”
Sage Durvaasa was
annoyed by such an impolite remark and cursed Kumbha to become a female every
night.
[28]
Kumbha finished
his story and lamented that he was feeling embarrassed by the fact that he
would be a female every night.
ShikhiDhvaja
consoled him, saying that it does not matter what the body looks like, as they
both were realized Sages, and the body was after all just an illusion.
Evening came.
ShikhiDhvaja
performed his evening worship.
At that time
Kumbha came hurrying towards him, crying and screaming in embarrassment.
His handsome form
of a boy adorned by white clothes and sacred thread, had changed into a
beautiful form of a girl adorned by divine garments and ornaments.
The king consoled
Kumbha and they both slept as usual on the same bed like friends.
Chudaalaa observed
that the king’s mind did not waver in the presence of a divine damsel who was
beautiful beyond words.
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