STORY OF SAGE SHUKRA
The three-dimensional world we see outside us is just
a projection of the brain. We ourselves are a part of that projection inside
which we are seeing a world outside us.
Sage Vasishta explains this
abstract concept with an event that occurred in the life of Sage Shukraachaarya,
the renowned preceptor of ‘Asuras’ or ‘Non-gods’.
THE DOE-EYED GIRL AND SAGE SHUKRA
USHANAS, THE PROTECTED CHILD
The beautiful Mandara Mountain
The magical Mountain which
served as a churning rod for the Gods when they churned the ocean of milk!
Now it was a sacred mountain
used by great Sages to perform penance.
Sage Bhrgu, one of the
Saptarshis (Seven Sages, extolled in Vedas) had chosen the mountain to remain
absorbed in Nirvikalpa (unperturbed) Samadhi. His only anxiety was about his
son Shukra, or Ushanas born through his wife Ushanaa.
The child was his heart
throb.
The Sage who was famed for
dispassion and Knowledge was extremely fond of his son.
As soon as the child could be
freed of his need for the mother, he had brought him off with him to the summit
of Meru. He wanted his son to shine as a great learned Sage like himself.
He had selected a rocky place
atop the mountain summit for his penance.
But in order to protect his
child from outside influences, he created a magical shield as a fence around
his place of penance. A thickly interwoven grove of Kadamba trees surrounded
the area of penance. No one could enter through that grove, nor could the child
get a glimpse of the outside world.
Sage Bhrgu initiated the
child in the art of contemplation and gave him strict instructions of
disciplines to be followed when he himself was absorbed in the trance state.
In order that the child may
not lack any comforts, the father created a virtual world for the child to play
around. Beautiful birds and animals rose out of empty space to act as friends
for the little boy. Delicious fruits filled the trees. Flowers of various hues
blossomed everywhere filling the entire virtual world with intoxicating
fragrance.
Natural cradles for the child
arose in all the trees spread with Kadamba petals and leaves.
The moment he climbed the
cradle of creepers, melodious lullabies lured him to peaceful sleep. The
creepers embraced him lovingly as he slept cuddled in their arms. Milk flowed
from the holes in the rocks catering to the hunger of the child. Trees fed him
tiny bits of fruits as he ran around them joyfully.
The creepers, trees and rocks
were alive magically and cared for the boy like foster- mothers. Anything that
the child wished for immediately appeared before the boy.
The boy was extremely happy
and played around with deer and rabbits.
The father remained like a
rock among rocks absorbed in Nirvikalpa Samadhi. Now and then he got up to
instruct the boy about the next level of contemplation.
‘Everything is going on fine’ thought Bhrgu. He could make his son a
renowned Sage like himself, he felt. The outside world was kept away and like
Shuka the son of Vyaasa, his son also would become a dispassionate Sage, he
dreamt.
The child grew like a prince
of the ‘virtual forest-world’ happy and carefree. He looked always cheerful and
high spirited; and his father lovingly named him USHANAS, the joyous spirit.
The Sage was free of
anxieties about the child and was absorbed for long spans of time in the trance
state. He came out of his trance now and then to teach his son some spiritual
truths and instructions about contemplation.
Of course the boy was
becoming adept in contemplation. However he was in no way near the final
realization state and spent most of his time playing around all over the
virtual world.
He never knew about the real
world outside his virtual world. His world consisted of the magical forest, his
rock-like father and contemplation.
He was quite happy; but not
for long.
THE RISE OF PASSION
Ushanas lacked nothing; so
his father thought!
But time flowed on and soon
Ushanas stepped into the threshold of youth. Hitherto unknown feelings started
tormenting him. Though by his father’s blessing, he could obtain any object
that he wished for, he did not even know what he wanted now to fulfill his
thirst for that some unknown thing. He felt restless and anxious. Sometimes he
lost control of himself and was given to bouts of frustration and irritation.
At those times he broke the trees and creepers like a mad person; though later
he regretted his acts.
What was happening to him, he
wondered.
One day he got the answer for
his restlessness.
He had been wandering very
close to the invisible fence created by his father. Some pleasant voices and
laughter made him peep into the outer world. Yes, nowadays he had power enough
to crack the magical shield created by his father and get a tiny glimpse of the
outside world.
He could not believe his
eyes. Beautiful girls in the full blossom of youth were sporting in the stream
flowing along the mountain. Now Ushanas seemed to understand what he wanted.
His heart beat wildly. His breathing was heavy and slow. Sweat drenched his
whole body. His eyes stared at the prettiest girl among the crowd. His heart
was lost to her. He wanted to cross the magical fence immediately and rush
towards that pretty girl. But he knew he could not.
THE DOE-EYED APSARAA
Suddenly he remembered his
father’s stern face and returned to the place where his father was lost in
trance. He sat next to his father and looked up anxiously. But his father was
like a statue carved out of stone. He understood that he will never be able to
stand before his father and confide his feelings.
He decided to control his
restlessness through contemplation. He sat next to his father and tried his
best to get absorbed in the Self as his father had instructed.
However it was a futile
attempt.
He was soon lost in thoughts
about the pretty girl he had seen in the outside world. Again he felt shocked
at his own thoughts. He felt ashamed of himself and started to repeat loudly
the sacred chants taught by his father.
It became a daily routine for
him to go near the fence and observe the girls who came to the mountain stream
to sport. He remained staring at the girl who had stolen his heart and sighed
silently.
But one fine day, the girl
somehow got wind of the two large eyes staring at her from behind the trees.
She was one of the ‘Apsaraas’ who served Lord Indra in the heavens. She knew
that she was forbidden to cross that fence and reach the handsome youth hiding
behind the trees. Indra had warned these girls about Sage Bhrgu and his anger.
But she was moved by passion and managed to flash a smile at the handsome youth
behind the trees whenever she could.
Ushanas was now completely
mad about her.
Day and night he thought of
her. He tried many a times to get across the fence in vain. He felt stuck as if
in a prison. He suffered like a fish out of water.
He stopped eating; he could
not sleep; moon-light scorched his limbs; his whole body burnt as if set on
fire.
He wandered aimlessly all
over the forest area as if stuck by insanity.
He wanted to see that pretty
girl at a close range. He wanted to hold her in his hands and pour out all his
love for her at her feet.
He somehow with great
difficulty climbed to the edge of the mountain thirsting for a glimpse of his
beloved as she floated in the sky towards the heaven.
He lied flat on the grassy
ground and waited for her to come along.
Time hung heavy on him.
His eye lids were heavy and
he felt faint.
And then he saw her.
A whiff of intoxicating
fragrance shocked him to wakefulness.
He glanced upwards.
Yes, there she was floating
away towards the heaven.
Winds lightly played with the
locks on her forehead.
Garlands of Mandaara flowers
danced on her youthful bosom.
The lovely anklets on her
feet made rhythmic sound as she stopped on her way to look at him lying on the
flowery summit.
She stared at him infatuated.
Her tender lips slightly opened in a smile.
Her whole body was shedding
golden light; she was like a moon floating in close range to the earth.
Ushanas stared at her
unblinkingly.
He felt that he was drowning
in the ocean of nectar.
He forgot his father, his
forest-home, the scriptures, everything. Only one thought filled his mind that ‘he
should immediately embrace the doe-eyed beauty fluttering in front of him’. He
had to have her at any cost, he thought.
He wanted her so much that
his mind instantly created a new world of conceptions there itself.
THE MIND-CHARIOT
The original body of Ushanas
lay there with closed eyes as if dead and remained motionless. But his mind was
alive and raging.
He thought-
‘I am now following that girl I love.
I have now reached the heavens ruled by Indra.
This is the amazing place where Gods reside.
These are the Gods who enjoy all the pleasures
unceasingly.
These are the damsels with doe-eyes.
Here they are singing melodious songs.
Here are the gods Yama, Chandra, Indra, Agni, Varuna
and Vaayu. …’
So on and on…
He saw every bit of heavens;
saw each and every god he had known through the scriptures.
He entered the palace of Indra
Indra got up and worshipped
the Sage duly.
Indra made him sit next to
his throne and said,
“The
heavens are blessed by your arrival. Live here as long as you wish to.”
Bhaargava now shone with a
body befitting heavens and was affectionately embraced by Indra.
All the gods saluted him as
if he was the dearest son of Indra.
Shukra had completely
forgotten his previous world of Meru Mount; and had now become a resident of
heavens. He had left his body and entered a new body without going through the
pain of death.
He took leave of Indra soon
and got ready to wander the heavens in search of the girl who had stolen his
heart.
He soon found her playing in
the heavenly gardens along with her maids. She also saw him and threw a loving
glance at him making him more deluded with passion.
Ushanas was filled with an
intense longing to have her immediately.
She also reciprocated same
feelings.
Ushanas wished for darkness
to cover that garden.
All those in that garden felt
bewildered and quickly moved away from there.
The doe-eyed girl,
‘Vishvaachee’ immediately rushed towards him and fell on him like a shower of
nectar.
She spoke sweet words like
honey.
She described her love for
him; she shed tears describing her pangs of suffering; she talked of the innate
yearning she felt for him; she pleaded with him; she begged him to accept her.
What more did Ushanas want!
His joy knew no bounds. He embraced her with all passion.
They both enjoyed each
other’s company unceasingly. It appeared that this happiness would never come
to an end.
Yugas and Yugas passed. After
thirty two Yugas of heaven-time, they suddenly found that their heavenly home
was vanishing. The merits of Bhaargava’s son were on the decrease.
Bhaargava’s divine body was
melting away. The chariot, gardens and all that Indra had bestowed on him with
affection disappeared like pictures getting erased by a giant hand.
He was falling towards earth
without control. His mind had to conceive a new body made of elements to
fulfill his unfinished Vaasanaas.
Even Vishvaachee was dragged
towards earth as a punishment for luring Bhrgu’s son towards pleasures. She
also vanished away.
THE FALL
Shukra’s body shattered into
hundreds of pieces as if stuck by a heavy bolt of lightning. He found himself
without any body or form. As he restlessly floated here and there, he suddenly
found himself as a sperm in a Brahmin’s body and was born as a Brahmin’s son.
He grew up as a devoted son
of his father. Forgotten was his passionate adventure in heavens and his
father’s world on Meru summit.
But somehow he felt inclined
towards a life of penance and sought the company of Sages and became adept in
contemplation.
He remained performing
penance for long almost till one Manu’s rule was completed.
Some day he chanced to see a
female deer hovering in front of him. The deer’s eyes reminded him of
something, he knew not what. He was inadvertently attracted towards the deer
and mated with that deer.
What is not possible for the
mind!
Soon the deer gave birth to a
human child.
He became highly attached to
his son and decided to obtain all material comforts for his son. Soon he was
living in a city earning wealth for his son and was always worried about his
welfare. His anxiety took its toll and his body succumbed to death.
Since his ‘wealth Vaasanaa’
was now the foremost, he was born as a king of Madra.
He ruled for long as a king
and died of old age.
Then again his
‘penance-Vaasanaa’ was the foremost and he was born again as a Brahmin’s son
and performed penance on the bank of River Samangaa.
BODY OF SHUKRA WITHERS AWAY
What happened to the body of
Bhaargava lying on the summit of Mandara
Mountain
Well, it was left unattended
there. The virtual forest which took care of him like a mother had been left
behind. Here on the top of the summit, winds and sun made havoc and the body
withered away like a lotus kept on embers.
The mind of Bhaargava had
forgotten this body and was living as a Brahmin in another body.
The mind never remembered its
past lives. Unattended by the mind, the body of Bhaargava was like a log of
wood, lifeless and inert.
SAGE BHRGHU WAKES UP
After a long time Sage Bhrgu
woke up from his trance-state and looked around for his son. Finding him
nowhere he anxiously searched all over the mountain for him.
At last he found the
deteriorated body of Bhaargava on the top-most edge of the mountain. He broke
down at the sight of the lifeless carcass lying there like an orphan. The body
had not been eaten by any animal because of his own penance power. Yet seeing
the skeleton-like dried up body of his loving son, he lost his reason.
Without analyzing the events
that led to this state of his son, he felt angry towards the God of Death, the
Supreme Kaala, ‘Time’, the consumer of all.
He took water from his
‘Kamandalu’ (water-pot) and got ready to curse Kaala for the untimely death of
his son.
KAALA EXPLAINS EVERYTHING
Time has no form. Yet the
abstract principle of destruction appeared before him as if with a form and
stood in front of the angry Sage.
A huge dark form arose from
nowhere and glared at the Sage.
The hands of the Sage which
held the water drops for cursing became frozen.
Kaala let out a terrifying
laughter and looked at the Sage as if looking at a lowly worm.
His thundering voice echoed
all over the mountain.
“Well Sage, you are going to curse me and destroy me!
Great idea indeed!
Death for death?”
Kaala laughed again. He
continued-
“What do you think I am? A puny creature like you
acting with desires and attachment?
There are no ends to the Gods I have consumed or
beings I have swallowed.
I am the ‘rule’ created by the Creator. How can you
destroy me?
You are one of the renowned Sages respected even by
Trinities. Have you lost your reason now?
You are a person who has the Knowledge Supreme, yet
you act like an ordinary being of the world!
Do you think I, the great Kaala decided to end your
son’s life, out of vengeance or partiality?
How can I have any likes or dislikes?
I am just a function of nature.
How can I do anything wrong?
O Sage, do not act like an idiot.
Come out of your attachments and affections and see
your son’s foolish acts.
See how he went through births after births prompted
by his own Vaasanaas.
You imprisoned him in a magical world so that he will
remain pure at heart and attain the final beatitude. But how can you imprison
the mind filled with Vaasanaas?
Unable to move out of this place shielded by you, your
son has created heavens and earths in his own mind and now living as a Brahmin
on a river bank in his own mind.
He does not remember you or this body.
He has gone through innumerable births and deaths in
his own mind after he discarded the identity of this body.
At first, he was passionately in love with Vishvaachee
and went to heavens to enjoy her. When the merits were on the decrease he
dropped down from heaven like a ripe fruit and fell on earth.
He was sometimes pushed by his Vaasanaa of penance and
took birth as a Brahmin and did penance.
Sometimes he was prompted by the Vaasanaa for
pleasures and became a king or a wealthy man.
Other Vaasanaas also pushed him here and there and he
was born as a hunter once, a donkey once, a bamboo cluster once and so
on.
He was even a Vidhyaadhara (god-like being) king once
and lived for one full Brahma’s Creation happily. After the dissolution he was
in a suspended state waiting for the next Creation.
Now he is born as a Brahmin again. Now his name is
Vaasudeva.
See for yourself with your divine vision!”
BHRGHU VISITS THE LOST SON
Bhrgu apologized for his
hasty behavior.
Within seconds he saw all the
events of his son’s life.
Kaala smiled at him and
holding his hands entered the mental worlds of Bhaargava.
Soon they saw the Brahmin
performing penance on the bank of River Samangaa.
Bhrgu and Kaala stood in
front of the Brahmin.
The Brahmin was happy to see
such noble forms blessing him with their visions and he saluted them reverently.
He did not recognize his
father in the least.
Bhrgu placed his hand on his
head affectionately and said,
“My son, don’t you recognize me? You are not an
ignorant person. You are the son of Bhrgu. Wake up and remember everything.”
The Brahmin closed his eyes
and within seconds remembered all that had happened.
He saw even the deteriorated
body of Ushanas in his own mind.
Yes!
Ushanas was now a Brahmin in
the world created by his own mind.
And there itself, inside the
mind of Ushanas, he saw the body of the Ushanas also as carcass.
He laughed heartily. He
understood the mystery of Creation.
He had no attachments; no
desires; no bindings now.
He was pure like a Sun
shining in a cloudless sky.
He even was sorry for his
father who doted on the son and acted foolishly.
SHUKRA’S DISPASSION
He looked at his father and
said,
“See father, this is the body you lovingly took care of!
This is the body you sheltered from the outside world
trying to fulfill your own dreams through him.
Look, it is getting eaten by ants; snakes are crawling
all over it.
This is the body which even the divine damsels craved
for to fulfill their passion.
Enough of all this!
I do not want to have any limited identity now.
I would not ever get imprisoned again in a body.
Let me remain in the state of Brahman without further
getting into deluded worlds.
I will discard the identity of the Brahmin and also of
Ushanas and….”
Kaala stopped him in
mid-sentence and said,
“Stop child! Do not melt off into the identity-less
state of Brahman.
You have work to do. You will have to act as the
preceptor of ‘Non-gods’ in the future.
Many events still await your presence in this
Creation.
Please enter the identity of Ushanas and discard the
Brahmin’s body”
Ushanas pondered for a few
seconds and closed his eyes.
Next moment he was waking up
as Ushanas on the summit of Mount
Meru
His mind had got out of the
identity of Brahmin and decided that it was Ushanas now.
Travelling backwards towards
the original conception of Bhaargava, the mind now found itself as a dried up
carcass on Meru Mountain
Sage Bhrgu who was standing
there in front of the carcass sprinkled sacred waters on the body and uttered
some chants.
Ushanas stood up as fresh and
young as he was at the time when he followed Vishvaachee in his mind.
He saluted his father and
Kaala with reverence.
Kaala smiled at both and
vanished.
Bhrgu embraced his son
affectionately. They both returned to the place which his father had chosen for
the contemplation purposes.
There was no more the
necessity of a virtual world to shield Ushanas from the outside world.
‘Ushanas knew
now that the outside world was in the inside only.’
END
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