(7) Janaka's story of realization

KING JANAKA’S STORY OF REALIZATION  

Royal garden of Mithilaa!

The whole garden was alive with the melodious songs of cuckoos.

The flowers of various colors bloomed spreading a variety of fragrances all over, intoxicating anyone who happened to be there!

But unaffected by all these, King Janaka walked silently under the shady trees.

His ears did not hear the songs of the birds; nor did he relish the colorful flowers.

His mind was lost in some deep thoughts!

He was alone; he wanted to be alone!

He had sent away the pretty maidens who always accompanied him to the garden to entertain him with their amorous sports.

He had sent away the wise ministers who kept him informed of all that happened in his kingdom regularly.

He felt an unknown depression eating out his heart.

There was nothing he could want more than what he had acquired now.

Name, fame, riches- nothing he lacked.

He was a mine of virtues. He took care of his people like a father. He was only addressed as ‘Janaka’ (father) by one and all. No one knew his real name.

Scholars adored him; Brahmins found shelter in him; enemies feared him; elders blessed him heartily; yet he felt now that his life was unfulfilled.

Something was missing; some achievement was left over; something he had not bothered to know much! Of course he had mastered all the sciences that could be mastered and even intellectually comprehended the subject matter of all the scriptures which talked about Brahman.  

There was no Siddhi he had not experimented with; there was no text left unstudied!

Then why this sadness, he wondered!

Exhausted, he sat on a rock and closed his tired eyes.

He heard some rustling noise nearby. He instantly turned back to see who the intruder was. But he could not move. He remained statue-like as if his body was frozen.

He could not even make any sound.

He just saw a huge lustrous sphere in front of him. Though some moving shapes could be seen inside that shine, they were still indiscernible. 

And those shapes spoke; rather sang these hymns.

(Siddhas are not magic-makers; and cannot be seen or approached by ignorant people of any world. They are Brahman-state itself existing as pure mind-states. They do not maintain any particular identity. They can create any identity randomly; and live in any conceived world of their choice. They remain mostly as conscious space itself as some emptiness which has intelligence.)

SIDDHA-GEETAA

[1]

We contemplate on ‘That’

which is without perturbations;

which manifests from the principle of Self;

which appears in the intellect

as the ‘experience of bliss’ arising from

the ‘union of the perceiver and perceived’.

{Any joy experienced outside in the perceived world is nothing but a droplet of the bliss-essence of Self.}

[2]

Renouncing completely the ‘perceiver-perceiving-perceived’

along with the Vaasanaa,

we contemplate on the ‘Self’,

which is the first appearance seen by the perceiver.

{Ego or the idea of one’s own existence (Self) is the first appearance, by renouncing which one remains as the Supreme state of the Self which is without limitations.}

[3]

We contemplate on the Self,

which lights up all the lights,

which is eternal,

which is the state in-between

the two views of ‘is’ and ‘is not’.

{Self is the subtle essence of consciousness which perceives all the other lights which in turn reveal the perceived objects. Self is not bound by the language wrestling of ‘existence and non-existence’ theories. Self is the state beyond definitions and explanations. The theories that state that ‘Self is not the world’ or the ‘Self alone exists’ both are incorrect. The Self ‘is’ the perceived world like the gem ‘is’ its shine. There is nothing else other than the Self. }

[4]

We contemplate

‘on that Reality’, (TATSATYAM)

which is everything; (YAHA)

by which everything exists; (YENA)

for which everything exists; (YASMAAYA)

from which everything arises; (YATAHA)

 of which everything exists; (YASYA)

in which everything exists. (YASMIN)

[5]

The letter ‘A’ is the first part;

‘HA’ letter is the last part;

and it exists with endless forms;

it is uttered continuously;

that Self of mine I contemplate upon.

{A+HA+ Resonance (M)-AHAM –‘I’.

This sound exists as denoting the Self; it exists as the ‘I’ uttered by all that have self-awareness. All our thoughts are centered on this ‘I’. This ego is nothing but the Self bound by limitations of space and time ideas. Contemplating on the Self removed of limitations, one remains as the Self state which transcends all limitations.}

[6]

Those who seek another god rejecting the Lord

seated in the cave of the heart,

 they are after an ordinary gem,

throwing away the many Koustubha gems (worn by Lord Naaraayana)

kept in their hands.

{Self is the other name for Chit which is the source of all that is perceived with name and form. Gods also come under the perceived category as they have names and forms. Without trying to realize the Self which is also the essence of Gods, if one goes after the ‘Gods with form’, he is as foolish as a person who throws away the wish-fulfilling Koustubha gem already in his hands and picks up some road-side shining stone; because the Koustubha gem can produce any gem that one wishes for; Self or Chit can appear as any God one wishes for. Remaining as the state of CHIT or Self, one exists as the essence of all gods and other beings.} 

[7]

Only by renouncing all the desires, this fruit (Self-Realization) is gained.

By this (Self-Realization) alone,

 the poisonous creepers of desires get completely uprooted.

That idiot who again binds himself to the thoughts of the objects,

 knowing well the extreme essence-less-ness in them,

  is not a man but a donkey.

[8]

The snakes named senses should be hit hard

by the ‘rod of discrimination’ again and again

as they keep rising up here and there,

as Indra once hit the mountains with his Vajra weapon.

{Once the mountains supposedly had wings and were causes of destructions when they sat anywhere and everywhere without control. Indra cut off their wings with his Vajra (thunder-bolt) weapon. The senses also similarly act as causes of destruction because they always are after some object or other without discrimination. By using the Vajra weapon of discrimination, these senses should be brought under control.}

[9]

One should bring forth the sacred joy of quiescence.

The mind of the good man becomes

subdued by practicing quiescence.

When the mind is quiet,

then the excellent state arises

bestowing the bliss of the Self forever.

The Hymns were over!

The luster-sphere vanished!

Silence reigned!

King Janaka suddenly felt his body alive and moving.

He got up excitedly and searched eagerly all over the garden.

He could find no one.

But he had heard real voices. He had no doubt about it.

Then as he thought back, he understood what had happened.

They were not ordinary people.  

They were the great Siddha Purushas who wandered all over the fourteen worlds at their will. They had no distinct forms or identities. They were realized Sages maintaining vague existences. They had blessed him by their presence.

Janaka’s eyes were filled with tears!

What great merits of his had brought them to his earthly garden? And what did they say?

He wanted to think about those hymns sung by the great Siddhas.

He immediately returned to the palace; climbed the topmost storey of his palace; told the guards not to disturb him in any way; and sat there pondering about what he had heard.

Soon he saw the wasteful ventures of his life and just knew himself as the Self-state without any limitation of name and form. There was nothing more to achieve now!

He was now in his original nature of Brahman.

He was all; he was in all!

The world looked like a picture drawn on emptiness!

He just remained experiencing the bliss of the Self-state.

But soon he was disturbed by the entrance of his close servant.

Janaka looked at that shape which was making some sounds. He could somehow understand that he was getting requested by the servant to attend to his regular duties and get ready to meet the public awaiting his arrival outside.

Janaka remained silent.

He did not feel like breaking the silent-state he was in.

He remained with closed eyes not bothering to respond in any way to the servant.

Who had to go where?

Who had to talk to whom?

When the Self alone was there, why even bother to move the body which he was not?

The servant was surprised by the silence of the king.

Sweat formed on his forehead and a shiver ran thorough his body.

Had he offended the king in any way?

Should he not have entered the private room of the king like this?

The servant stood there silently not knowing how to react to the new situation.

Janaka again pondered in his mind.

What matters if he moves the body or not?

The Self-state was not going to vanish away!

The bliss was not going to finish away.

Whatever unreal patterns were around him, he was what he was, the untainted, unaffected Self!

If he managed to move the physical body, the space-time pictures will vary! That is all!

He would still remain unchanged!

Why bother what the body acted out, or the mind perceived; he was what he was, the Self of all!

If as the Brahman he could be all, nothing would matter if he had to act out the character of the king of Mithilaa!

He opened his eyes; flashed an affectionate smile at his servant; got up immediately and followed him to attend to the regular duties as if nothing had happened.

But something had happened.

All this time he was dreaming that he was king Janaka.

Now he had woken up yet continued the dream willfully.

How can a dream affect a person who is completely awake?!

A smile adorned his face.

[Could Bliss smile?!]  

END