(8) Story of Punya and Paavana

STORY OF PUNYA AND PAAVANA

In the forest land surrounding the Mahendra Mountain, on the bank of River Gangaa there lived a Sage named DeerghaTapas (one who performed penance for a long time). He had two sons named Punya (Merit) and Paavana (Sacred).

He, his devoted wife and the two sons lived in a solitary cottage on the river bank. The sons loved and respected their parents very much. Paavana, the youngest was very much attached to his mother and would never remain away from her for long.

The two sons studied all the scriptures under the guidance of their father. Punya practiced what was taught and soon attained Self-realization. But Paavana being attached to his parents was not able to reach the Supreme state of the Self.

In course of time, Sage DeerghaTapas felt that he had seen enough of earth life and decided to give up his body. He and his wife discarded their bodies through the Yogic method and attained the bodiless state of liberation.

Paavana saw the lifeless bodies of his parents lying on the ground like logs of wood; and was shocked. He felt his whole world had collapsed. Life was nothing but a desolate experience for him without his parents. He could not imagine a second without the company of his parents. His mind went blank. Unable to bear the grief he ran inside the forest as if stuck by insanity. Somewhere he collapsed on the ground in grief and started to weep aloud calling for his parents.

Punya, the elder one finished the funeral rites alone and went in search of his brother.

He saw the weeping brother; embraced him with love and consoled him like this:

“My dear brother! Why do you cry so much? I am there for you. I will take care of you like a father. Even I miss our parents. But I know they have attained liberation and not suffering in any new birth. Everyone has to die; but our parents were great Yogis and discarded their body at will! We should also follow their foot steps and attain liberation as they did. Come on! Get up! Let us finish the rest of the funeral rites now.”

But Paavana wouldn’t get consoled and still cried as if his heart would break by the effort.

Again Punya said:

“Dear son! What makes you think that they are our only parents? Visualize the countless births they have gone through and the innumerable bodies you have taken in the past?

Who is the son of whom? Who is the father of whom?

If you have to cry for the death of parents, then why don’t you cry for the parents of those past births? Why not cry for parents who will be in your future births?

Of course if you do not realize the Self, you will go through countless births again till your delusion gets destroyed.

Analyze in your mind as to who you are in essence. Observe what all the births you had as fish, bird, crow, lion or fox, and what not!

Sometimes due to merits you were born in royal families.

Sometimes due to de-merit you suffered the lowly birth of a Chaandaala.

Sometimes you excelled in all the scriptures as a Brahmin.

I cannot even mention all births that were yours or mine! They are beyond counting!

Think how many parents, how many relatives you have had when you take all the births into account.

Are you going to sit and cry for all those dead relatives?

This birth is in your memory. So you are crying for the parents of this body. But if you could remember all the births and all the parents who loved you at those births, you cannot finish crying for them in one single life time.

Look at that donkey. It was your relative in some birth. Why don’t you feel sorry for it now?

Every animal, every bird, every man and woman are related to us through some birth or other.

Are you going to cry for them all?

There is no meaning in grief or happiness in this world.

Everything is momentary.

You must feel happy that in this birth our father guided us towards liberation. Now get up and wash your face.

Let us finish our duties to the parents of this birth and follow the course of life shown by our revered father.

Let us practice the disciplines taught by our father and attain the Self-state.

Let us attain the same state as our parents did.

Stop crying like an ignorant fool!”

Paavana understood how foolish he had been.

He silently got up; and followed his brother home.

Soon they both had attained the Supreme knowledge and remained in the forest happily for long. Later they discarded their bodies and attained the body-less liberation like their parents.

END