(9) Story of King Bali - 1

KING BALI

[1]

Above is the heaven (Svarga) ruled by Indra; below is the netherworld (Paataala) ruled by the demons; and earth (Bhooloka) stays in the middle.

All the worlds, above and below were conquered with ease by the greatest among the demon kings, Bali the son of Virochana.

All the heavenly pleasures were his in no time.

His palace now adorned the Meru Mountain, once the sole sporting ground of Gods. Everyone trembled at the very mention of his name. There was nothing more that he had to conquer now. There were no beings who dared oppose him. He was the supreme emperor of all the three worlds. He had done what no other demon king of the past had been able to do.

He was the greatest!

He ruled like this for ten crores of years and… now, what next?

Standing near the window of his palace situated on top of the Meru Mountain, Bali was lost in thoughts.

His hands were itching for some battle with some mighty ruler of some world; but who was there left out?

Trinities were out of question, he could never pierce their dimensions!

Rest of the beings…? All were under his control!

Whom should he fight with?

[2]

Bali was bored.

He started to think like this:

‘What have I achieved by all this victory? I am still unsatisfied!

There is no sense experience that has not been enjoyed by me; even heavenly damsels are ready to oblige my slightest wish!

But what comes of enjoying the same pleasure again and again?

The same routine daily gets followed!

Same pleasures get to be enjoyed again and again!

I feel so embarrassed by own life-style!

It is like children playing house!

Meaninglessly same actions get repeated daily!

Day and night follow each other! Again and again the same actions get performed! I feel so stupid!

Is there something by which one does not do any action again?

How long will I go on like this?

Eternally I can rule the three worlds; but yet I am bound by these very actions of enjoyments! Again and again the same sense enjoyments!

Ugh!

Wish there was some joy that is better than all these sensual pleasures!

Wish there was some King who is worth conquering!

Wish there is some action which destroys all actions!

Wish there was some permanent happiness than what these senses experience!’

[3]

As he was thinking like this bored and despondent, he suddenly remembered a conversation he had with his father when he was very young. He had had the same despondency at that time and had questioned his father like this:

“Father! You know so much about everything!

Tell me for sure if there is any other happiness other than these sense pleasures?

Is there something by attaining which one never wants anything more, never is troubled by desires any more?

Is there some place where there is permanent peace of mind?

Is there anything by attaining which everything gets attained?”

King Virochana, Bali’s father had laughed aloud and said:

“Oh! You want to conquer some country by which you become the owner of all Creations, is it?

You want to defeat the most powerful king of all and become the Supreme ruler; is it so?

You are bored of all these routine enjoyments and want something better; is it?

Yes, Yes! I know of such a king who rules such a country!

There is a very expansive country which spreads out endlessly in all directions! It is so huge that even thousands of tri-worlds cannot fill it up!

There no forests or mountains or rivers or oceans there!

There is neither sky nor winds there!

There are no gods or demons there!

No sun or moon shines there!

Even the Trinities who support these Gods are not there!

But only one king is there. He is very powerful! He can do anything and is everywhere! But he remains very silent.

He has by his own will conceived a minister to work for him.

That minister also is very powerful. He can make impossible things happen; or even erase things that have happened! But unfortunately he cannot enjoy anything; nor does he know anything. He is stupid; yet does everything for the king. The king remains always silent and alone!”

[4]

Bali had been amazed to know that there was a king still left unconquered by his father or him. His hand had clutched his sword tightly. With his face flushed with anger he had questioned his father:

“Who is that king? Where is he? Who is his minister?

Tell me immediately so I can crush the king and his minister in no time!”

Virochana had lowered his voice as if whispering a secret and said:

“That minister is not so easy to conquer, my son! He is more powerful than the Gods or demons! He is not Indra or Chandra that you can so easily weild your sword and slice the head! No weapons can make even a dent on him! All the gods and demons are under his control.

He is no Vishnu; but he has conquered all the demons like Hiranyaaksha and others! He has even Vishnu and other Higher Gods under his control and makes them do their allotted works!

He has allowed the God of passion to wander freely all over the three worlds!

Because of him alone, the gods and demons fight unceasingly.

All this is merely a child’s play for that minister.

He can be controlled only by the king who created him!

Suddenly the king sometimes feels that this minister needs to be controlled and he subdues him in no time.

That minister is the mightiest of all!

He moves everything in this world!

If you want to be the Supreme Lord of all, then conquer this minister and prove your prowess!

If he is there, sun and moon shine by his power! If he is not there, everything melts away!

If you can conquer him, you are indeed powerful!

If you conquer him all the worlds get conquered.

Even if you conquer everything and do not conquer this minister, you are not still the mightiest, my son!

Therefore try to defeat him mustering all your effort!”

[5]

Bali was puzzled! He could not grasp what his father was saying. He just asked:

“But how?”

Virochana answered with a mischievous smile:

“I know of a trick to conquer that minister easily! Listen attentively!

Through this trick you can subdue him in a moment! Otherwise he will attack you like a serpent in rage!

You should quieten him like caressing a child and enter the presence of the king somehow. Once the king is seen, the minister will trouble you no more!

If the minister gives you no more trouble, then the king gets seen again!

If you do not see the king, the minister cannot be subdued!

If you do not subdue the minster, the king cannot be seen!

If the king is not seen, the minister becomes evil and gives endless troubles!

If the minister is not defeated, the king can never be seen!

Somehow you should try hard and get both the things done simultaneously.

The subjugation of the minister and seeing the king both should be done simultaneously.

If you practice without losing heart, you will see the king, bring the minister under control and reach that huge expansive country. If you reach that country, you are not going to feel sad again. You will have no more desires to satisfy.

You would have reached the state of complete fulfillment after which nothing needs to be attained.”

[6]

Bali remained silent and puzzled still.

Virochana continued to speak:

“Listen I will tell you clearly what I meant by this story.

The country is ‘Liberation’ which removes all suffering.

The king is the ‘Self’ or ‘Brahman’ who is the Supremacy, who transcends all.

The minister is the ‘Mind’ rising out of Brahman.

Mind alone conceives this entire world phenomenon.

If you conquer him, you attain all that needs to be attained!

He can be conquered not by the power of the sword but by the trick taught by me!”

Bali still was unable to grasp the abstract meaning of the story told by his father.

He asked again-

“Tell me father clearly the trick to subdue that minister.

I will surely destroy him in no time.”

Virochana explained with extreme patience.

“The main trick in conquering the mind is to develop disinterest towards the pleasures of the senses.

By this alone can that wicked mind be brought under control.

Do not worry about fate or destiny.

Do not think only great Sages and saints can pursue this path and attain liberation.

Even demons like us can attain the Supreme state of the Self and shine above the Trinities!

We get destroyed because we are slaves to our desires.

But if by practice, we develop dispassion and detach our mind from pleasures, we will be able to contemplate on the Self and thus attain the supreme state of bliss.

Without getting disheartened we should practice again and again till the success is achieved.

Anything is possible through sincere effort!”

[7]

Bali for a few moments pondered within his own mind; saw the unending thirst for pleasures within; the hatred burning in the heart for the gods; the irritation felt against the Trinities; the urge for conquering all the worlds.

He sighed!

He knew he could never get rid of all the anger and desire in his heart.

He asked again:

“How can I get disinterested in sense pleasures, Father?

How can I get rid of all my desires?”

Virochana said-

“You have to force your mind towards the contemplation of the Self regularly. That alone will help in developing detachment towards pleasures.

As the detachment develops, the contemplation of the Self also becomes possible. Both practices go hand in hand, acting complimentary to each other.

First divide the activities of the mind into two; one part for pleasures; one part for the study of scriptures.

Slowly one should seek the knowledge also from the Teacher; experience some pleasures also.

Then the mind should be given to study of scriptures; listening to the teacher and a little experience of pleasures.

Then one should only have the study of the scriptures and increase dispassion; have company of the Knowers and contemplate on the Self.

Slowly the mind will give up the desire for pleasures and get interested in contemplation.

Every moment the mind should be guided towards the good like a child.

Continuously one should analyze the unreal nature of the world.

Always one should try to remain in the witness state of the Self and develop a natural disinterest in pleasures.

Once the Self-state is attained, the mind will remain subdued always and the bliss of the Self will become one’s true nature.

Any joy that can be attained as a result of performing penance, or charity or worship of deities in temples can never equal the bliss of the Self state.

My son! Do not worry about destiny or fate.

Just try hard and surely you will succeed in achieving the Supreme state.

Analyze the faults of the pleasures found here and develop dispassion.

Of course you should gather wealth and conquer lands.

But along with it, seek the Knowers and in their company develop dispassion. Study the scriptures. Analyze the truths.

Then the natural state of the Self reveals by itself.”

Virochana had gone off to his private chambers.