SHAMBARA’S STORY
INTRODUCTION
In
this story, we are introduced to an intelligent demon named Shambara.
He
was well-known for his sorcery techniques, creation of virtual worlds, and
creation of robots. (The word ‘robota’ means literally work, labor, drudgery or
hard work. It need not necessarily mean an electro-mechanical machine. Any
artificial being who is used for work is a robot).
This
king of demons was so famed fore his skills that the very art of magical feat
came to be known as ‘Shaambara’- ‘Shambara’s trick’.
Shambara
here creates three ‘robots with minds’; and making them fight the Gods wants to
defeat Indra, the king of Gods. Yet by developing arrogance and
self-glorification, the three robots get killed by the Gods.
The
point Vasishta wants to prove is that even inert machine-like beings are
capable of developing vanity and getting destroyed. ‘Ego’ is a very dangerous
virus that can infect the mind very easily. The only anti-virus treatment
suggested for the blocking of the
‘Ego-virus’
is, ‘Self-knowledge’.
Shambara
creates three more robots again, this time with ‘Self-knowledge’ and they prove
to be indestructible and Gods are defeated.
PART
ONE
DAAMA, VYAALA AND KATA
GODS AND DEMONS
The Heavens were the residing
places of Devas (Gods) and the nether worlds were the residing places of
Daityas (demons).
Gods and demons were cousins;
yet they had developed extreme hatred towards each other.
Indra was the king of Gods
and Shambara was the king of demons.
It was common occurrence that
even a smallest excuse was enough to bring about a war between the two clans.
The Trinities never bothered much about these mindless battles. Only if there
was a danger of the gods completely getting annihilated, they interfered and
saved the gods. They had to do so, because these gods took care of the
Creations in various ways and basically they were not too evil. Except for the
pleasure seeking madness, they did not harm any one willfully. If they acted
selfishly and arrogantly, the higher Gods and Sages corrected them strictly.
However the demon world was
an abode of evil doers and never ever heeded to the words of the higher gods or
Sages. They took a sadistic pleasure in harassing gods and of course human
beings. They were extremely arrogant and defied all rules of Dharma.
The most powerful of them all
was Shambara. He had mastered all magical powers and was a terror to the gods.
He always tormented the heavens creating delusions and illusions. Indra has
been defeated by him countless times through the demons created by him on the
likes of cutting machines. He could make extraordinary forms out of mud, or
diamonds or any metal and fill them with life.
SHAMBARA’S MAGICAL WORLD
Shambara’s
abode was a magical wonder.
He had his palace floating in
the sky. A beautiful floating garden decorated the palace all around.
Artificial suns and moons lighted up his world. It was a copy of Indra’s
heaven, but better than it in all ways. Precious Gems of all kinds were strewn
about like worthless pieces of stones. Countless comforts awaited in every
corner.
Diamond maidens sang as
melodious as the heavenly maidens playing the musical treasures he had stolen
from the heavens.
The trees in the gardens were
adorned with crescent moons.
His harem built out of fully
bloomed Sapphire lotuses was a haven to satisfy his never ending lustful
ventures.
Swans studded with gems
played with golden lotuses in the lake.
Lotuses bloomed on the edges
of all the branches of the golden tree.
Whenever any one passed
under, the ‘Karanja’ bowers showered Mandara flowers on them.
His garden-house was built
out of fire flames, yet was cooling like snow.
The plants and creepers in
his garden were always filled with fragrant flowers.
He had even stolen away the
entire Malaya forest of sandalwood along with
its animals by his magical prowess.
His wives wore all the gold
jewelry stolen from the heavens and appeared extremely charming.
The courtyards were piled
with varieties of soft flowers reaching up to the knees.
He watched for fun, live clay
dolls of demons and gods fighting with each other and the demon dolls defeating
Vishnu.
The roof of his harem was
studded with millions of diamonds shining like stars.
The dark skies of
netherworlds were lighted by hundreds of moons.
The statues in his palace
extolled his praises through songs and increased his valor.
An Aeiraavata elephant was
magically constructed by him, which could chase away the real Aeiraavata
elephant of Indra.
His harem was filled with all
the objects of pleasure that Indra had in his palace.
He owned all the wealth that
he desired. All the wealthy ones saluted him.
He ruled all the clans of the
demon world. Thousands of his arms protected the entire demon clan. He had
many intelligent ministers to advise him.
His terrifying form always
made gods tremble in fear even if there was no battle.
But when battles occurred the
entire demon army made havoc in the heavens, supported by the magical power of
their king.
GODS ATTACK THE DEMON-WORLD
However the king was not a
person to stay at home.
He would wander all over the
world, mastering all the available Siddhis, meeting the chiefs of other clans
who were enemies of gods, or he would just go on a killing spree harassing
Sages and saints and creating disturbances in their sacrificial rites.
There was nothing he did not
learn. He had even understood the meanings of scriptures and knew the state of
realized people. However he was too much stuck to his own identity as the demon
king that he did not care for the bliss of the Supreme state.
When he was on such trips and
had left the demon clan to fend for itself, Gods made use of that opportunity
and attacked the nether worlds. The demons had no chance against the powerful
missiles of gods and soon were on the run.
When Shambara returned home
he found most of his army in shambles. His anger knew no bounds. But he did not
want to spend all his time sitting at home and guarding his people. He selected
many demons with extraordinary strength and made them the chiefs of the demon
army. Of course he could have taught his magical abilities to his subordinates;
but he had no trust in any of his people. His clan was well-known for
wickedness and deceit. No one trusted any one even if they were closely
related. Everyone was planning to subdue his own neighbor. Words like
friendship, loyalty, trust, love, affection, and kindness were non-existent in their
world. Shambara was not an exception. He did not trust his own mother or wife
for that matter. Only his magical powers had kept him on top of the world and
he was careful that his secrets were not known to anybody. So this time he left
again on his adventure trips leaving the demon clan in the hands of a few
stronger demons. But again, they were not powerful enough to face the onslaught
of gods. Again Shambara found his world shattered to pieces when he returned.
He almost burnt with the rage kindled by the hatred towards gods.
But still he could not bear
to sit at home. He again selected more powerful demons to guard his city. Again
the gods attacked them and defeated them in his absence.
Shambara fumed in anger.
He immediately declared war
on gods and attacked the heaven.
Gods informed of his attack
through spies escaped from the heavens and hid themselves in the dense forests
of Meru mountain. Some even hid under the hollows of the earth. Shambara found
the whole city of Indra
The demons searched all over
the world but could never find the hiding places of gods.
Shambara was in a dilemma.
He could not go out of his
city unless he ensured the safety of the demon clan. The moment he left, gods
were sure to attack his city.
He decided to do something
concrete this time.
SHAMBARA’S THINKING CHAMBER
Shambara was sitting in his
secret chambers. That part of the palace was impenetrable to even those closest
to him. Nobody even knew of its existence. He just vanished from the sight of
all and returned with some magical creations of his; that is all the
information any one had.
The secret room of Shambara
was a place of creation. What the modern world achieves through science, he did
it through sheer brain power and phonetic effects of his mystic chants. The
only thing that was very necessary was the effort needed to concentrate on that
creation. He had to mentally create every cell of the object and without
missing details had to complete the work. He was a wonder at creating demons,
girls or men or animals to any specification. (Robots in the modern language;
but these robots were not metallic, but appeared covered with normal skin
structures. Nobody could tell the
difference between the real and artificial.)
After these mechanical beings
were made, he had to almost identify with them completely and be alive there
for a fraction of a second. Instantly those dolls acted with life. He usually
had made replicas of trinities or animals or pretty damsels to entertain
himself in his palace. Of course machines were machines; one could never ever
get full enjoyments from them as he always knew they were just dolls created by
him through magic. The real ‘Apsaraa’ had more bliss giving capacity than the
diamond statue that hugged him with love. That is the main reason that made him
envy the gods. His one cherished dream was to rule the heavens and get access
to all the real pleasures that Indra laid hands on. But his attempts always
failed because the gods were always supported by the Trinities. Like children
bringing adults to fight for them, they got these powerful lords to fight the
demons. His demon clan could never ever stand in front of the trident or the
discus-weapon of those higher gods.
Of course he had tried hard
to manufacture such weapons in his secret work-shop, but they never were equal
to the originals. The only satisfaction he got was having a mock fight with the
live statues of Vishnu or Shiva and slicing their heads off. These feats
entertained the demons no doubt, but everyone knew it was all a fake drama.
He had do create some unique
beings who were undefeatable by anyone, even by Trinities, he decided.
Shambara was lying on his
comfortable couch and thinking. After hours of thinking his eyes brightened up.
THE THREE ROBOTS
Shambara looked at his
creations with pride.
Three giants of immense
heights and width stood in front of him.
He had named them Daama,
Vyaala and Kata.
Daama- the binding rope,
Vyaala -the vicious, Kata – the encompassing one!
They were the illusory
appearances which could bind, which could use stealth and completely overpower
the enemy.
They were like Maayaa - the
‘illusory power of the Supreme’ with her power of binding everyone with Gunas,
the power of delusion and the power hiding of the Truth.
These three giants were named
after the powers of Maayaa, but modeled on the characters of realized people
who performed penance in the forests of Meru mount.
They had all the characters
of the realized ‘as understood by Shambara’.
He had inculcated all the
characters of JeevanMuktas into those beings.
Shambara once again examined
them with scrutinizing eyes.
They were staring at him
without any expressions; for they had no emotions, no thoughts, and no
feelings.
They were just machines with
life.
They looked solid enough; but
were just illusory appearances.
They had no Vaasanaas, no
wickedness, no goodness, no likes, no dislikes, and no desires.
They just did what Shambara
ordered; not more, not less.
They had no Vaasanaas of the
past lives to induce them into any action on their own.
They had no eyes for anything
except that which they had to do.
They were like sleep-walkers,
only intent on doing what they had to do; otherwise they had no movement at
all.
They did not understand defeat
or victory. They had no fear of death; they had no need to escape from any
dangers.
They did not know who the
gods were or why they had to be attacked.
They knew only one thing that
is, that they should destroy any soldier who stood in front of them.
GODS ARE DEFEATED
Shambara was fully satisfied.
He informed all his soldiers
that these three giants will be their chiefs and lead them in the battlefield.
He also warned them that no one should come to the front side of the giants
with any weapon. Then they were sure to get killed.
He sent his army to search
for the hiding gods and attack them.
He ordered the magical giants
to search for all gods and destroy them.
From every hollow and holes
the demons came out making terrifying noises.
The gods were forced to come
out and battle them.
A fierce battle went on
between the two armies.
Blood from the wounded bodies
of the gods and demons poured down like rains.
Roaring like a lion Daama
tied the Gods with invisible ropes.
Vyaala crushed them with his
huge rock like hands.
Kata was everywhere blocking
every object and attacked the bewildered gods ruthlessly.
The gods were not at all
prepared for the battle and were even more shocked by the strength of three
undefeatable giants.
They just vanished from the
scene.
The demons searched for them
for long without any fruitful results.
They gleefully returned home
and reported their victory to their king.
Shambara laughed aloud. His
laughter echoed all over the three worlds.
The gods who were hiding in
the dense dark hollows of the earth trembled with fear.
They all decided to seek the
advice of Lord Brahma.
Prayers were sent forth
pleading Lord Brahma to save them.
GODS PRAY TO LORD BRAHMAA
The whole world turned
reddish in hue.
A red-hued Brahma seated on a
red lotus appeared before them.
Though he knew everything, he
just allowed the gods to tell the whole story in their own words.
Brahma closed his eyes and
was lost in thoughts for a few moments.
He said at last-
“Shambara is destined to
die at the hands of Vishnu after hundred thousand years.
But meanwhile you can
defeat the three new giants created by Shambara.
He has created them
without egos. That is why you cannot defeat them.
Now your task is to raise
the ego in them.
The moment they identify
with their limited structures, the Vaasanaas will start corrupting their minds.
Once Vaasanaas make their way, they will become vulnerable.
So this is what you people
will do.
As usual take your army
and attack the demons.
Make a fake battle scene
and as soon as you see the three giants, make a great show of getting
frightened and escape.
Repeat the same tactics
for long.
Then see what wonders
Ahamkaara (ego) is capable of.”
Brahma vanished out of sight.
Gods returned discussing
their next strategy.
And they exactly did what
Brahma had told them to do.
THREE ROBOTS DEVELOP EGO
Daama,
Vyaala and Kata had changed. Their faces now puffed up with pride.
They were having lot of fun
nowadays.
They were beginning to like
these battles with those cowardly shining beings.
It was fun to laugh aloud and
chase them. It was fun to see their terrified pale faces. It was fun to make
them scream in fear. Actually they needn’t even lift their hands or shoot
weapons at those dumb gods. The very moment the giants appeared, the gods screamed and ran helter-skelter as if blinded by
fear.
Daama, Vyaala and Kata now
looked forward to the sound of war-drums.
Daama,
Vyaala and Kata liked these wars.
Daama,
Vyaala and Kata had changed. Their faces now puffed up with pride.
They now looked at other
demons with ridicule.
They demanded that the other
demons should serve them like Lords.
They were rude with anyone
who slightly disregarded them.
They looked at their own
limbs again and again and a smile lit up their faces.
They brushed their bodies
well.
They garlanded their bodies.
Daama,
Vyaala and Kata decorated their bodies with ornaments.
Daama,
Vyaala and Kata had changed.
Their
faces now were creased with worries.
They were worried about the
annihilation of their own bodies.
‘Suppose they died like
others…?’
Fear had become their
constant companion now.
They did not want their
precious bodies to get destroyed in the battlefield.
They lost their courage.
They now found out that the
gods were immortals; and demons were sure to die some day or other.
They wanted to become
immortals like gods; but it was not possible. They were destined to die as they
were demons.
Any moment they could die,
they thought anxiously.
They now trembled at the
onslaught of Gods. Maybe that day would be the last day of their life, they
felt.
Instead of moving in the
front, they hid behind other demons in the battle field.
They were not able to face
even an ordinary soldier of the god-army.
The gods easily overpowered
the demons as the three giants were not in the lead.
Every demon was hunted out
and cut to pieces.
The broken limbs and broken
weapons of demons fell all over the earth.
Daama,
Vyaala and Kata were defeated at last.
THE THREE ROBOTS DIE
Daama, Vyaala and Kata who
were hiding from gods were alive but now had to face the wrath of their master.
They escaped from his city and hid themselves in the lowermost nether world.
That seventh and lowermost
world was the abode of Yama’s servants. They lived there guarding the hells
there. They were powerful enough to save them from Shambara and so moved by
compassion they gave them shelter. Later they offered them their daughters also
in marriage.
Ten thousand years passed.
The Vaasanaas in the minds of
Daama, Vyaala and Kata also increased like their families.
They were extremely attached
to their wives, daughters, son-in laws, and constantly worried about them.
Lord Yama once visited that
world to complete some work.
The three giants did not know
who he was or what his power was.
They ignored him thinking
that he was some ordinary servant like themselves. They did not salute him.
Yama felt offended. He lifted
his eyebrows in anger and the next instant Daama, Vyaala and Kata were burnt to
ashes.
When their relatives started
lamenting on their death, Yama burnt them also.
THE THREE FISH IN THE POND
The bodies of Daama, Vyaala
and Kata were destroyed.
But their Vaasanaas were
still alive and afloat.
They had lived with the
prison guards for so long that now they had to take birth as prison- guards;
later they were born as hunters, then as servants of kings, then as crows, then
as vultures, then as parrots, then as pigs, then as goats, then as insects….so
on.
After countless births as
various creatures and animals, they lived as fish in a forest pond.
After a huge forest fire, the
pond dried up and there was only some wet mud left. Trying to suck that little
dampness out of the wet mud, they are at present hanging in between life and
death…..!
RAMA
AND VASISHTA
Sage
Vasishta stopped the story at that point and smiled at Rama.
Rama
who was listening to the story with full absorption questioned the Sage with
some disappointment.
“Is that all…? Is there no
redemption for these poor souls caught in the web of Ahamkaara?”
Sage
Vasishta looked at him with some amusement and said,
“No, there is more. Their
story will continue in the future. Listen to what will happen to them in their
future births.”
THE THREE ROBOTS MERGE INTO
BRAHMAN
The story continues…
When Yama burnt Daama, Vyaala
and Kata to ashes, the other servants of Yama who had given them shelter became
sad at heart.
They begged Yama to forgive
the demons.
Yama consoled them and said, “When
they listen to their own story, they will get redeemed of their fate and attain
liberation.”
000
So at present they were
living as fish in the tiny puddle in the forest of Kashmir
Then they will be born as
Saarasa birds in a beautiful lake filled with fragrant lotuses.
They will live happily for a
long time as those birds and will become purified in their minds.
Their upward journey will
start then.
000
There will be a city in the
country of Kashmir adorned by forests and
mountains. In the midst of the mountains there will live a king named Yashaskara
in a palace built on the top of the mountain. Vyaala will be born as a cock and
live in the corner of the roof.
Daama will be born as a
mosquito and live inside the palace.
A minister named Narasimha
will live inside that city. He will be learned and a realized man. He will live
in a monastery in the city. There in that monastery, demon Kata will live as a
partridge inside a silver cage entertaining all.
One day, the minister will
take the partridge to the palace to entertain the king. There he will relate
the story of Daama, Vyaala and Kata from this scripture to the king.
The partridge will hear the
story and remember its past and immediately attain the final beatitude.
The cock also will hear the
story and get liberated.
The mosquito will also hear
the story and attain the Supreme state.
END
OF PART ONE
RAMA
AND VASISHTA
“That is the end of the
story. All the three demons will dissolve into the ‘Supreme state’ and will be
liberated.”
Sage
Vasishta smiled at Rama.
Rama
was happy. His face bloomed like the full moon and he laughed.
“What happened to Shambara?
Did he get killed by the gods?”
Rama
questioned again.
Sage
Vasishta continued the story.
PART
TWO
BHEEMA, BHAASA AND DRDHA
Shambara was again inside his
secret work-shop.
He was thinking day and night
as to what could have gone wrong in the creation of Daama, Vyaala and Kata.
Then he decided that the three giants were ignorant and foolish.
Now he decided to add
Self-knowledge to his creations and make them wise.
After some hard work, he
produced three giants and named them as Bheema (strong), Bhaasa (lustrous) and
Drdha (firm).
These giants were all-knowers
and realized. They had no attachments, no likes, and no dislikes.
Shambara made them the chiefs
of his army and sent them to attack the gods.
These giants were endowed
with discrimination. No strategy of gods could make them egoistic.
Whenever something like an
ego popped up in their minds, they immediately started enquiring, ‘Who am I?’
and got rid of it.
They knew the body as unreal
and never identified with it.
They were not afraid of
death.
They attacked the gods
ruthlessly and defeated them in no time. Gods ran for their life and reached
the abode of Vishnu and pleaded him for help.
Vishnu destroyed the demons
along with Shambara with his ‘Sudarshana chakra’.
The three demons melted off
into Para Brahman as they had no thought of limited identity.
Finally…
Daama,
Vyaala and Kata were programmed to act like realized sages by Shambara.
But
one important thing Shambara had forgotten to add- ‘Knowledge’.
Daama,
Vyaala and Kata had no Knowledge and so were defeated easily.
Bheema,
Bhaasa and Drdha had knowledge and so were undefeatable.
Penance,
worships, hymns, chants, holy places, rituals – nothing can free a person from
this worldly existence except ‘Knowledge’.
WHAT
DOES IT ALL MEAN?
DAAMA
means binding; VYAALA means deceitful; KATA means covering.
In
other words, they are the characteristics of Maayaa, the deluding power, which
binds us to false identity; which shows truth as untruth and untruth as truth;
and which encompasses our discriminative capacity.
BHEEMA
means strong, BHAASA means shining, DRDHA means firm.
In
other words, all the three terms represent the Brahman (Self) which is the
support of all created worlds; which shines as all these perceived phenomena;
which is unchanging and firmly remains always as itself.
Vyaasa
finally advises Rama-
“May your life be not
dominated by Daama, Vyaala and Kata.
Be in the state of Bheema,
Bhaasa, and Drdha
and remain without any
grief.”
THE MEANING OF THE STORY
Every
individual Self is just an automaton dominated by Daama, Vyaala and Kata – the
deluding power of Brahman. Brahman is the trickster here and also the tricked
victim. Brahman gets deluded by his own will and appears as the Perceiver who
perceives the perceived phenomena.
Every
individual Self develops the limited ego and other vices connected to it. But
all ends, when ‘Death, the ruthless consumer of all’ arrives. Suddenly all that
was one’s cherished world just disappears and becomes nothing.
Then
as per one’s dominating Vaasanaas, different experiences are gone through by
the Jeeva without any control.
Maybe
some fine day, in some life, even if it be as lowly as a mosquito, or a bird or
anything else, if the truths as instructed by Sage Vasishta are heard and
understood, the ego dies and one remains as the ‘Supreme Self state’ or in
other words, ‘Bheema, Bhaasa, Drdha state of Brahman’!
END
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