Guru

[Guest guest]

Long ago, in ancient Tamil Nadu, India, lived a

king who loved to listen to Stories. So he hired

priests so that he could listen to Ramayana, Mahabharata,

Bhagavata etc. When he heard the story of the Bhagavata, a

question rose in his mind. <br>(The entire story of

Bhagavata was narrated to kind Parikshit by Suka Maharishi

in a span of 7 days. At the end of the 7 days, when

Parikshit's stipulated time of death came, he accepted it

with grace, and attained Maha Nirvana or

Emancipation).<br><br>The kind asked his priest who narrated to him the

story of bhagavata, " If Parikshit gained Jnana or

Supreme Wisdom and Nirvana after listening to Bhagavata

by Suka Maharishi, why haven't I gained Jnana

followed by Nirvana after listening to Bhagavata

?"<br><br>The priest was bewildered when he heard this

question, as he knew not the answer. However, the kind was

agitated, as to why he didn't get Jnana and Nirvana after

listening to the Bhagavata, and hence gave the priest one

day's time to give him an explanation. The king said

that if the priest failed to do so, he would be hung

the following day. <br><br>The priest went home, and

was sad. He was certain that his death would be the

next day, as he cudn't figure out the answer. He sat

quietly in his house, and didn't eat properly. He had a 9

yr old daughter. She was alarmed on seeing her

father in such a miserable state, and enquired about it.

He knew his young daughter wouldn't understand what

went on in court, yet he decided to tell her, as that

might be the last day for him on Earth. When the

daughter heard the question, her eyes became bright, and

she exclaimed, " Is that it ? Is this the question

that the kind demands an answer to ?". When the father

replied in the affirmative, she said, " The answer to the

question is very simple. Father, You need not go to the

court tomorrow. I myself will go to the court and tell

the king. "<br><br>The father didn't know whether his

daughter knew what she was saying. However, there was no

other option for him, as he didn't know the answer, and

was sure he would be hung the following day. So he

agreed.<br><br>The next morning, the 9 year girl went to court. The

king saw that all but the priest had assembled in the

court. He enquired the absence of the priest, when the

girl introduced herself and said that she was sent to

represent her father. She said that she knew the answer,

and would reply herself, but on one condition. The

king asked her as to what the condition was, to which

she replied, " Your Highness, I can answer your

question, only if you listen to whatever I say till you get

the answer." The king also agreed.<br><br>So she

ordered the guards to tie the king to one pillar and to

tie her to another pillar. The guards were shocked,

and knew not what to do. However, on the orders of

the king, they tied the king to one pillar, and the

girl to another. The girl then asked the king to ask

everybody to leave the court. Everybody then left the

court. When the girl was alone with the king, she asked

the king to come and untie her knots, to which the

king replied, " I myself am tied to a pillar. How can

I come an untie your knots and set you free?

"<br><br>The girl then said, " So too is my dad. He is bound

to the samsara sagara (ocean of family life) with

all its bondages and fetters. How can he untie your

knots and set you free to attain Nirvana. On the

contrary Suka Maharshi was a realised soul, who was free.

Hence, he could redeem Parikshit of all the bondages,

and set him free. "<br><br>I wish to say that our

Guru is the only one who can ferry us across this

ocean of life, and set us free. Guru literally means

'Dispeller of darkness'. Here darkness signifies ignorance.

<br><br>Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu,<br>Guru Devo Maheshwara :

|<br>Guru Saakshaath Para Brahma,<br>Tasmai Shree Gurave

Nama : ||<br><br>Hari Aum !!!