Samskaras,i.e. tendencies from past lives - Sookti Manjari part two

[Guest guest]

Let us assume that there is an investigator who can 'read' this layer of

Samskara as easily as one would read an open book. Let us assume that his

decisions are quite opposite to what a layman makes. Whose decision should we

take

seriously?

 

To understand this, let us examine a small story.

 

There was a small village adjoining a thick forest. One day a middle-aged

couple, carrying a sick baby, came to that village. The villagers asked them who

they were and where they came from. The couple said that they were king and

queen of a particular kingdom and that they had to abandon their kingdom because

of a powerful enemy. No one believed their words because the couple did not

have any characteristics that would be normally attributed to a royal couple.

Moreover, the child they carried was severely sick. It had all kinds of

diseases. Actually, the villagers could see the god of death in its face. 'Only

a

hopeless sinner would get such a birth' the scholars of that village declared.

 

Therefore, let alone extending respectful welcome to the couple, the

villagers did not think it necessary to offer even minimum courtesy. Within a

few days

the child died. None of the villagers felt a thing for it. 'Finally the evil

is gone' - they felt. The mother, however, was in unfathomable grief.

 

All of a sudden, Rishabha Yogi, an ascetic of considerable fame in that

region, appeared on the scene. He went straight to the grieving couple, consoled

them and sprinkled Vibhuti on the corpse. The child sprang to life immediately.

It was fully cured of its diseases too.

 

The villagers were perplexed. Not because of the fact that the Yogi had

brought the dead to life. They had seen such feats before. What perplexed them

was,

this Yogi would not give even a pinch of Vibhuti, no matter how much people

begged for it. Here he was, appearing from nowhere, uninvited and sprinkling a

generous quantity of Vibhuti on the corpse, even without the parents asking

for it.

 

After a few days, the Yogi himself explained. The child was his disciple for

the last three lives. Three lives ago, he was a good Sadhaka. But when he

reached adulthood in that life,

he was drawn to worldly pleasures and as a consequence, was born in the

subsequent birth as a womanizer. In that birth also, the Yogi had intervened and

had terminated that life, thereby rescuing him from the pond of sin. But because

of the sins already committed, he had to undergo the suffering of sickness

and had to die like a beggar despite being born in a royal family. the Sankalpa

of the Yogi of uplifting this being had brought him to the scene when the

child had died. As soon as he saw the dead body of the child, he could remember

everything that had happened during the past three lives. It was now clear to

the Yogi that the person had paid the price in full for all the evil deeds he

had done. He also decided that the time was ripe for that being to receive

blessings. Immediately he showered Yogic energy on him.

 

The 'learned scholars' of that village, who had no means of knowing about the

past lives of that child, had thought that the Yogi had erred in haste.

However, enlightened souls had silently applauded the action of the Yogi.

 

What do we understand from this story and the earlier discussion?

 

In order to get a measure of any person, we humans can at best dig only to a

particular point. If we are lucky, we will have a comprehensive understanding

about his family background and professional background. Not beyond. But this

is not enough to understand about the Samskara layer. therefore, our

investigation is neither perfect nor complete.

 

Still, we will have to make many decisions in our day-to-day life. We cannot

remain indecisive just because we don´t have the understanding of the

Samskara layer. But we should always be aware of our limitations. We should

always

remember that our decisions and judgments cannot be absolutely perfect.

 

When it comes to the field of spirituality, we don´t even have the

eligibility to pass judgments. In this domain, all decisions are taken based on

the

Samskara layer, about which we are blind by birth. Therefore, we should never

try

to pass judgments about anyone in the spiritual sphere. We should not take

upon the responsibility of certifying anyone here.

We should not engage in the mischief of labeling a person as good or bad.

This is one of the sacred secrets of spiritual Sadhana. This is the message that

the Sookti is trying to convey.

By the grace of the Almighty, may this message reach your hearts.

 

Jaya Guru Datta

Sri Swamiji