Story of the week - The Mantra

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Story of the weekSaturday, April 3, 2004

 

The Mantra

A certain spiritual aspirant went to a sage and asked him to give him a mantra.

The sage said that he would impart the message only if the disciple agreed to

serve him for twelve years, carrying out all his injunctions. The disciple

agreed and carried out his services to the preceptor with devotion for twelve

years. At the end of the period, when the sage felt that his own end was

approaching, he asked the disciple to bring a palmyra leaf on which he would

inscribe the mantra before his death. The disciple went in search of a palmyra

leaf, but before he could return, the preceptor died. On enquiry from a boy who

was there, he learnt that before dying, the sage had written something on a bed

of sand, which a woman had copied and then wiped off the inscription. The

disciple went in search of the woman, who was having some donkeys. He learnt

from her that she had inscribed on the palmleaf roll that she wore in her

ear-lobe what she found on the sand. When she learnt from the young

man that the writing on the sand was a mantra intended for him and for which he

had served the sage faithfully for twelve years, the woman said that she would

give him the palm leaf only if he served her dutifully for twelve years. The

disciple who was determined to get the mantra at any cost, agreed to serve her.

The young man looked after the donkeys and served the woman for many years,

living upon the food given by her. One day, he could not get the food from her

and went about in search of food. At that time, he learnt that the king of the

region had been feeding the poor for a long time and that he might be able to

get food if he went to the feeding place. On going there he learnt that the

king had stopped the feeding from that day because it did not yield the result

he was expecting from it. The king had started poor feeding on the advice of

his preceptor who had told him that he would have a son if a truly godly man

ate the food that he would serve to the poor. A bell was kept in the palace and

when it rang by itself, that would be the sign that a godly man had partaken of

the king's food. As the feeding had gone on for long without the bell ringing,

the king decided to stop the feeding.

That was the very day when the young disciple went to the feeding place. On

learning that all the vessels used for cooking the food had been sent to the

river for cleaning, the young man hastened to the river bank to find out

whether some food scraped from the vessels would be available for him. He found

some crumbs at the spot and started eating them. At that very moment the bell in

the palace started ringing.

The king was startled to hear the bell and immediately sent out messengers to

find out who was the person who had eaten the food that day which made the bell

ring. After enquiries, the messengers traced the young man at the river and

brought him to the king. The king was overjoyed on seeing the young man because

he felt that he would soon have a son. He offered the young man half his kingdom

and invited him to stay with him. The young man told the king his whole story

and said that he was not interested in the kingdom or anything else, but only

in the mantra from his guru, which was now in the keeping of the woman with the

donkeys. The young man insisted that the palmleaf ear-ring worn by the woman

should be obtained without any compulsions.

The king sent out men to trace the woman, who was brought before him. Learning

that she was an acrobat, who could perform feats on a rope, the king asked her

to demonstrate her skill before the queen who was now enceinte. As she was

dancing on the rope, he asked her whether she could catch two diamond ear-rings

he would throw at her and wear them while dancing on the rope. She readily

agreed. Catching them in her hands, she took out the palmleaf rings from her

ear-lobes, cast them down and wore the diamond ear-rings in their place.

As the palmleaf rings dropped down, the young man rushed towards them and

eagerly read the message inscribed there in. Immediately after reading the

mantra the young man secured instant illumination and liberation thereafter.

A spiritual aspirant should have such determination and preparedness for any

kind of sacrifice to achieve his goal.

— Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Source: Chinna Katha II, 5 http://beaskund.helloyou.ws/askbaba/stories/s1013.html

 

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