Dreams - a story - King Janaka's dream ....

[Guest guest]

my soul friend smt. Durgaji writes :

 

(The dream example (if properly handled) is a very

very powerful one. It has been sometimes said

to point out 'the Achilles heel of the whole creation.'

 

The dream comes from me, is sustained by me,

and resolves into me. Upon awakening from the

dream I realize that the dream and everything

in it, animate and inanimate, was only myself.)

 

Wow! Durgaji ! now , all the more reason why i should make an honest

attempt to meet your guruji's guru Swami Dayananaji when he comes to

U.S.A this fall- MAY BE HIS 'GRACE' WILL DESCEND ON IGNORANTS LIKE

ME ALSO. InTWO YEARS TIME , I PLAN TO RETIRE - 66 YEARS .... STILL

LIVING IN A MAKE BELIEVE WORLD of dreams - TIME TO 'WAKE UP- SMILE!

 

HERE IS A STORY I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE ...

 

Raja Janaka's Dream

 

Raja Janaka ruled over the country of Videha. He was once reclining

on a sofa. It was the middle of the day in the hot month of June. He

had a short nap for a few seconds. He dreamt that a rival king with

a large army had invaded his country and slew his soldiers and

ministers. He was driven out of his palace barefooted and without

any clothes covering him.

 

Janaka found himself roaming about in a jungle. He was thirsty and

hungry. He reached a small town where he begged for food. No one

paid any attention to his entreaties. He reached a place where some

people were distributing food to the beggars. Each beggar had an

earthen bowl to receive rice water. Janaka had no bowl and so they

turned him out to bring a bowl. He went in search of a vessel. He

requested other beggars to lend him a bowl, but none would part with

his bowl. At last Janaka found a broken piece of a bowl. Now he ran

to the spot where rice water was distributed. All the foodstuff had

been already distributed.

 

Raja Janaka was very much tired on account of long travelling,

hunger and thirst and heat of the summer. He stretched himself near

a fireplace where foodstuff was cooked. Here some one took pity over

Janaka. He gave him some rice water which was found at the bottom of

a vessel. Janaka took it with intense joy and just as he put it to

his lips, two large bulls tumbled fighting over him. The bowl was

broken to pieces. The Raja woke up with great fear.

 

Janaka was trembling violently. He was in a great dilemma as to

which of his two states was real. All the time he was in dream, he

never thought that it was an illusion and that the misery of hunger

and thirst and his other troubles were unreal.

 

The queen asked Janaka, " O Lord! What is the matter with you? " The

only words which Janaka spoke were, " Which is real, this or that? "

From that time he left all his work and became silent. He uttered

nothing but the above words.

 

The ministers thought that Janaka was suffering from some disease.

It was announced by them that anyone who cured the Raja will be

richly rewarded and those who fail to cure the Raja will be made

life prisoners. Great physicians and specialists began to pour in

and tried their luck, but no one could answer the query of the Raja.

Hundreds of Brahmins well versed in the science of curing diseases

were put in the state prison.

 

Among the prisoners was also the father of the great sage

Ashtavakra. When Ashtavakra was a boy of only ten years of age, he

was told by his mother that his father was a state prisoner because

he failed to cure Raja Janaka. He at once started to see Janaka. He

asked the Raja if he desired to hear the solution of his questions

in a brief and few words as the question itself is put or full

details of his dream experience may be recited. Janaka did not like

to have his humiliating dream repeated in presence of a big

gathering. He consented to receive a brief answer.

 

Ashtavakra then whispered into the ear of Janaka, " Neither this nor

that is real. " Raja Janaka at once became joyful. His confusion was

removed.

 

Raja Janaka then asked Ashtavakra, " What is real? " There upon there

was a long dialogue between him and the sage. This is recorded in

the well-known book, " Ashtavakra Gita, " which is highly useful for

all seekers after Truth.

 

http://sivanandaonline.org/graphics/.../downnload/philosophy_dreams.h

tml

 

" Even as a great fish swims along the two banks of a river,

first along the Eastern bank, and then the Western bank,

in the same way the Spirit of man moves along beside his two

dwellings; this waking world and the land of sleep and dreams. "

 

Enjoy !

 

thank you Vinayakaji for that wonderful article . You are truly a

blessing to this group .my friend from the Sri Ramakrishna order!

 

i reposted this msg as the previous one had typos ...