Spiritual Stories by Ramana

[Guest guest]

SELF-SURRENDER

 

D: I fear that Self-realisation is no easy thing to attain.

 

M: Why impede yourself by anticipating failure? Push

on. Self-realisation will come to an earnest seeker in a trice.

To illustrate this, Sri Bhagavan told the following story:

 

KING JANAKA WAS listening to a philosophical treatise read by the

state pandit, wherein a passage occurred to the effect that a rider

who had placed one foot in the stirrup, contemplating upon

realisation could realise the Self before he lifted the other foot

to place it in the other stirrup. That is, the passage taught, that

when realisation comes, it comes in an instant. The king stopped the

pandit from proceeding further, and ordered him to prove the

statement. The pandit admitted that he was only a book-worm and was

unable to impart practical wisdom. Janaka suggested that the text

was either false or exaggerated, but the pandit would not agree to

this. Though he himself was unable to impart practical wisdom, he

maintained that the text could not be false or exaggerated, since it

contained the words of wise sages of the past. Janaka was annoyed

with the pandit and in a fit of rage condemned him to prison. He

then inflicted the same punishment on every pandit who passed for a

wise man but was unable to prove this scriptural text.

 

For fear of being imprisoned, some of the pandits fled the country

in voluntary exile. While two or three of them were running through

a thick forest, a sage called Ashtavakra,* who though young in age

was wise in learning, happened to cross their path. Having learnt

their plight, Ashtavakra offered to prove the text true to the king

and thereby have the imprisoned pandits released. Impressed by his

bold assurance, they took him in a palanquin to the king. At the

sight of the sage, the king stood up and saluted him with great

reverence. Ashtavakra then ordered the king to release all the

pandits.

 

Janaka thought that such an order could come only from one who had

the capacity to set his doubts at rest, and hence he released all

the pandits and asked the sage whether he could summon the horse.

The sage advised him not to be in a hurry and suggested that they

should go to a solitary spot. Thereupon the king on his horse and

the sage in a palanquin went out of the city towards the forest.

When they reached the forest the sage asked the king to send back

the retinue. The king did as he was asked, and then placing one of

his feet in the stirrup, he requested the sage to prove the

scriptural text. But the sage replied by asking whether the position

in which they stood indicated a proper master-disciple relationship.

The king then understood that he should show due reverence towards

Ashtavakra, and prayed to him for grace. The sage then addressed him

as `Janaka', since he was no longer a king and told him that before

being taught Brahma jnana, a true disciple should surrender himself

and all his possessions to his Master. " So be it " , said the

king. " So be it " replied the sage and disappeared into the forest.

From that moment Janaka stood transfixed with one foot in the

stirrup and the other dangling in the air, as if he were a statue.

(Saying this, Sri Bhagavan imitated the posture of King Janaka).

Time passed by, and the citizens, finding no sign of their king

returning, grew anxious and began to search for him. They came to

the place where Janaka was standing transfixed and were dismayed to

find him unaware of their presence and indifferent to their earnest

enquiries. They therefore began searching for Ashtavakra who, they

thought, must be a charlatan that had cast a spell upon their king,

and vowed vengeance upon him. At the same time, being concerned with

the king's condition and wanting to minister to him, they brought

him back to the city on a palanquin. The king, however, continued to

remain in the same condition.

 

At last, having found Ashtavakra, the ministers entreated him to

remove the alleged spell and bring the king back to his normal

condition. At the same time they charged him with the responsibility

for having cast the spell. Ashtavakra treated their ignorant remarks

with contempt and called the name of Janaka, who immediately saluted

him, and responded to his call. The ministers were surprised.

Ashtavakra told the king that he was being maliciously accused by

the people of having brought him to some sad plight and asked him to

tell the truth. On hearing this, the king angrily asked, `Who said

so'? The ministers were taken by surprise and pleaded for mercy.

Thereupon, the sage advised the king to resume his normal functions,

adding that Brahma jnana could be taught only to competent persons

and that since the king had successfully passed the test, he would

now impart it to him. Then the sage remained alone with the king

during the night and taught him the ultimate Truth, saying " Brahman

is not anything new or apart from oneself and no particular time or

place is needed to realise It. " He finally concluded by saying, " That

Thou Art " (tat tvam asi). That is the Self, eternal and infinite.

The next morning the ministers found that the king called the

assembly and performed his functions as usual. In the assembled

court Ashtavakra asked the king whether his former doubt about

whether Brahma jnana could be attained as suddenly and as quickly as

mentioned in the scriptures was cleared, and if so to bring the

horse and demonstrate the truth of it. The king was all humility now

and said, " Lord! Because of my immaturity, I doubted the correctness

of the scriptural text. I now realise every letter of it is true. "

The ministers thanked the sage.

 

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* Ashta means `eight' and vakra means `bends'. Ashtavakra was so

named because his body had eight deformities.