CHINNA KATHA FROM BHAGAVAN’S DISCOURSE. No. 13.

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13 - A spiritual aspirant should have…

 

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 palm leaf 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 palm leaf 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 palm leaf rings from her ear-lobes, cast them down and wore

the diamond ear-rings in their place.

 

As the palm leaf 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.