Dear Friends,
Namaste!
The King’s curiosity peaked as the last prince entered the cave. The prince looked calm and in control. He had an empathetic air and his presence was soothing - just like the Guru’s!
The prince very quietly but intently heard the Guru out. When asked to make the choice, he reflected for a few moments. Then he spoke, having made up his mind, “I will choose none of these five things.”
“What!” exclaimed the King, “Then what will you choose, my dear son?”
“I will choose the lamp that lights this cave and everything else inside it.”
“But that’s incredible! Why in the world would you choose the lamp over all the other things?”
The prince, in answer, walked in the direction of the lamp. Then he blew the lamp out! Immediately the cave plunged in pitch-like darkness. The prince, King, Guru, the five items – everything became invisible – to everybody within the cave!
The King became very uncomfortable. “What are you doing my son?” he demanded, “Let’s light that lamp first. The Guru expects you to answer why you have made this strange choice – not go about blowing the lamp off!”
It was the Guru himself who lighted the lamp. As the entire cave was re-lit, he looked deep into the sixth prince’s eyes. Then he stepped forward and gave him a hug.
“I have got my answer, my dear fellow!” he said with immense satisfaction, “You may leave now!”
As the prince left, the King, now a bit agitated, turned to the Guru, “I will be damned if I have understood a thing! Will you be so kind, O Guru, to explain what this is all about?”
The Guru smiled and reassured the King, “Certainly. It was a novel choice and a novel way of explaining! This son of yours is indeed a wise man.”
“In the name of everything that is sacred, HOW?” asked the King with increasing bewilderment.
“Tell me,” the Guru chose to return the King’s question with another question, “When the lamp went out, what could you see in the cave?”
“Why, that’s surely pretty obvious? Of course, nobody could see absolutely anything!”
“Not even the five choices available?”
“No, not at all!”
“So they were relevant only when made visible in the light given by the lamp?”
“Y…yes, I suppose so.” replied the King, still a bit unsure.
“That’s why your son chose the lamp, O King. What he conveyed was – all our decisions, thoughts, actions make sense only in consciousness, only so long as there is Life. Everything loses its relevance if the Life itself goes out. Also, just like there is a single lamp in this cave that lights up the entire cave, this Consciousness – this Life - is essentially One and Universal. And hence your sixth son has chosen the same over and above everything else.
“The similarity between your first five sons and this sixth son is – all want Total Happiness. The difference is – the first five want Everything so that they can enjoy Life whereas this sixth son wants Life so that he can enjoy Everything.
“The Science of Yoga aptly describes this phenomenon as follows. Day for the Masses is indeed (like) a Night for the Classes. Also, what the Masses perceive as the Night is really the Day for the Classes. Such class of human beings is described as the‘Sanyami’, ’Sthita-Pragya’, ‘Mukta (Liberated)’, the ‘Enlightened’ ones.
“This sixth son of yours, O King, is the Enlightened one. I have absolutely nothing to teach him for he needs no teaching. Just like a person who is already at the destination does not need to travel any more. Just like a cow who has already grazed to its heart’s content and ruminated and assimilated the food in its body and is actually not only self-nourished but is producing milk for the benefit of others needs to take nothing further from the environment and is only giving back.
“I am very glad to tell you, my dear master, that this son of yours is already totally, eternally and irreversibly happy. He is bliss, empathy, positivity personified. He will continue to spread this happiness which he himself has become – as naturally as the Sun continues to radiate light – till appropriate time comes for his body to be separated from his purified conscience. And once that happens, never again will he be re-born assuming any finite form. For he would have become the Infinite, the Limitless.”
The King’s eyes filled with tears of joy. He kneeled and touched the Guru’s feet and said, “If you do not mind, I have one last question.”
Friends, in the next episode, we will conclude this story with the King’s last question and the answer provided by the Guru.
Have fun…
No comments:
Post a Comment