Hindu Samskriti - Guru Disciple Relationship -2
Posted in Labels: Hindu Samskriti - Guru Disciple Relationship -2
Guru Disciple Relationship
19. JANAKA RECEIVES TRUE KNOWLEDGE
FROM ASHTAVAKRA
King Janaka had read that Knowledge could be
attained in the time it takes to mount a
horse. He
became eager for attaining spiritual
knowledge and
called a meeting of all the rishis, scholars
and
mahatmas in the land and had a stage built.
He
said, "Whoever can reveal to me True
Knowledge
in the length of time that it takes to mount
a horse,
please come and sit on the stage." The
assembled
crowd thought that this was an impossible
request
and so kept quiet.
Just then, an ugly hunchback with bent limbs,
entered the court. The people laughed and
jeered at
him in their ignorance. After receiving their
insults,
the hunchback started to laugh. When asked as
to
why he was laughing, he said, "I was
under the
impression that this was a meeting of saints
and
sages, and not of cobblers and dealers in
prostitution."
The king asked him what he meant by that.
"Judging the beauty and appearance of
the skin is
the work of cobblers and people who deal with
prostitutes," replied the hunchback.
Hearing this
reply, the king realized that he was a
Realized Soul
and sought Knowledge from him. His name was
Ashtavakra (one whose limbs are bent in eight
places).
Ashtavakra asked, "O king, are you sure
that
you really want your request granted?"
"There is no doubt whatever in my
mind,"
replied the king. "I am seeking for the
True
Knowledge with the utmost earnestness."
The sage then turned to the assembled holy
men and asked, "Is there anyone among
you who
can impart True Knowldege to the kng, and
that
too, quickly?"
There was utter silence. Addressing the king,
Ashtavakra said, "King Janaka, there is
a price that
must be paid for obtaining this. Are you
prepared
to pay it, no matter what it may be?"
"Yes," said the king.
"Then I will tell you the price. The
price
consists of three things that you must give
me -
your body, your mind, and your wealth. Is
this
agreeable to you?"
"Yes," replied the king.
Ashtavakra then said, "You should think
this
matter over very carefully, and only after
thorough
deliberation should you promise to hand over
to
me these three things."
"I have already given the matter the
most
careful thought. There is no doubt whatever
in my
mind. I will be glad to pay the price,"
said the king.
"Now that you have surrendered
everything
to me, will you please leave your throne and
come
down and sit where all the shoes of your
subjects
are lying?" said Ashtavakra>
The king was quite annoyed at this, but soon
realized that he had already given everything
to the
rishi. So he quietly left his throne and sat
among
the shoes. When Ashtavakra made this request,
he
was aware that many people do not advance
spiritually because of their sense of ego,
honour
and glory.
When the king had seated himself amongst
the shoes, the sage told him,
"Now, please do not allow your mind to
think of your wealth, since you now have no
wealth of your own to think about. It all
belongs to
me." At that time, the king had in fact
been
thinking about his treasury, palace, kingdom
and
family. Now he realized that nothing belonged
to
him and he gave up the thought of these
things.
Like a bird in mid-ocean that comes back to
the
ship, the king's mind returned to its center.
"This mind is now mine. You have no
right
to think with it or to desire with it,"
said the sage.
The king withdrew his attention from all
objective
existence and concentrated his mind within.
Due
to the gracious glance of the rishi, his mind
went
up to the higher planes of spiritual
existence and
merged in the Inner Bliss. He became silent
and
still.
After some time, the sage brought the king's
mind down to the body and said, "Have
you
obtained the True Knowledge that you
requested?"
"Yes, Mahatmaji, and it is far greater,
glorious and blissful than I had ever dreamed
it
could be," said the king.
Ashtavakra said, "O king, I have no need
for
your body, mind or wealth and so I return
them to
you. You are to act as a trustee and use them
on
my behalf. By giving up everything, you have
received the All.
I will tell you the truth - the real mark of
a disciple
is that amidst a sea of desires, he is
desireless. Such
a one undoubtedly is accepted by the Creator.
(Guru Nanak)
20. KING OF BOKHARA
SERVES KABIR FOR
12 YEARS
Ibrahim Adham was the king of Bokhara in Persia.
He was very fond of the spiritual way of life
and
always sought the company of saints. However,
he
lived in such luxury that he slept on a bed
that was
at all times covered with one foot of
flowers. One
day, when he was about to lie down, he heard
a
noise on the roof of the palace above his
room. On
investigation, he found two men roaming up
there.
"What are you doing here?" he asked
them
sharply.
"Sir, we are camel drivers and are
searching
for our lost camels," they replied.
Amazed at their
stupidity, he said to them,
"How do you ever expect to find camels
on
the roof of a palace?"
"In the same way that you are trying to
realize God in your bed of flowers,"
they replied.
This reply greatly shocked the king and
changed his way of life completely. He left
his
kingdom for India in order to find a Realized
Guru. When he reached Kashi, he heard about
Kabir. Going to his house, he asked him to
accept
him as a disciple.
Kabir said, "There is nothing in common
between a king and a common weaver like
myself
and two such different persons could hardly
get on
together."
But the king pleaded with him and said,
"I
have not come to your door as a king but as a
beggar. Again I beg of you the boon which I
seek."
Loi, Kabir's wife, asked him to accept the
king and
so Kabir acceded to her request.
The king was given the menial work of the
house - cleaning the wool and thread,
bringing
water and firewood and other such jobs. Six
years
passed and the king did all the work without
a
murmur. One day, Loi entreated Kabir, saying,
"This king has now been with us for six
long
years, has been eating what we offered him,
and
has been doing what we have ordered him to
do,
without uttering a word of complaint. He
appears
to be highly deserving of initiation."
Kabir said, "As far as I can see, the
king's
mind is not yet crystal clear." But Loi
again
entreated the saint saying that she could not
believe
that he was unfit for initiation. Kabir
replied, "The
best way to prove it to yourself is to do
what I ask
you to do, and thereafter come and tell me
what
you heard from his mouth. Please go on the
top of
the roof and, as the king comes into the
street,
throw the entire sweepings of the house upon
his
head."
Loi did as she was told and as the rubbish
fell
on the king's head, he looked up and sighed,
"If
only this were Bokhara,
you would not have dared
do this to me."
Loi returned to her husband and told him
what the king had said. "Didn't I tell
you that the
king was not yet fully deserving of
initiation?" said
Kabir.
Another six years passed during which the
king worked just as hard as he had during the
first
six. One day, Kabir said to his wife,
"Now the
vessel is completely ready to receive the
gift." His
wife said, "I do not find any difference
between the
condition of the king six years ago and now.
He
has been ever dutiful and willing and has
never
uttered a word of complaint even on days when
there was not enough food to feed him. Kabir
said,
"If you want to see the difference, you
may once
again throw the rubbish on his head.
So the next day, when the king was passing
the house, she did exactly as her husband had
told
her. The king looked up and said, "May
you live
long. This mind was still full of ego and
self. It had
to be treated this way."
Loi then went and told her husband what the
king said. He called the king and gazed at
him. By
the power of Kabir's gaze, the king's mind
went up
and up and merged into the Supreme Being.
"Your sadhana is complete. Now you had
better return to your kingdom," said
Kabir.
The king went back to his country but not as
a king. He lived as a sannyasi by the side of
the
Tigris River. One day he was sitting by the river
stitching his cloth with a small needle and
thread.
Just then, a man from the royal court who was
out
hunting, rode by on his horse. He recognized
the
king and enquired whether he was the same
person
to which the king replied in the affirmative.
The
man said,
"Your Majesty, I am your prime minister
and
have raised your children in your absence.
They are
all now grown up and well. I request you to
return
to your throne."
On hearing this, the king threw his needle
into the river. "Can you get the needle
back for
me?" asked the king. "It is not
possible to do that,
but if Your Majesty can wait a little while,
I can
bring a hundred thousand such needles from
the
city," said the minister. "No, I am
interested only in
my own needle," said the king.
"Sir, the water is
very deep and the current is rapid. It is
absolutely
impossible for anyone to recover that
needle," said
the minister.
The king then gazed at the river and lo! a
small fish jumped out of the water, placed
the
needle that was in its mouth at the feet of
the king,
and jumped back into the river. The king
said,
"What would I do with your kingdom when
I
have now gone into the Court of the Lord who
rules over all the universe? Please go and do
whatever you like. I am not interested in
your
kingdom."
Love not this world for a single instant;
birth,
death, and return consume the body every
moment; the lure of the world enslaves body,
mind
and soul; through Knowledge some enlightened
saint obtains release. (Dadu)
21. THE IMPURE FIRE
On his journey to Rabbi Elimelekh whom--after
the death of the Great Maggid--he had chosen
for
his second teacher, young Jacob Yitzak, later
the
rabbi of Lublin, came to a little town, and in the
House of Prayer heard the rav of that place
reciting
the Morning Prayer with deep fervor. He
stayed
with him over the sabbath and noticed the
same
fervor in all he said and did. When he came
to
know him a little better, he asked him
whether he
had ever served a zaddik. The answer was
"no."
This surprised Jacob Yitzhak, for the way cannot be
learned out of a book, or from hearsay, but
can
only be communicated from person to person.
He
asked the devout rav to go to his teacher
with him,
and he agreed. But when they crossed Rabbi
Elimelekh's threshold, he did not come
forward to
meet his disciple with his customary
affectionate
greeting, but turned to the window and paid
no
attention to his visitors. Jacob Yitzhak
realized that
the rejection was directed to his companion,
took
the violently excited rav to an inn and
returned
alone. Rabbi Elimelekh advanced toward him,
greeted him fondly, and then said: "What
struck
you, my friend, to bring with you a man in
whose
face I can see the tainted image of
God?" Jacob
Yitzhak listened to these words in dismay,
but did
not venture to reply or to ask a question.
But
Rabbi Elimelekh understood what was going on
within him and continued: "You know that
there is
one place lit only by the planet Venus, where
good
and evil are blended. Sometimes a man begins
to
serve God and ulterior motives and pride
enter
into his service. Then, unless he makes a
very great
eflort to change, he comes to live in that
dim place
and does not even know it. He is even able to
exert
great fervor, for close by is the place of
the impure
fire. From there he fetches his blaze and
kindles his
service with it, and does not know from where
he
has taken the flame."
Jacob Yitzhak told the stranger the words of
Rabbi Elimelekh and the rav recognized the
truth
in them. In that very hour, he turned to God,
ran
weeping to the master, who instantly gave him
his
help, and with this help, he found the way.
22. BHAI BELLA GETS GURU GOBIND
SINGH'S GRACE
In the time of Guru Gobind Singh, the Mughals
would very often kidnap Sikh girls. Under the
circumstances, the Guru felt that the Sikhs
should
wage war in order to do away with the cruelty
which was being inflicted on them. A simple
peasant, Bhai Bella, came to the Guru and
asked
for some service.
"Do you know how to use a gun?"
asked the
Guru.
"No, sir," replied Bella.
"Can you ride a horse?"
"No, sir," was the answer.
"Well, brother, what kind of service do
you
think you can do?" asked the Guru.
"Sir, I could work in the stables and
take care
of the horses," was the reply.
"Very good, you may go to the stables
and
start your service," said the Guru.
Bhai Bella started his work and did it with
the
utmost devotion and sincerity. Within two or
three
months, the horses had all greatly improved
in
appearance and health. One day the Guru
himself
went to see the horses and was much
impressed.
"Who is responsible for making these
horses
look so well?" asked the Guru.
"Sir, it is Bhai Bella."
Turning to Bella, the Guru asked him if he
had ever had any education. "No, sir. I
have never
been to a school of any kind." "All
right, from
today you start studying and I myself will
teach
you," said the Guru.
Every morning thereafter, the Guru would
tell him one line or sentence and the rest of
the
day, Bhai Bella would repeat it with utmost
devotion.
One morning the Guru was on his way to a
battle and had no time to give a sentence to
Bella.
When the latter saw the Guru riding away, he
asked him for a new line for the day. The
Guru
smiled and said, "Oh Bhai, you do not
recognise
the proper time nor an appropriate moment.
Don't
you know where I am going?"
Bella was under the impression that this was
the sentence for the day and devotedly
repeated it
as always. All of the scholars who heard the
Guru
say this to Bhai Bella had great fun thinking
that he
was such a fool that he didn't understand
what the
Guru meant.
When the Guru returned after the battle, the
scholars asked him, "Sir, what was the
line that you
gave Bhai Bella for today?"
"I did not give him a new line
today," said
the Guru.
"But sir, he has been repeating all day
long,
'Oh Bhai, you do not recognise the proper
time
nor an appropriate moment. Don't you know
where I am going?'
When he heard this, he smiled and said,
"Such a simple soul has already received
all the
knowledge that he needs. He has earned the
Guru's
Grace." As soon as he said this, Bhai
Bella's mind
soared up into the higher spiritual realms
and he
continued to remain in communion with his
Guru
irregardless of what he was doing.
Seeing this state of his, the other disciples
were greatly annoyed and felt that that this
was
certainly not justice on the part of the Guru.
They
said,
"We have been serving the Master for
many
years and at no time has such grace been
bestowed
on us. Whereas this man, who came here only
recently, has already been the recipient of
Divine
Grace. Where is justice?"
When the Guru saw that they were all angry,
he gave them a large quantity of ganja, asked
them
to boil it in water and then told them,
"Now, each
one of you should rinse your mouth with this
until
the pot is empty."
After the pot was empty, he asked them,
"Do
any of you feel intoxicated?" "No.
How could we
feel intoxicated when none of us has
swallowed
any of it?" they replied.
"That is the answer to your
question," said
the Guru. "The Guru can give you
initiation, but if
you do not do your spiritual practice and
develop
love and faith for your Guru, you will never
make
any spiritual progress."
"Bhai Bella is a very simple man and
whatever comes out of the lips of the
Satguru, he
takes as truth and practises it with love,
faith and
devotion throughout the day and night, until
he is
given the new line the following day.
Whatever the
Guru says, it is the duty of the disciple to
carry it
out implicitly. Only such a one will receive
the
Grace of the Guru."
23. THE FAITHFUL SERVANT
It is told in the Midrash: The ministering
angels
once said to God: "You have permitted
Moses to
write whatever he wants to, so there is
nothing to
prevent him from saying to Israel: I have
given you
the Torah." God replied: "This he
would not do,
but if he did, he would still be keeping
faith with
me."
Rabbi Yitzhak of Vorki's disciples once asked
him
to interpret this. He answered by telling
them a
parable:
A merchant wanted to go on a journey. He took
on
an assistant and let him work in his shop. He
himself spent most of his time in the
adjoining
room from where he could hear what was going
on
next door. During the first year he sometimes
heard his assistant tell a customer:
"The master
cannot let this go for so low a price."
The
merchant did not go on his journey. In the
course
of the second year he occasionally heard the
voice
next door say: "We cannot let it go for
so low a
price." He postponed his journey. But in
the third
year he heard his assistant say: "I
can't let this go
for so low a price." It was then that he
started on
his journey.
24. GURU GOES TO PROSTITUTE'S HOUSE
There was a saint by the name of Nityanand
who
had many disciples each of whom wanted to be
appointed the successor. To determine which
was
the most devoted and sincere, he contrived a
test.
One day he took all of his disciples to the
town and showed them around the entire city.
Finally, the Guru took them to the street
where all
the prostitutes plied their trade. The
townspeople
as well as the disciples were wondering what
on
earth they were going to do. Having stopped
in
front of one of the houses, the Guru turned
to the
disciples and told them,
"I have some work to do here. Have no
fear.
When the work is finished, I will return to
you."
He then entered the house.
When the prostitute saw the holy man, she
bowed down to him. "Sir, it is my great
good
fortune that you have come into my humble
dwelling. Please tell me what are your
commands,"
she said.
"I wish to spend the night here. If
therefore,
you can spare me a separate room and you will
go
and sleep in another room yourself, it will
serve my
purpose. Also, please tell your servant to
bring me
a covered plate with some cooked vegetables,
bread and a bottle of syrup."
"It shall be done exactly as you
wish," said
the prostitute.
When the disciples saw the plate being
brought to their Guru with a tall bottle
prominently showing, they started to talk to
each
other.
"Oh, that we should have lived to see so
miserable a sight! Our Guru has fallen! He is
now
indulging in meat, wine and women!"
Filled with despair and convinced that their
Master had been deceiving them, all but one
of
them left the place.
The next day, the Guru came out and found
only one of his disciples there. "Where
are all the
others?" he asked.
"One left soon after you entered this
house.
One by one, they all believed the worst and
went
away," said the disciple.
"And why didn't you go away also?"
asked
the Guru.
"Sir, I have no place in this world to
go
except at your feet. Where could I go?"
Embracing the disciple, the Guru made him
the successor the next day.
25. FIRST EMPTY YOURSELF BEFORE
RECEIVING A TEACHING
There was once a monk living in a forest
ashram.
A professor of philosophy from the nearby
town
came to visit him and said, "Please tell
me
something about spirituality, about the inner
Reality, and how to attain it."
The monk said, "You look very tired
after
travelling all this way. Please rest a little
and have
some tea." The monk then went and
prepared
some tea and brought it. He put a cup in the
professor's hand and started to pour the tea
from a
pot. Even after the cup was full, he
continued to
pour while the tea was going all over the
man's
hand and onto the floor. "Stop! Stop!
Are you
mad? My cup cannot hold another drop; it is
full to
overflowing!" shouted the professor. The
monk
laughed and said, "You know well that
when the
cup is full it cannot hold anymore however
much
we try to pour into it. And even then, you
ask me
to teach you about spirituality when you are
so full
of preconceptions inside. Please come back
after
emptying your cup, for now it cannot hold
even
another drop and it would be a waste of
energy to
try pouring anything into it."
26. THE TASTE OF BANSO’S SWORD
Matajuro Yagyu was the son of a famous
swordsman. His father, believing that his
son's
work was too mediocre to anticipate
mastership,
disowned him.
Matajuro went to Mount Vutara and there found
the famous swordsman Banzo. But Banzo
confirmed the father's judgement. "You
wish to
learn swordsmanship under my guidance?"
asked
Banzo. "You cannot fulfill the
requirements."
"But if I work hard, how many years will
it take
me to become a master?" persisted the
youth.
"The rest of your life," replied
Banzo.
"I cannot wait that long,"
explained Matajuro. "I
am willing to pass through any hardship if
only you
will teach me. If I become your devoted
servant,
how long might it be?"
"Oh, maybe ten years," Banzo
relented.
"My father is getting old, and soon I
must take
care of him," continued Matajuro.
"If I work far
more intensively, how long would it take
me?"
"Oh, maybe thirty years," said
Banzo.
"Why is that?" asked Matajuro.
"First you say ten
and now thirty years. I will undergo any
hardship
to master this art in the shortest
time!"
"Well," said Banzo, "in that
case you will have to
remain with me for seventy years. A man in
such a
hurry as you are to get results seldom learns
quickly."
"Very well," declared the youth,
understanding at
last that he was being rebuked for
impatience, "I
agree.”
Matajuro was told never to speak of fencing
and
never to touch a sword. He cooked for his master,
washed the dishes, made his bed, cleaned the
yard,
cared for the garden, all without a word of
swordsmanship.
Three years passed. Still Matajuro labored
on.
Thinking of his future, he was sad. He had
not
even begun to learn the art to which he had
devoted his life.
But one day Banzo crept up behind him and
gave
him a terrific blow with a wooden sword.
The following day, when Matajuro was cooking
rice, Banzo again sprang upon him
unexpectedly.
After that, day and night, Matajuro had to
defend
himself from unexpected thrusts. Not a moment
passed in any day that he did not have to
think of
the taste of Banzo's sword.
He learned so rapidly he brought smiles to
the
face of his master. Matajuro became the
greatest
swordsman in the land.
27. MIDNIGHT EXCURSION
Many pupils were studying meditation under
the
Zen master Sengai. One of them used to arise
at
night, climb over the temple wall, and go to
town
on a pleasure jaunt.
Sengai, inspecting the dormitory quarters,
found
this pupil missing one night and also
discovered
the high stool he had used to scale the wall.
Sengai
removed the stool and stood there in its
place.
When the wanderer returned, not knowing that
Sengai was the stool, he put his feet on the
master’s head and jumped down into the
grounds.
Discovering what he had done, he was aghast.
Sengai said: "It is very chilly in the
early morning.
Do he careful not to catch cold yourself.'
The pupil never went out at night again.
28. COMPETITION AMONGST DISCIPLES
It once happened that a Master had two disciples
who were always competing with each other.
Each
wished to be the Guru's favourite disciple
and
there was no end to their competition.
One summer afternoon the Master was tired
and laid down to rest. He asked the two
disciples
to massage his legs. They were only too happy
to
do so. As soon as the Guru fell asleep, the
disciples
decided to divide the Master's body into two
different territories and so they drew a line
with
chalk down the center of his front side. The
Guru,
however, was not aware of what had happened.
He
did not know that he had become two. In his
sleep,
he placed one of his legs over the other. The
disciples started to argue. "Both of the
legs have
come over to my territory, so don't you dare
touch
either one!" said one disciple.
"What, you rascal!
How is that? The line of demarcation is still
there.
How can it be called yours? Stop interfering
with
my service!" said the other. "You
just try and
remove it and see what happens!" said
the first
disciple.
The disciples now got up and were about to
come to blows with sticks. Suddenly, hearing
the
commotion, the Guru woke up and saw the two
of
them and asked, "What is
happening?"
They said, "You need not interfere. You
can
just go back to sleep. We'll decide by
ourselves
what has to be done." Wonderful
disciples!
Om Tat Sat
(Continued...)
(My
humble salutations to Sadguru Sri Sivaya
Subramuniyaswami
ji, Hinduism Today dot com for the collection)
