Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Story 31 - Story of King Puranjana – 2
Srimad Bhagavatham - A Spiritual Insight - Story 31 - Story of King Puranjana – 2
Once there was a king named Puranjana who had a friend called Avijnaata (one who is unknown) of whom nobody knew. Puranjana restlessly traveled the planet all over to become his own man but when he could not find, he became sad. When once has going south of the Himalayas, he spotted a city with nine gates that offered him all facility. The city was beautiful with many beautiful things. As he arrived there, he all of a sudden saw a very beautiful woman surrounded by ten servants who each led a hundred of them coming towards him.
Puranjana was attracted to her and asked her as to who she is. She replied back telling that she didn’t know who she was and said that the people surrounding her were her friends. She was also attracted to him and said to him “Just be so good to stay in this city with nine gates that I have arranged for your taking pleasure in things for a hundred years”.
Narada continued:
Thus having fallen in love with one another, they as husband and wife entered that place and lived in the city enjoying their life for a hundred years. Thus he became very much attached to her & whatever she did, he also did. Thus captivated by the queen, he was cheated in all he did and was he, unwise in his blind following her after, perforce like a pet animal.
Explanation
Srimad Bhagavatham is here pointing out how a person gets affected by the biggest obstacle to spirituality called “lust” or “desire for women”. When Bhagavatham and Vedanta speak about Kamini or women, it is not just speaking about a particular gender but it is pointing out the strong attachment to opposite sex in the form of lust and passion. As Sri Ramakrishna used to say that the two main obstacles to realization are kamini (women) and kanchana (wealth or gold) which Sankara very clearly brings out in the first few slokas of Bhaja Govindam.
It is but the nature of the mind to get attracted to the opposite sex. Most of this problem arises because of getting attached to the body. The physical attraction is the main attraction towards the opposite sex. This attraction bases itself on the assumption that “I am the body”. It is only when I think that I am the body, I get attached to other bodies. Thus the root cause of this problem is considering oneself as the body even though the reality is a person is the ultimate reality of Lord or Self distinct from the illusory body. This thought that “I am the body” is due to ignorance of one’s own very nature of Consciousness or Self. Also as a result of considering the world as real, the seeker considers other beings as real. This is but another big illusion that veils the seeker and leads to him to many problems. It is when I think that the company of INFOSYS is eternally real that all problems start. There surely will be a time when either I will have to part way with the company or the company itself will come to an end (please take this in the right sense). This world and its objects are very similar to the dream world and its objects which seem to be present temporarily but ultimately don’t exist. Thus the other bodies are considered as real and given importance forgetting that they will ultimately vanish one day. Thus the attraction starts seeking pleasure or eternal happiness from the other people. This is as good as trying to seek happiness from the lover in dream.
Thus each seeker has to understand clearly that the world and its objects are mere illusions in the ultimate reality of Brahman or Lord. The world is only seemingly existent for the time being. When the realization dawns that there is no world at all, then the world itself vanishes & the seeker realizes that there is nothing but the Lord alone who is his own very nature of Consciousness.
Until this realization dawns, a seeker has to control his passions. As Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa used to tell, sexual passion and tongue are two things very tough to conquer indeed. Only when a person gets control over these passions can he concentrate towards the ultimate reality of Lord. As long as there are other things in his mind, he will not be able to concentrate on the reality. When a person is thinking about his family, he will not be able to concentrate on his work in office. Similarly unless a person makes his mind free of all other bondages, he will not be able to contemplate on the ultimate reality of Lord. The reality of Lord can be realized only through constant contemplation of the reality that “there is nothing but the Lord alone, one without a second”. Thus it is very essential that a seeker controls his passions – the passion towards women being one of the biggest hurdles to the path of realization. It is very tough indeed to control the passion of lust but it is not impossible also. If there is dispassion towards the temporary and illusory world, then the seeker will be able to contemplate on the ultimate reality knowing that the reality alone will give him eternal bliss which is being sought out.
Thus for conquering lust, the simple way is to know that the world is illusory and that the ultimate reality of Lord alone will give eternal bliss to the seeker. The passions blindfold the seeker thereby making him go towards darkness more and more. The more passion he enjoys, the more he gets entangled in them being an addict to them. Thus he will not be able to go inwards and realize his own very nature of Self or Consciousness or Lord. Thus it is very essential to conquer the lust of women in life. We will continue with the story of Puranjana as to what happened to him in the next Srimad Bhagavatham is here pointing out how a person gets affected by the biggest obstacle to spirituality called “lust” or “desire for women”. When Bhagavatham and Vedanta speak about Kamini or women, it is not just speaking about a particular gender but it is pointing out the strong attachment to opposite sex in the form of lust and passion. As Sri Ramakrishna used to say that the two main obstacles to realization are kamini (women) and kanchana (wealth or gold) which Sankara very clearly brings out in the first few slokas of Bhaja Govindam.
It is but the nature of the mind to get attracted to the opposite sex. Most of this problem arises because of getting attached to the body. The physical attraction is the main attraction towards the opposite sex. This attraction bases itself on the assumption that “I am the body”. It is only when I think that I am the body, I get attached to other bodies. Thus the root cause of this problem is considering oneself as the body even though the reality is a person is the ultimate reality of Lord or Self distinct from the illusory body. This thought that “I am the body” is due to ignorance of one’s own very nature of Consciousness or Self. Also as a result of considering the world as real, the seeker considers other beings as real. This is but another big illusion that veils the seeker and leads to him to many problems. It is when I think that the company of INFOSYS is eternally real that all problems start. There surely will be a time when either I will have to part way with the company or the company itself will come to an end (please take this in the right sense). This world and its objects are very similar to the dream world and its objects which seem to be present temporarily but ultimately don’t exist. Thus the other bodies are considered as real and given importance forgetting that they will ultimately vanish one day. Thus the attraction starts seeking pleasure or eternal happiness from the other people. This is as good as trying to seek happiness from the lover in dream.
Thus each seeker has to understand clearly that the world and its objects are mere illusions in the ultimate reality of Brahman or Lord. The world is only seemingly existent for the time being. When the realization dawns that there is no world at all, then the world itself vanishes & the seeker realizes that there is nothing but the Lord alone who is his own very nature of Consciousness.
Until this realization dawns, a seeker has to control his passions. As Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa used to tell, sexual passion and tongue are two things very tough to conquer indeed. Only when a person gets control over these passions can he concentrate towards the ultimate reality of Lord. As long as there are other things in his mind, he will not be able to concentrate on the reality. When a person is thinking about his family, he will not be able to concentrate on his work in office. Similarly unless a person makes his mind free of all other bondages, he will not be able to contemplate on the ultimate reality of Lord. The reality of Lord can be realized only through constant contemplation of the reality that “there is nothing but the Lord alone, one without a second”. Thus it is very essential that a seeker controls his passions – the passion towards women being one of the biggest hurdles to the path of realization. It is very tough indeed to control the passion of lust but it is not impossible also. If there is dispassion towards the temporary and illusory world, then the seeker will be able to contemplate on the ultimate reality knowing that the reality alone will give him eternal bliss which is being sought out.
Thus for conquering lust, the simple way is to know that the world is illusory and that the ultimate reality of Lord alone will give eternal bliss to the seeker. The passions blindfold the seeker thereby making him go towards darkness more and more. The more passion he enjoys, the more he gets entangled in them being an addict to them. Thus he will not be able to go inwards and realize his own very nature of Self or Consciousness or Lord. Thus it is very essential to conquer the lust of women in life. We will continue with the story of Puranjana as to what happened to him next.
Puranjana thus enjoyed sensual pleasures with his wife. He was also called King Panchaala (the five sense objects). He thus was fully immersed in sexual pleasure without knowing the Supreme truth and didn’t have any desire to realize the ultimate reality of Lord which is the main goal of human life.
King Chandavega (the very swiftly passing by), king belonging to the heavenly abode came through Puranjana’s kingdom and with his army of 720 attacked Puranjana. The big snake which protected the entrance to Puranjana’s kingdom (its five hoods stands for the five praanas of prana, apana, vyaana, samaana and udaana) fought with the army of Chandavega. But the snake became weaker but Puranjana as he was indulged in sensual pleasures didn’t understand the fear of having submitted himself to the control of women.
Explanation
Srimad Bhagavatham here again stresses the reality that a person should never succumb to sensual pleasures. Sensual pleasures are temporary, they don’t last long. The objects in the world are temporary – they seem to be present today and will vanish tomorrow. These temporary objects can never confer eternal bliss because the objects themselves are non-eternal. If a person expects eternal bliss from the PC, he will not get it because the PC itself is non-eternal. The PC which is seen today will surely vanish tomorrow – it just requires either a tsunami or an earthquake to wipe off the PC. Even otherwise, one day or the other, the entities in the world will surely vanish and cease to exist. That which doesn’t exist can never give happiness. The PC which is not existent cannot give happiness – such a PC can give only mental thoughts – but these mental thoughts are only imaginations and not real. Thus such imaginations are not capable of conferring eternal bliss to the seeker. It is but attachment and attraction to the worldly objects which makes a person think that these objects will confer eternal bliss. The more a person is attached and attracted to an object in the world, the more he is going to suffer because of the attachment – because that object will surely vanish one day.
Thus Vedanta proclaims that all the pleasures arising out of conjunction with the external worldly objects are temporary and a wise person never takes resort to them. Lord Krishna says thus in Gita:
Ye hi samsparsajaah bhogaah dukhayonaya eva the
Adhyanthavantha kaunteya na teshu ramathe budhah
The sensual pleasures arising out of contact with sense objects are filled with sorrow only – they are temporary and have a beginning and end – thus a person never indulges in such pleasures.
Most of the problem in life is due to attachment and aversion to things in the world. This is only because of considering the objects as real. Once a person knows that the objects in the world are temporary and illusory, he never takes resort to them. Thus he has neither attachment nor aversion to the worldly objects. Thus he doesn’t suffer because of the worldly objects. When the seeker thus realizes and understands the world to be an illusion (changing world), then he contemplates on the ultimate reality of Lord who is the only eternal entity present. Thus he always seeks the Lord instead of the worldly sense objects. Sankaracharya in his commentary on Sanatsujaatheeya says that if a person is extroverted towards sense objects, then he cannot realize the Self & if a person is contemplating on the reality of Brahman or Lord as one’s own very nature, he cannot perceive and seek the sense objects. This is because sense objects are external whereas the reality of Lord is internal – a person can never be both introverted and extroverted at the same time. A person who is introverted, seeks the Self in the heart of all beings & always worships the ultimate reality of Lord alone gets eternal bliss. A person who is running after the external sensual pleasures is bound to suffer like anything. It is but a real fact that such a person also is not really suffering but just seems to be suffering because of ignorance of his own very nature of eternal bliss. This suffering is like suffering in dream world. But until a person realizes his own very nature of Lord, he seems to suffer & considers the suffering as real. But once a person realizes his own very nature of eternal bliss, he doesn’t suffer at all because there is nothing but the Lord alone. Such a person doesn’t perceive any duality but he sees the entire world as nothing but the Lord alone. The world which is but names and forms of Lord is nothing but an illusion in the reality of Lord. When the realization of one’s own very nature of Lord dawns, the world vanishes & there is only the Lord – the Lord alone, one without a second.
Realization of the ultimate reality of Lord as one’s own very nature and as the substratum of the illusory world is the one and only way to get eternal bliss as the Lord alone is of the nature of eternal bliss. Whatever else we get in life will not give eternal bliss but it will give only temporary happiness filled with sorrow. The more a person indulges in sensual pleasure, the more he is addicted to them & the more he is immersed in the ocean of samsaara filled with sorrow and suffering. Thus a wise person instead of seeking the sensual pleasure seeks the reality of Lord through constant contemplation of the reality that “I am the Lord, there is nothing apart from the Lord & whatever is seen as different from the Lord is nothing but a mere illusion in the ultimate reality of Lord”. And through this constant contemplation, the seeker realizes his own very nature of Lord & thereby there is nothing but Lord alone, one without a second. He thus rejoices in the eternal bliss inherent in himself.
Once there was a king named Puranjana who had a friend called Avijnaata (one who is unknown) of whom nobody knew. Puranjana restlessly traveled the planet all over to become his own man but when he could not find, he became sad. When once has going south of the Himalayas, he spotted a city with nine gates that offered him all facility. The city was beautiful with many beautiful things. As he arrived there, he all of a sudden saw a very beautiful woman surrounded by ten servants who each led a hundred of them coming towards him.
Puranjana was attracted to her and asked her as to who she is. She replied back telling that she didn’t know who she was and said that the people surrounding her were her friends. She was also attracted to him and said to him “Just be so good to stay in this city with nine gates that I have arranged for your taking pleasure in things for a hundred years”.
Narada continued:
Thus having fallen in love with one another, they as husband and wife entered that place and lived in the city enjoying their life for a hundred years. Thus he became very much attached to her & whatever she did, he also did. Thus captivated by the queen, he was cheated in all he did and was he, unwise in his blind following her after, perforce like a pet animal.
Explanation
Srimad Bhagavatham is here pointing out how a person gets affected by the biggest obstacle to spirituality called “lust” or “desire for women”. When Bhagavatham and Vedanta speak about Kamini or women, it is not just speaking about a particular gender but it is pointing out the strong attachment to opposite sex in the form of lust and passion. As Sri Ramakrishna used to say that the two main obstacles to realization are kamini (women) and kanchana (wealth or gold) which Sankara very clearly brings out in the first few slokas of Bhaja Govindam.
It is but the nature of the mind to get attracted to the opposite sex. Most of this problem arises because of getting attached to the body. The physical attraction is the main attraction towards the opposite sex. This attraction bases itself on the assumption that “I am the body”. It is only when I think that I am the body, I get attached to other bodies. Thus the root cause of this problem is considering oneself as the body even though the reality is a person is the ultimate reality of Lord or Self distinct from the illusory body. This thought that “I am the body” is due to ignorance of one’s own very nature of Consciousness or Self. Also as a result of considering the world as real, the seeker considers other beings as real. This is but another big illusion that veils the seeker and leads to him to many problems. It is when I think that the company of INFOSYS is eternally real that all problems start. There surely will be a time when either I will have to part way with the company or the company itself will come to an end (please take this in the right sense). This world and its objects are very similar to the dream world and its objects which seem to be present temporarily but ultimately don’t exist. Thus the other bodies are considered as real and given importance forgetting that they will ultimately vanish one day. Thus the attraction starts seeking pleasure or eternal happiness from the other people. This is as good as trying to seek happiness from the lover in dream.
Thus each seeker has to understand clearly that the world and its objects are mere illusions in the ultimate reality of Brahman or Lord. The world is only seemingly existent for the time being. When the realization dawns that there is no world at all, then the world itself vanishes & the seeker realizes that there is nothing but the Lord alone who is his own very nature of Consciousness.
Until this realization dawns, a seeker has to control his passions. As Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa used to tell, sexual passion and tongue are two things very tough to conquer indeed. Only when a person gets control over these passions can he concentrate towards the ultimate reality of Lord. As long as there are other things in his mind, he will not be able to concentrate on the reality. When a person is thinking about his family, he will not be able to concentrate on his work in office. Similarly unless a person makes his mind free of all other bondages, he will not be able to contemplate on the ultimate reality of Lord. The reality of Lord can be realized only through constant contemplation of the reality that “there is nothing but the Lord alone, one without a second”. Thus it is very essential that a seeker controls his passions – the passion towards women being one of the biggest hurdles to the path of realization. It is very tough indeed to control the passion of lust but it is not impossible also. If there is dispassion towards the temporary and illusory world, then the seeker will be able to contemplate on the ultimate reality knowing that the reality alone will give him eternal bliss which is being sought out.
Thus for conquering lust, the simple way is to know that the world is illusory and that the ultimate reality of Lord alone will give eternal bliss to the seeker. The passions blindfold the seeker thereby making him go towards darkness more and more. The more passion he enjoys, the more he gets entangled in them being an addict to them. Thus he will not be able to go inwards and realize his own very nature of Self or Consciousness or Lord. Thus it is very essential to conquer the lust of women in life. We will continue with the story of Puranjana as to what happened to him in the next Srimad Bhagavatham is here pointing out how a person gets affected by the biggest obstacle to spirituality called “lust” or “desire for women”. When Bhagavatham and Vedanta speak about Kamini or women, it is not just speaking about a particular gender but it is pointing out the strong attachment to opposite sex in the form of lust and passion. As Sri Ramakrishna used to say that the two main obstacles to realization are kamini (women) and kanchana (wealth or gold) which Sankara very clearly brings out in the first few slokas of Bhaja Govindam.
It is but the nature of the mind to get attracted to the opposite sex. Most of this problem arises because of getting attached to the body. The physical attraction is the main attraction towards the opposite sex. This attraction bases itself on the assumption that “I am the body”. It is only when I think that I am the body, I get attached to other bodies. Thus the root cause of this problem is considering oneself as the body even though the reality is a person is the ultimate reality of Lord or Self distinct from the illusory body. This thought that “I am the body” is due to ignorance of one’s own very nature of Consciousness or Self. Also as a result of considering the world as real, the seeker considers other beings as real. This is but another big illusion that veils the seeker and leads to him to many problems. It is when I think that the company of INFOSYS is eternally real that all problems start. There surely will be a time when either I will have to part way with the company or the company itself will come to an end (please take this in the right sense). This world and its objects are very similar to the dream world and its objects which seem to be present temporarily but ultimately don’t exist. Thus the other bodies are considered as real and given importance forgetting that they will ultimately vanish one day. Thus the attraction starts seeking pleasure or eternal happiness from the other people. This is as good as trying to seek happiness from the lover in dream.
Thus each seeker has to understand clearly that the world and its objects are mere illusions in the ultimate reality of Brahman or Lord. The world is only seemingly existent for the time being. When the realization dawns that there is no world at all, then the world itself vanishes & the seeker realizes that there is nothing but the Lord alone who is his own very nature of Consciousness.
Until this realization dawns, a seeker has to control his passions. As Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa used to tell, sexual passion and tongue are two things very tough to conquer indeed. Only when a person gets control over these passions can he concentrate towards the ultimate reality of Lord. As long as there are other things in his mind, he will not be able to concentrate on the reality. When a person is thinking about his family, he will not be able to concentrate on his work in office. Similarly unless a person makes his mind free of all other bondages, he will not be able to contemplate on the ultimate reality of Lord. The reality of Lord can be realized only through constant contemplation of the reality that “there is nothing but the Lord alone, one without a second”. Thus it is very essential that a seeker controls his passions – the passion towards women being one of the biggest hurdles to the path of realization. It is very tough indeed to control the passion of lust but it is not impossible also. If there is dispassion towards the temporary and illusory world, then the seeker will be able to contemplate on the ultimate reality knowing that the reality alone will give him eternal bliss which is being sought out.
Thus for conquering lust, the simple way is to know that the world is illusory and that the ultimate reality of Lord alone will give eternal bliss to the seeker. The passions blindfold the seeker thereby making him go towards darkness more and more. The more passion he enjoys, the more he gets entangled in them being an addict to them. Thus he will not be able to go inwards and realize his own very nature of Self or Consciousness or Lord. Thus it is very essential to conquer the lust of women in life. We will continue with the story of Puranjana as to what happened to him next.
Puranjana thus enjoyed sensual pleasures with his wife. He was also called King Panchaala (the five sense objects). He thus was fully immersed in sexual pleasure without knowing the Supreme truth and didn’t have any desire to realize the ultimate reality of Lord which is the main goal of human life.
King Chandavega (the very swiftly passing by), king belonging to the heavenly abode came through Puranjana’s kingdom and with his army of 720 attacked Puranjana. The big snake which protected the entrance to Puranjana’s kingdom (its five hoods stands for the five praanas of prana, apana, vyaana, samaana and udaana) fought with the army of Chandavega. But the snake became weaker but Puranjana as he was indulged in sensual pleasures didn’t understand the fear of having submitted himself to the control of women.
Explanation
Srimad Bhagavatham here again stresses the reality that a person should never succumb to sensual pleasures. Sensual pleasures are temporary, they don’t last long. The objects in the world are temporary – they seem to be present today and will vanish tomorrow. These temporary objects can never confer eternal bliss because the objects themselves are non-eternal. If a person expects eternal bliss from the PC, he will not get it because the PC itself is non-eternal. The PC which is seen today will surely vanish tomorrow – it just requires either a tsunami or an earthquake to wipe off the PC. Even otherwise, one day or the other, the entities in the world will surely vanish and cease to exist. That which doesn’t exist can never give happiness. The PC which is not existent cannot give happiness – such a PC can give only mental thoughts – but these mental thoughts are only imaginations and not real. Thus such imaginations are not capable of conferring eternal bliss to the seeker. It is but attachment and attraction to the worldly objects which makes a person think that these objects will confer eternal bliss. The more a person is attached and attracted to an object in the world, the more he is going to suffer because of the attachment – because that object will surely vanish one day.
Thus Vedanta proclaims that all the pleasures arising out of conjunction with the external worldly objects are temporary and a wise person never takes resort to them. Lord Krishna says thus in Gita:
Ye hi samsparsajaah bhogaah dukhayonaya eva the
Adhyanthavantha kaunteya na teshu ramathe budhah
The sensual pleasures arising out of contact with sense objects are filled with sorrow only – they are temporary and have a beginning and end – thus a person never indulges in such pleasures.
Most of the problem in life is due to attachment and aversion to things in the world. This is only because of considering the objects as real. Once a person knows that the objects in the world are temporary and illusory, he never takes resort to them. Thus he has neither attachment nor aversion to the worldly objects. Thus he doesn’t suffer because of the worldly objects. When the seeker thus realizes and understands the world to be an illusion (changing world), then he contemplates on the ultimate reality of Lord who is the only eternal entity present. Thus he always seeks the Lord instead of the worldly sense objects. Sankaracharya in his commentary on Sanatsujaatheeya says that if a person is extroverted towards sense objects, then he cannot realize the Self & if a person is contemplating on the reality of Brahman or Lord as one’s own very nature, he cannot perceive and seek the sense objects. This is because sense objects are external whereas the reality of Lord is internal – a person can never be both introverted and extroverted at the same time. A person who is introverted, seeks the Self in the heart of all beings & always worships the ultimate reality of Lord alone gets eternal bliss. A person who is running after the external sensual pleasures is bound to suffer like anything. It is but a real fact that such a person also is not really suffering but just seems to be suffering because of ignorance of his own very nature of eternal bliss. This suffering is like suffering in dream world. But until a person realizes his own very nature of Lord, he seems to suffer & considers the suffering as real. But once a person realizes his own very nature of eternal bliss, he doesn’t suffer at all because there is nothing but the Lord alone. Such a person doesn’t perceive any duality but he sees the entire world as nothing but the Lord alone. The world which is but names and forms of Lord is nothing but an illusion in the reality of Lord. When the realization of one’s own very nature of Lord dawns, the world vanishes & there is only the Lord – the Lord alone, one without a second.
Realization of the ultimate reality of Lord as one’s own very nature and as the substratum of the illusory world is the one and only way to get eternal bliss as the Lord alone is of the nature of eternal bliss. Whatever else we get in life will not give eternal bliss but it will give only temporary happiness filled with sorrow. The more a person indulges in sensual pleasure, the more he is addicted to them & the more he is immersed in the ocean of samsaara filled with sorrow and suffering. Thus a wise person instead of seeking the sensual pleasure seeks the reality of Lord through constant contemplation of the reality that “I am the Lord, there is nothing apart from the Lord & whatever is seen as different from the Lord is nothing but a mere illusion in the ultimate reality of Lord”. And through this constant contemplation, the seeker realizes his own very nature of Lord & thereby there is nothing but Lord alone, one without a second. He thus rejoices in the eternal bliss inherent in himself.
# posted by vedanta : 9:53 AM
