Spiritual stories
(Volume 1)
Behold, o king! Behold'
Once aking asked a yogi to impart Knowledge to him in one word. The yogi said, "All sight; you will get knowledge in one word." After a while a magician come to the king. The king saw the magician moving two of his fingers rapidly and heard him exclaim, " Behold, O king, Behold. The kiing looked at him amazed when, after a few minutes, he saw the two fingers becoming one . The magician moved that one finger rapidly and said, "Behold, O King! Behold. "
The implication of the story is that Brahman and the Primal Energy at first appear to be two. But after attaining knowledge of Brahman one does not see the two. Then ther is no differentiation; it is One. without a second -Advaita- non-duality.
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The snake with two conflicting heads
There was a snake in the forest which was leaving a carefree life until one day,
it's tail said:
- Hey, snake head! Why is it that you are always moving forward and I can only follow
behind? This is not fair!
- Snake tail, I have eyes, so of course I take the lead in going forward. How could you be
moving forward?
- If not for the motion of my tail, how could you move forward?
- I go wherever I please. You cannot do anything about it.
- Move by yourself if you are able to! and the tail coiled itself around a tree.
- Disgusting! I am determined to move away. And started pulling hard. Whoosh! Whoosh!
No way out! I really cannot move. You win! I am not going to contend with you. You can
take the lead in moving forward. As a result the snake tail very haughtily moved forward
and felt very conceited. However, it did not have eyes and could not see where it was
going. In the end, the snake fell to its death in the ravine.
The disciple who painted 2 similar paintings
Once upon a time, a guru asked his disciple to paint two similar paintings on to separate sheets of paper. He was then ordered to go to the city and hang the painting on a wall, together with a marker and the following inscription: "Please mark the painting where you like it most." In the evening he went to bring the painting and found out it was covered with marks. "Everyone like my painting!" thought the disciple who became suddenly very pleased that his training had been so successful.
The next morning, the guru requested his disciple to hang the other painting in the same fashion, but this time with this instruction: "mark places you don’t like" In the evening the disciple discovered the painting was also full of marks, and he became very sad. The guru then told: "Never mind, yesterday you were happy and today you are sad, and both paintings are the same" The disciple then realized it was futile to pay attention to other’s praise and criticism, and that he should just do what he had to do the best way he could.
How Rama ate and threw out 3 fishes
Some disciples of Rama were fighting about whether they could eat fish or not (Bengalis are fond of eating fish). Some were saying: we should not eat fish because Rama told us not to, and the others were telling: everything is Brahma anyway so it doesn't make any differences. Rama was overhearing their conversation and brought them on the beach. Then He put his hand inside the water and took of a fish and immediately ate it. He ate in this way three fishes in front of the disciples who were delighted to see their master eating fish: Now we can eat fish also like Him!
And Rama said OK if you can do like me: and He threw out the three fishes alive from his mouth in the water.
The friend who said 'We are lost! did not know that there is a God who is our Protector. The friend who asked the others to pray to God was a jnani. He was aware that God is the Creator, Preserver and Destroyer of the world. The third friend, who didn't want to trouble God with prayers and suggested climbing the tree, had ecstatic love of God. It is the very nature of such love that it makes a man think himself stronger than his Beloved. He is always alert lest his Beloved should suffer. The one desire of his is to keep his Beloved from even being picked in the foot by a thorn.
The robbers are the 3 gunas
Once a man was going through a forest, when three robbers fell upon him and robbed his possessions. One robber said, "What's the use of keeping this man alive? " So saying, he was about to kill him with his sword, when the second robber interrupted him, saying: " Oh! No! What is the use of killing him? Tie his hand and foot and leave him here." The robbers bound his hands and feet and went away. After a while the third robber returned and said to the man: " Ah, I am sorry. Are you hurt? I will release you from your bonds. " After setting the man free, the thief said: "Come with me. I will take you to the public high way." After a long time they reached the road. At this the man said: " Sir, you have been very good to me. Come with me to my house. " " Oh, No!" The robber replied. " I can't go there. The police will know it. "
This world itself is the forest. The three robbers prowling here are sattva, rajas, and tamas. It is they that rob a man of the Knowledge of Truth. Tama wants to destroy him. Raja binds him to the world. But sattva rescues him from the clutches of rajas and tamas. Under the protection of sattva, man is rescued from anger, passion and other evil effects of tamas. Further, sattva loosens the bonds of the world. But sattva also is a robber. It cannot give man the ultimate Knowledge of Truth, though it shows him the road leading to the Supreme Abode of God. Setting him on the path, sattva tells him: "Look yonder. There is your home. " Even sattva is far away from the knowledge of Brahman.
What is it you are disputing about ? » They told him everything and asked him to arbitrate. The man said : « None of you has seen the elephant. The elephant is not like a pillar, its legs are like pillars. It is not like a winnowing basket, its ears are like winnowing baskets. It is not like a stout club, its trunk, is like a club. The elephant is the combination of all these -legs, ears, belly, trusk and so on »
In the same manner, those who quarrel about the nature of God have each seen only some one aspect of the Deity..
The pot full of cow-dung is also Brahma
A king was once taught by his Guru the sacred doctrine of Advaita, which declares that the whole universe is Brahman. The king was very much pleased with this doctrine. Going in, he said to his queen : « There is no distinction between the queen and the queen’s maid servant. So the maid servant shall be my queen henceforth. » The queen was thunderstruck at this mad proposal of her lord. She sent for the Guru and complained to him in a piteous tone, « Sir, look at the pernicious result of your teachings, « and told him what had occurred. The Guru consoled the queen and said, « When you serve dinner to the king today, have a pot full of cow-dung also served along with the dish of rice. « At dinner time the Guru and the king sat down together to eat. Who could imagine the rage of the king when he saw a dish of cow-dung served for his meal. The Guru, seeing this, calmly interrogated : « Your Highness, you are well versed in the knowledge of Advaita. Why do you then see any distinction between the dung and the rice ? « The king became exasperated and exclaimed, « You who pride yourself to be such a great Advaitin, eat this dung if you can. « The Guru said, « Very well, « And at once changed himself to a swine and devoured the cow-dung with great gusto and afterwards again assumed his human shape. The king became so ashamed that he never made again his mad proposal to the queen.
The man who slept through the show
Once a man went to a certain place to see a theatrical performance, carrying a mat under his arm. Hearing that it would be some time before the performance began, he spread the mat on the floor and fell asleep. When he woke up all was over. Then he returned home with the mat under his arm!
The holy man who ate with Vishnu as a dog
There was a holy man who used to live in a state of ecstasy and would not speak with any one. He was regarded as a lunatic. One day having begged some food in the village, he took his seat by the side of a dog and fell to eating. A strange sight now presented itself and attracted a crowd of spectators, for the holy man would put one morsel into his own mouth and the next into that of the dog, so that the man and the beast went on eating together like a pair of friends. Some of the spectators began to laugh at the holy man as being a mad fellow. Thereupon he said,
" Why do you laugh?
Vishnu is seated with Vishnu;
Vishnu is feeding Vishnu;
Why do you laugh, O Vishnu?
Whatever is, is Vishnu."
I prayed to Divine Mother only for love. I offered flowers at Her Lotus Feet and said with folded hands: " O Mother, here is Thy ignorance and here is Thy Knowledge; take them both and give me pure love for Thee. Here is thy holiness and here is Thy unholiness; take them both and give me pure love for Thee. Here is Thy virtue and here is Thy sin; here is Thy good and here is Thy evil; take them both and give me pure love for Thee. Here is Thy dharma and here is Thy adharma; take them both and give me love for Thee."
The sage, the thief, the drunkard and the saint
Once a sage was lying by the roadside deeply immersed in Samadhi. A thief while passing by that way, saw him and thought: " This fellow here must be a thief. He must have broken into some houses last night, and is now sleeping through exhaustion. The police will be very soon here to catch him. So let me escape in time. " Thus cogitating he ran away. Soon after, a drunkard came there, and seeing the sage, said: " Halloo! you have fallen into the ditch by drinking too much. He! I am steadier than yourself and am not going to tumble down. " last of all there came a sage, and realizing that a great saint was lying in the state of Samadhi, sat down by his side and began to stroke his holy feet gently.
Thus our worldly tendencies prevent us from recognizing true holiness and piety.
give the dog a good beating at times
There was a man who had a pet dog. He used to caress it, carry it about in his arms, play with it and kiss it. A wise man, seeing this foolish behavior of his, warned him not to lavish such affection on a dog. For it was, after all, an irrational brute, and might bite him one day. The owner took the warning to heart and putting the dog away from his arms, resolved never again to fondle it or to caress it. But the animal could not first understand the change in his master, and would run to him frequently to be taken up and caressed. Beaten several times, the dog at last ceased to trouble his master any more.
Such indeed is everybody's condition. The dog you have been cherishing (i.e., lust ) so long in your bosom will not easily leave you, though you may wish to be rid of it. However, there is no harm in it. Do not caress the dog any more, but give it a good beating whenever it approaches you to be fondled, and in course of time you will altogether free from its importunities.
The King of Bokhara
Ibrahim Adham, the king of Bokhara was very fond of Parmatth, or the spiritual way of life, and was always seeking the company of the Sages and the Saints. However, he lived in such luxury that he slept in a bed that had a maund and quarter of flowers laid on it all the time. one day, when he was going to this bed, he heard a noise on his palace roof and, on investigation, saw two men roaming about on the roof.
"What are you doing here?" He asked them sharply.
"Sir, we are camel drivers, and are searching for our lost camels," they
repolid. Amazed at their stupidity, the king said scornfully:
"How could you ever expect to dind camels on the top of a palace?"
"In the same way that you are trying to realize God in your bed of flower,"was
the reply.
This greatly shocked the king and completely changed his way of life. He abandoned his
throne and started to see much more of the Saints and Saged in his own kingdom; but
without satisfaction. Thereafter, he went to India and after making a thorough search, was
still unsuccessful until he reached Banarasi. There he heard of Kabir Sahib, the weaver
Saint. As both he and Kabir were Mohammedans, he thought it would be well for him to stay
with Kabir Sahib.
Accordingly, he asked Kabir Sahib to accept him as his disciple. Kabir Sahib replied:
"There is nothing in common between a king and a poor weaver like myself, and two
such different persons could hardly get on together."
But the king pleaded with him, saying:
"Idid not come to your door as a king, but as a beggar. Again I beg of you to dindly
give me the boon for which Ik am seeking."
Loi, the wife of Kabir Sahib, also askedher husband to accept him; and the Saint gave in
to her request.
In a weaaver's house, the only work that could be done by the king was that of a
menial-cleaning the woof and the warp, and washing the yarn and the thrad. Six years
passed by, and the king did this work without a murmur throughout these years. One day Mai
Loi entreated Kabir Sahib , 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. Because of all this, he appears to be highly deserving."
Kabir Sahib told his wife:
"As far as I can see, the king's mind is not yet crystal clear."
Mai Loi again entreated, and reminded Kabir Sahib that what the king had done was a
tremendous service to them; and that she could not even for a moment believe that he was
not deserving of Initiation. Kabir Sahib 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."
Mai Loi did as she was asked, and as the serrpings fell on the head of the king of
Bokhara, he looked up and sighed:
"if only this were Bokhare, you would not have dared do this to me."
Mai Loi returned to Kabir Sahib and repeated wht the king had said.
"Didn't I tell you that the king was not yeet fully deserning of the great Gift of
Man?" Kabir Sahib said.
So another six years passed by, during which the king worked as hard as he had during the
first six years.
One day Kabir Sahib said to his wife:
"The vessel is now completely ready to receive the Nectar."
Mai Loi told him:
"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 we had a large number of Sadhus in the house and there was nothing left for
us to eat."
Kabir Sahib told her:
"If y ou want to see the difference, you may once again throw the refuse and rubbish
swept up from the house on the king's head.:
The next day, when the king was passsing the house, she did exactly as she was asked. On
receiving this "gift", the king looked up and said:
"May you, the doer of this, live long. This mind was still full of ego and self. It
had to be treated this way."
Again Mai Loi related the kin'gs words to her husband. This time Kabir Sahib told her:
"The king now deserves the great treasure of Man."
As Kabir Sahib then gazed on the king, the king's soul swiftly ascended, traversed the
upper realms and ultimately merged in the Supreme Being.
Who has put you in bondage?
Sengcan, the third patriarch of Zen spread the rain of truth. One day a young monk came to him. The monk asked him: "I beg you, master, to show your compassion and lead me to the dharma-gate of liberation. "Who has put you in bondage?" answered the master. The monk kept silent for a while and then said: "Nobody has put me in bondage." Sengcan then told him: "Since nobody has put you in bondage, it means you are free already. Why should you continue to seek liberation?" The monk became enlightened upon hearing these words. He succeeded Sengcan to become Fourth Patriarch Daoxin.
To express Brahma the silence is better than sutras
Once a devout man sent his two sons to a Guru to learn the knowledge of Brahma. After a few years they returned home. The father questioned the boys on what they had learned. He asked the older boy, "My child, you have studied all the scriptures. Tell me, what is the nature of Brahma." The boy began to recite many slokas and sutras form the scriptures. Then the father asked the younger child the same question, but the boy remained silent and stood with his eyes cast down. No word escaped from his lips. The father was pleased and said. "My child you have understood a little of Brahma. What It is cannot be expressed in words."
How the lady who recovered her sight found ecstasy in the soap bubbles
In USA recently it was reported the case of a woman who had been blind all life, and who was operated when a new laser technology appeared, and successfully recovered her sight. She described her feeling afterwards, and she could not help watching this incredibly beautiful soap bubbles with all their colors and lightness, as she was washing the dishes, and she was entering in a sort of ecstasy, lost in this beautiful experience of sight.
Suggested comment:
Usually people enjoy when sight more stimulated, movie, art, scenery, etc...
For this lady, washing dishes is a great stimulation, compare to nothing before.
The more your get stimulated, the more stimulation you need to enjoy.
In the beginning excitement, then not so much, looking for something else
drug problem : materialistic society push people to buy stimulation, presented as the only way to get happiness, but not true.
Ananda Marga does the opposite: it offers destimulation by meditation and service. After cleaning the mental plate in this way, it becomes easy to enjoy all simple things of life (eating, washing dishes, etc...)
In Sweden training center, brothers were fighting for cleaning the toilets. Not only enjoying it, but also because seeing this most neglected task, as a divine service and an opportunity for spiritual growth.
In long meditation seminar, it's a fight to sit for two hours, because the mind is addicted to external stimulation. To stay long time in meditation one has to find joy from inside. So try to do more long meditation and service and you will certainly fell more bliss in your life.
Lord Buddha
Lord Buddha was a pleasure loving young prince in a palace so luxurious that it was even air-conditioned with perfumed winds fanned through cool fountains, to banish the heat of summer from those delightful halls. He never thought about the nature of life; he merely enjoyed all the sense pleasure life could offer, day after day, throughout his youth. His father, remembering the astrologers prediction that his son would either become a world ruler or a great spiritual master, tried to keep him from knowing the existence of sorrow; he never let him leave those pleasure-charmed confines of the palace. But one day Lord Buddha left the palace without telling his father, and drove into the town in his chariot. On the way he passed an old man, bent double, toothless, hobbling along on his cane. Lord Buddha asked his charioteer what this was. The charioteer answered, " That is an old man, my Lord." " Will I also become like this? ""Yes, Master, old age comes to all people." Soon he passed a diseased man and Later a corpse and was told in each case that all these conditions would one day come to him also they were the lot of all humanity. Finally the Buddha met a monk who had renounced all attachment of the world and he realized that this was his path, that he must leave the illusory and short-lived sensory pleasures of this youth and journey along the difficult road to Truth. He left his family, his wealth, his kingdom, and set forth alone, without any possessions, to become ultimately, the Enlightened one.
How the old weaver was saved « by the will of God »
A devout old weaver was sitting under a tree one day thinking of God, when a band of robbers who had just robbed a house came up and forced him to carry their stolen goods. Suddenly the police arrived and the robbers ran away. The police arrested the weaver and threw him in jail. The next day they brought him to trial to make his statement. "Your honor" He said, "By the will of God I was sitting under a tree last night and by the will of God a band of robbers passed by and put a load on my head. By the will of God the police arrived and arrested me and put me in jail for the night, and by the will of God I was brought before you today." The judge realized that the old man was a great devotee of God and released him. On his way home the weaver said to his family, " By the will of God, they released me."
The monk who carried the girl across the stream
The jananese Zen master Tanzan and the monk Ekido come across a beautiful girl who
was unable to cross a stream. The master said:
- I will carry you across the stream
- Master, thank-you and farewell! said the girl.
The two of them continued walking for half the day... finally Ekido said:
-We monks do not go near women, right? Why did you do that earlier?
-Er, what woman are referring to? I put her down long ago. Are you still carrying her?
Save a Rembrandt or a cat?
One famous sculptor was asking to an audience :" If your house is burning with inside a very famous Rembrandt painting and a small house cat. Which one would you save first? The answer is the cat.
Try not to be concern is also a concern
One day a man asked the Zen master Zhaozhou.
- If one can attain the state of not being concerned about anything, what then?
-Not to be concerned about what?
- Not to be concerned about a thing.
- Isn't this still concern?
The crow who repeated Rama’s name
Rama and Lakshmana visited Pampa Lake. Lakshmana saw a crow very eager for water. Again and again it went to the edge of the water but would not drink. Lakshmana asked Rama about it. Rama said:" Brother, this crow is a great devotee of God. Day and night it repeats the name of Rama. Its throat is parched with thirst, but still it won't drink for fear of missing a repetition of Rama's name."
The yogi who saved a scorpion again and again
Once while a yogi was bathing in the ocean, a scorpion crawling along the
sand verby was swept into the water by a large wave. To save it from
drowning, the yogi reached out and carried the scorpion to dry land: but
as he did so the scorpion stung him. Another wave carried the scorpion into
the ocean, and again the yogi saved him--and again he was stung. A third
wave, and a third time the yogi, this time with a red and swollen hand,
came to its rescue. A passerby, watching the scene cried in amazement, "Why
do you keep saving it when it keeps stinging you. Have you no sense?" The
yogi smiled and replied, "It is the dharma of the scorpion to sting and the
dharma of the yogi to serve. He is merely following his dharma and I am
following mine."
stick to the well you are dinging
Once upon a time a man wanted to sink a well and someone advised him to dig in a certain spot, and he did so. But after sinking fifteen cubits, when he found no water coming out, he got disgusted. In the meantime another man came and laughing at his foolish attempt advised him to dig in another spot which he knew to be the best . So the man went and resumed his labor there. This time he went down twenty cubits, but no water was found. A third man come and asked him to try in another and better place which he would point out to him. He followed and a certain spot was shown to him. He went on sinking and sinking till thirty cubits were reached and in utter disgust he was going to give up the task, when a fourth man came up to him, smiling sweetly and said," My child, you have labored much indeed, but being misdirected all these labors have been of no use to you. Very well, kindly follow me and I will take you to a spot where if you only touch your spade to the ground, water will flow out in torrents. " The temptation was too much for him and so he followed this fourth man and did according to his advice. He went on digging expecting every moment the gushing out of water, till he patiently sank twenty cubits, but alas! no water came. Then utterly discouraged he gave up the task altogether. By this time he had sunk eighty -five cubits. But if he had the patience and perseverance to sink half the number of cubits in one place, he would surely have been successful.
Similarly, men who cannot stick to their religion, and always hastily court one religion after another, at last turn out to be atheists in their old age, giving up religion altogether.
The man who helped the villagers not to fear pumpkins
Once a pilgrim chanced upon a land during his travels. All the people of that land welcomed him. Soon he was invited in the field where one of the main food sources was grown. However they suddenly pointed at a strange orange ball and said fearfully, " This is the demon" and acted strangely towards it. Seeing this the visitor recognized a pumpkin and resolved to gel them. So he said 'Look at me. I will tame the demon." He took a knife, cut the pumpkin and ate it. At this the villagers looked at him with fear and reaching for hoes and forks drove him out of the land. He was lucky to get out alive. Another visitor came a year later and was similarly welcomed. Upon realizing the nature of the predominant fear and superstition he resolved to help. He did not say a thing but lived with the people for many years and thus changed their minds gradually and taught them how to cultivate the pumpkin.
the child who gives the gems to the man who doesn’t ask
A child is sitting with gems in the skirt of his cloth. Many a person passes by him along the road. Many of them pray to him for gems. But he hides the gem with his hands and says turning away his face, " No, I will not give any away. " But another man comes along. He does not ask for the gems, and yet the child runs after him and offers him the gems, begging him to accept them.
I want to know what I am
In the beginning was an infinite ocean of perfect peace. Then a wave arose in that ocean, and that wawe was the question, "I want to know what I am." From that wave sprayed millions of tiny droplets, each bearing the question, "I want to know what I am." But over time those droplets forgot the last part of the question, and became obsessed withe desire:"I want, I want, I WANT." Until finally, gradually, they began to remember the whole question: I WANT TO KNOW WHAT I AM."
The dust flew in from outside
One day the great Zen master Zhaozhou was sweeping the courtyard. One disciple came
and asked the master:
-- There is dust even in a Buddhist place of purity?
- The dust flew in from outside.
- Another disciple came and asked: There is dust even in a Buddhist place of
purity?
- Ah, another piece of dust has flown in here.
Count not leaves, eat mangoes
Two friends went into an orchard. One of them possessing much worldly wisdom, immediately began to count the mango trees there and the number of leaves and mangoes each tree bore, to estimate what might be the approximate value of the whole orchard. His companion however went to the owner, made friendship with him, and then, quietly going to a tree, began, at his host's desire, to pluck the fruits and eat them. Whom do you consider to be the wiser of the two? Eat mangoes! It will satisfy your hunger. What is the good of counting the trees and leaves and making calculations?
The vain man of intellect busies himself uselessly with finding out the ' why ' and 'wherefore' of creation, while the humble man of wisdom makes friends with the Creator and enjoys His gift of supreme bliss.
How a Saddhu ate and offered his own excrement to the chief of police
this is the true story of a naked Saddhu in Benares. The chief of police ordered his arrest and he was put in jail. The next day the guards saw Him outside the cell meditating. When he was brought to the court room he said that every thing was equal for him and that's why he didn't bother wearing clothes. The cunning chief of police then brought a dish of raw beef and said: then you can also eat my food. The Saddhu said yes, but only if you first eat my food, and he defecated in the court and ate a piece of it and with his hand offered some shit to the chief of police, who surrendered in front of the greatness of the Saddhu and immediately ordered his release. after he left the court someone smelled the excrement and found a Rasagulla smell!
Elder the pumpkin cutter.
You must have seen the sort of elderly man who lives in a family and is always ready day and night, to entertain the children. He sits in the parlor and smokes the hubble-bubble. With nothing in particular to do, he leads a lazy life. Now and again he goes to the inner court and cuts a pumpkin; for since women do not cut pumpkins, they send the children to ask him to come and do it. This is the extent of his usefulness-hence his nickname, 'Elder, the pumpkin cutter.'
He is neither a man of the world nor a devotee of God. That is not good.
Equalization of samskaras
Baba performed a demonstration in Ranchi of this equalization of samskaras. He asked two sadhakas to sit in meditation and withdrew from their minds the individual samskaras which made them different from each other. Now their bodies were different but their samskaras were the same. He said, "If the same samskaras are in two bodies, they cannot live in two separate entities; they want to be fused into one." Soon, the two sadhakas began to be attracted toward each other. They moved across the floor until they embraced each other so tightly that it was difficult to separate them. They lay unconscious in each other’s arms. Baba said, "If I let them remain much longer in this state, they will merge into one entity, they won't be able to maintain two separate existence." So He infused the vrtti of anger in one person and the vrtti of shame in another. Gradually they moved apart and sat in meditation.
Initiation of Ram Mohan Roy
The great indian intellectual, Ram Mohan Roy, had sought the Truth in thousands of scriptures which he had even traveled as far as Tibet to read. But he was always unfulfilled, always searching. One day as he was walking down a country road, a common peasant passed him and said in a friendly voice, "where are you going?" and handed him a leaf. The peasant's use of the familiar "you" form irritated Ram Mohan and he walked home with the leaf still in his hand, thinking about the insolence of the man. When he arrived home he glanced at the leaf he had been carrying unconsciously and saw written on it a mantra. His Guru had come in the form of that simple peasant whom he had resented so, to initiate him with his own special mantra. With great sincerity Ram Mohan practiced sadhana with that mantra and after some time he attained realization of the Truth.
How Bharat became attached to a fawn
Once there lived a great king named Bharat who in his old age felt it was time to leave the world, become a hermit in the jungle, and prepare for his death. Without any sorrow or attachment he left his kingdom, his wife and family, and journeyed to the forest. For many days he absorbed his mind in deep meditation and began to shed all bondage: he was approaching the state of absolute liberation. One day while sitting beside the river, he saw a sudden drama unfold before him: a tiger was chasing a doe heavy with child. In great panic the doe jumped the river to escape the tiger, but with her weight could not cross it. She fell in the water and at that very moment she gave birth to her fawn. The mother dear drowned, but the little dear floated kicking and crying down the river, past the old saintly king. The king, in his great compassion, reached down and saved the fawn. He dried it off and warm it before his fire and gave it food. From that time the little fawn lived with the king and played near his hut. The king came to love him as his own child, and even worried anxiously when the little fawn did not return at nightfall. The great renunciate who left his family and kingdom without a backward glance gradually became attached to a tiny fawn. The weeks passed and death approached the old king. He sat down in sadhana and withdrew his mind from his body to absorb his mind in that infinite 'consciousness at the moment of death, that he might attain liberation. But as he concentrated his mind on the Supreme, a sudden thought flashed in his mind: "But when I die, who will take care of my beloved little fawn?" With this thought filling his mind, he died. And in his next life he became a deer. But this deer was jatismara or "birth rememberer"- he remembered well why he had become a deer. He always grazed near the ashrams of saints where he could hear their kiirtan and feel the blissful vibration of their meditations.
When this deer body died, he was born in a Brahmin family as a deaf-mute. This life time, he was determined not to become attached to the old in any way. Though his relatives mocked and scorned him he was unaffected and sat alone, refusing ever to speak, engrossing his mind in thoughts of the Supreme until he finally got liberation.