Story
of a Wise Brahman
(A
story from Upanishads )
In
ancient India there lived a famous pious Brahman who was god fearing and lived
in a hut in a forest. The Brahmin, a cartman too, was known for his good deeds. At
that time, in India, there lived a king named Janashruti . He ruled over the
kingdom of Mahabrisha (meaning the big bull). He was compassionate, caring and a
generous ruler. He built rest houses for travellers along the roadside,
distributed free food to the poor and needy, built hospitals for the sick and
old and he taxed his subjects fairly. The king was pleased with himself for
having done so much for his kingdom.
One
evening while he was resting and relaxing on the patio of his palace he saw two
parrots flying over him and conversing.
"Be
careful while passing over the King’s palace" one of them said. "The
glow of his fame may burn you to ashes."
"You
must be joking" replied the partner, "As if the King is greater than
the pious Brahmin living in the!"
The
king understood their conversation and became thoughtful.
"Who
is this pious Brahmin?" The king wondered about. "How could he earn
more merit than me?"
Now,
the King felt restless and could not sleep for the rest of the night.
The
following morning, when the king woke up he was annoyed and angry.
"Stop
all empty praises for me. I am not worthy of it."
The
king's attendants were bewildered and baffled.
"What
happened Maharaj?" asked the attendant.
The
king told him about the parrot’s conversation he had overheard.
"Now
go and seek out the Brahmin," the King ordered, "He is the most pious
of all men."
A
massive search was soon launched to locate the. Many days had passed and
finally they were told by a peasant that Brahmin was a cart-man in their
village. All the kings’ men then saw the Brahmin, a poor cart driver, sitting
on the ground and engaged in his own thought.
"Our
king wishes to meet you" said an attendant.
"Well,
here I am," said the Brahmin without budging from his place. "The
king can come here if he wants to see me."
The
attendants were surprised. "What does our king seek from this ordinary
man?"
The
king was pleased to hear that the Brahmin was finally found. He ordered to make
preparations to leave for the Brahmin’s village the next morning.
The
King took with him an army of men with impressive presents of hundreds of cows,
an expensive gold necklace and a chariot for the Brahmin.
Upon
arriving at the village, the King introduced himself and said, "I have
heard a great deal about you. I am told that you are one of the rarest people
who has the personal experience of Brahman."
The
king told the Brahmin, "I will give you all that you desire, and in return
I ask you to give me the supreme
knowledge of Brahman."
The
Brahman smiled. "So you want to buy the divine knowledge!"
Then
he told the king, "Oh ignorant king! The knowledge of Brahman cannot be
purchased. It is not a thing that can be sheared like that. You are not yet ready
to receive the supreme knowledge. Go home." The disappointed king returned
to his palace. He was sad, always wondering, "What do I lack?"
His
sadness and sincere anxiety to know Brahman, made him humble. His ego
disappeared and the King became a different person in just a few weeks. He then
decided to go to Brahman once again.
Upon
reaching the village, the king could not help himself. He went to the Brahman
and requested to impart him the knowledge of Brahman.
"Enlighten
me" the king cried out "I have no peace. Your knowledge has more
richness than my kingdom. Please give me a part of it. This time the Brahman saw
that the king had lost all his vanity and the genuine desire for knowledge was
evident. He picked up the king and said, "I bless you, O virtuous king.
All the knowledge that is mine will now be yours as well."
The
Brahman then drew the king close to him and spoke at length, "The supreme
knowledge cannot be imbibed unless one has shed one's ego. Only the humble can recognize
the Brahman. Now that you attained the humility, come with me and I will share
with you whatever I have about the knowledge of our creator."
So
saying the Brahman accepted the king as his disciple. The king could realize
that Brahman was poor but spiritually rich. As time passed by, the king dedicated
his job of royalty as a service to Brahman without taking the credit of his
personal achievements.
