MAHABHARATA SERIES BOOK#2: The Seeds of War (Mba)

by Ashok K. Banker

  Ashtaka asked: ‘When the soul taking rebirth clings to the semen of men and merges with the embryo, does it retain the ability to take its old form or must it always assume a new form? Tell us more about the process by which karma is fulfilled and souls take rebirth. These things fascinate us!’

  ‘They do! Tell us all you know!’ said another voice, sounding greedy for knowledge. Yayati had begun to recognize other faces now in the swirling smoke, and a few reappeared more often than others. He still found their ability to appear in one place and then another almost immediately, quite disconcerting, but he had come to regard them as friendly creatures that meant him no harm. He doubted very much if they were substantial enough to actually take hold of him physically let alone harm him. And clearly all they desired was to hear him talk of such esoteric things, which he was quite glad to do.

  ‘The form taken by the soul being reborn depends on the rights it has acquired. In each lifetime, a living creature commits deeds. A constant record is maintained of these deeds in an endless scroll monitored by Yama himself, Lord of Death and Dharma. At the end of each life span, the record of these deeds is toted up and the total karma weighed. Depending on one’s karma during that past lifetime as well as previous lifetimes, one earns merits or demerits and is accordingly allotted a new form for rebirth. One has to then cling to the semen or seed of the new life form which is one’s vehicle for rebirth, and at the time of conception, merge completely with the living embryo and be subsumed into its biological form. In time, the embryo develops limbs and senses. Once the six senses are established, the embryo is considered to be a living human being. Wth his ears, he can hear. With his eyes, he can see. With his nose, he can smell. With his tongue, taste. With his skin, feel, With his mind, think. At this point, the reborn soul is contained with the form of this new being that is an entity in its own right. And thus a new cycle of life begins.’

  Ashtaka asked, ‘Yet when a person dies, he or she is burned to ashes, buried in the ground to merge with the earth, or otherwise destroyed physically. All the senses are gone, the mind eliminated. How then does consciousness remain? How does a soul retain its self-awareness through the process of rebirth?’

  Yayati nodded. ‘Ashtaka, what you describe is what the living who remain behind see. It is they who witness the dead body being burned, buried, or otherwise destroyed over time, taking years, even decades to completely decay. Yet for the one who dies, the transition is instantaneous. The entire process takes a fraction of an instant. One moment, one is in this body, living. Then one dies. And instantly, one is clinging to the semen or seed of the new life form, already allotted by Yama’s servants according to one’s karma in past lives. One merges with the egg of the female to become part of the new lifeform being conceived, and is on one’s way to another life journey. There is no gap between one life and the next. Hence for the soul there is no question of forgetting. Everything remains as clear and vivid as if it was only a moment ago – which in fact, it was!’

  Ashtaka and the others oohed and aahed, marvelling at this new facet of knowledge. ‘Tell us about those who are evil. Who consistently perform evil acts in many lifetimes. What becomes of them?’

  Yayati shrugged. ‘I am less familiar with such beings. But from what I have heard, it is somewhat different for them. Unlike the performers of good karma who merely sleep in one body and wake in another, the evil doers are reduced to forms such as worms and insects, where they retain no human memory, merely a sense memory of past terrors and afflictions. Because they behaved like animals, or insects rather than human beings, therefore they are condemned to crawl the earth as insects, worms and other creatures with six or more legs.’

  ‘What of the higher realms? How does one ascend to them? What good karma must one do in order to go to heaven directly after death? How does one avoid the cycle of rebirth on earth and directly attain that state of moksha?’

  Yayati replied: ‘Through austerities, charity, calm demeanour, self-control, humility, and compassion towards all living beings. The wise man never feels pride and the proud man is a deluded man who is destined to lose everything and never to achieve ascencion. Even the brahmin shuns the proud man. There are four acts designed to dispel all fear – offerings before fire, a vow of silence, sincere study, and sacrifices. Yet these same four acts, if performed with a sense of pride, will invite the very fear they sought to repel. When the learned are insulted, they do not grieve for it is not they who have lost but the offender who has lost. The good always honour the good. Evil can be recognized by its lack of intelligence and inability to attain that high level of intelligence as the good. Pay homage, perform sacrifices, study, observe vows, but do so without pride, and you shall discard all fears. The true purpose of learning is to come close to the ancient one, that being which is the refuge and is worshipped only from the mind. He is supreme, the Paramatman, and the source of all peace here and in all worlds hereafter.

  4

  ‘Great Yayati, how should a grihasta act so as to attain the heavenly realms? Is it different from the acts of mendicants and brahmacharyas? What about one who is devoted to dharma after retiring to forest life, the sanyasin?’

  Another of the righteous ones said, ‘We have heard many differing views on these questions. It would be of great help if you could clarify them.’

  Yayati could not tell which of the many disappearing and reappearing faces had spoken the last. It did not matter. He focussed on the questions. ‘While a guru can certainly ask his shishyas to do his own work, the true purpose of a brahmacharya is to pursue his own path, not merely to do as his guru tells him. A wise guru will ask a brahmacharya to study and a good brahmacharya will always study whether asked to do so or not. He will be the first to awaken and the last to sleep. He will speak softly, never let himself be moved by pride, and devote his existence to studying and the control of his senses. The shastras and puranas say that when a grihasta obtains riches through the pursuit of dharma, he must spend it on sacrifices, the giving of alms and on feeding guests. He should never take anything from others which is not been given to him freely. A brahmin who attains the level of maharishi must sustain himself in the forest, giving to others, never causing them any pain or harm. He must eat in great moderation, and act only righteously and only when he must. The true mendicant is one who does not depend on any form of livelihood to survive. He resorts to neither art nor craft, vocation or occupation, possesses no home or belongings, has perfect control of his senses, and remains free of attachment always. He does not possess a roof over his head. He travels with no belongings or with the bare minimum. He travels far and wide. On the night when he conquers desire and happiness and learns to attain and maintain the equable state, on that same night he should become an ascetic. He who follows these paths dutifully and spends his life in the forest frees ten generations of ancestors and ten generations of descendents – including himself, that means twenty one generations.’

  ‘How many kinds of sages are there? We are aware of those who live in the forest but there are also many who live among people, in villages and cities. What is the difference between these kinds of sages and is there a difference also in the fruition of their deeds?’

  ‘It does not matter whether a sage lives in the forest, isolated and alone, or in the city, surrounded by people. The sage who lives in the forest turns his back on society and chooses to live alone. The sage who lives in the city turns his back on isolation and chooses to live amongst people. Both are true sages. The difference is in the manner in which they pursue their vocation: The forest sage uses nothing from the city, he maintains no fire, has no house or clan, travels endlessly, owns nothing more than a loincloth to cover his nakedness, and is content with the barest minimum of sustenance as food. He gives up all the habits of social living and all desires and has complete control of his senses. This is the only way he can achieve success. The city sage who does the same is equal in his merit and achievements. It is better to to eat only p
ure food like the true sage rather than obsess over cleaning one’s teeth like the city dweller. It is better never to harm anyone through physical action or inaction than to take great care to keep one’s nails groomed and make a show of being careful. It is better to perform only clean deeds than to bathe daily. It is better to be black as night in complexion and perform white deeds than to be white of skin but perform dark deeds. It is best to be lean from austerities, emaciated in flesh, blood and bones, but strong in spiritual power. Better to maintain a vow of silence and commune with the eternal. Better to remain indifferent always than to daily do battle with the warring sensations of pain and pleasure, joy and grief. Better to eat as an animal eats, sparingly and only in order to survive, than to indulge one’s appetites as some humans do. A true sage does all the above diligently and at the end of his days always attains communion with the eternal.’

  Ashtaka asked, ‘Between the grihasta and the ascetic, who is more likely to attain union with the devas?’

  Yayati replied, ‘Both are equally capable of ascencion. It is not through their identity alone that they gain that ultimate fruit but through their deeds. He who renounces the ownership of a home despite being a grihasta is equally capable of ascending as is the ascetic who never possessed a home. Age does not matter. Austerities can be pursued without end by both, with equal merit. But what matters in the end is how devotedly each observes dharma without regard for personal gain. That is the way to achieve exaltation.’

  ‘King Yayati, you are young, handsome, resplendent. You are learned and wise. What will happen to you once your time in this plane is ended?’

  Yayati bowed his head in sorrow. ‘I have told you already of the hell named Bhouma. I regret to inform you that it is to that terrible destination that I must go once my time here is ended.’

  At this, the righteous ones all began to clamour excitedly. Ashtaka asked with evident horror: ‘Why? Surely you do not deserve to go there!’

  Yayati sighed. ‘Alas, it is pre-ordained. From the very outset, I was to fall there. But only due to my merits was I granted one final request by Lord Indra, and that was to stay here awhile in the place of the righteous. It has been a great honour and privilege to stay among you for this period of time. But when my time comes I must continue falling into Bhouma.’

  The righteous ones all consulted together and then Ashtaka spoke once more on their behalf. ‘Is there nothing we can do to prevent this from happening?’

  Yayati said, ‘You do not need to concern yourselves on my behalf. The main purpose I fulfilled by coming here was to inform you all that due to your righteous deeds in the past, great worlds have been prepared for you in the heavenly realms. Five golden chariots shall arrive soon and transport you to the lokas designated for each of you. My time here shall end and I shall then fall into Bhouma while you shall ascend. That was the true purpose of my being permitted to pause here awhile, to enable you to prepare yourselves for your heavenly destiny!’

  The righteous ones were overjoyed at the news of their impending ascencion, but also sorrowful for they did not wish Yayati to go to the hell that was Bhouma. ‘Yayati,’ said Ashtaka, ‘You say there is a heavenly realm prepared for me to which I shall soon go?’

  ‘Yes, Ashtaka. You are not long for this plane of existence. Soon your chariot will arrive.’

  ‘Then take my place. Go to that heavenly realm reserved for me,’ Ashtaka said. ‘I give you this gift freely of my own volition. I would save you from the hell of Bhouma! For I have come to know and love you and cannot bear to see you suffer such a terrible fate.’

  Yayati smiled at his new friend’s great offering. ‘It is a mighty gift you present, righteous Ashtaka. But I cannot accept it. I am not a brahmin, as you know already, but a kshatriya, a raj-kshatriya in point of fact. Therefore, it is my dharma to give to brahmins, never to accept anything from them. It is not right for a non-brahmin to accept gifts or alms of any kind, not even for the wife of a non-brahmin! If I deviate from the dharma I was taught, then what good is all my other karma? I must refuse you kindly and gently.’

  Then another of the righteous ones spoke, this time forming before Yayati and remaining steady so he could address him. ‘Great Yayati. I am Pratardana. I too was once a king like you on the mortal plane. You say there is a world reserved for me as well and a chariot will come to fetch me soon?’

  ‘Yes, King Pratardana,’ Yayati answered. ‘There are five chariots coming, one for each one of you.’ For he could see now that there were five righteous ones in all, as they were taking solid form and shape at last, despite the swirling smoke that continued to obscure the landscape, sky and ground.

  ‘Then take my place in the heavenly realms!’ Pratardana cried. ‘Take it and save yourself, I beg you! As one king to another, there is no shame in accepting my gift.’

  ‘Even so,’ Yayati said sadly, ‘these achievements have been attained by you through yoga. They are not physical wealth to be given away freely but the spiritual earnings of your own long austerities and spiritual prowess. It would not be right for me to accept such fruits. I must seek my own spiritual fruits through the path of dharma on my own. Otherwise, I would dishonour myself as a king of men.’

  Then Vasumana, the third righteous one, addressed Yayati: ‘Great king, I am King Vasumana. You are truly righteous and a servant of dharma. Your words and choices are immensely pleasing to us all. I too am a king and I sympathize with your views. But I offer a solution. Take my place in heaven, but not as a gift, buy it from me!’

  Yayati frowned. ‘But I possess nothing of value here, King Vasumana. How can I buy anything?’

  Vasumana said, ‘You have a single straw in your garment. Pick it out and use it to buy my place in heaven. I shall accept your offer!’

  Yayati smiled wistfully. ‘I am honoured and touched by your efforts, but this would be a false sale. How can a man’s place in heaven be bought with a single straw? It is not acceptable! I must refuse your offer as kindly as you made it.’

  Then Shibi, the last of the righteous ones, also spoke up. ‘Great Yayati, I am Shibi, son of Ushinara. I took wish you to take my place in heaven, will you not accept? I cannot bear to see you go down to the hell of Bhouma!’

  Again and again, the righteous ones tried to persuade Yayati to take their places in heaven, and each time he refused firmly.

  Finally, the time came for their ascencion and five golden pushpaks descended from the sky, churning the smoke of that limbo realm into frenzied clouds, and came to rest before the men.

  ‘Here are your five golden vehicles,’ Yayati said, ‘these divine pushpaks shall transport you through their supernatural powers to the heavens reserved for each one of you.’

  The righteous ones were pleased at their ascencion but unable to accept the fate of Yayati, for though they seemed to have talked only for a short while, in fact he had spent a million years there in limbo with them, and through his sharing of knowledge and meditation on profound questions had earned great merits himself. But it was time for them to go and the pushpaks gave out sounds of alarum that urged them to climb aboard.

  Then Ashtaka was struck by inspiration. ‘Good Yayati, you will not agree to take our place as a gift, charity, or even to purchase it from us, is that right?’

  ‘Yes, Ashtaka,’ Yayati said. ‘I cannot go against dharma.’

  ‘So be it. But surely as a good friend you can come stay with us as an honoured guest in our realms?’

  Yayati said slowly, ‘Of course I can. It would give me great pleasure to do so. There is nothing wrong in accepting a friend’s invitation.’

  The others looked at each other with happy expressions. Pratardana said: ‘Then you shall stay in each of our realms in turn, and when you have finished visiting with all of us, you shall again return to the first. For a guest is as a god and to us you are no less than a deva in your knowledge of dharma and insight into philosophical mysteries! Therefore we desire your companionship eternally, that we may conti
nue to have such enlightening discussions and always enhance our own store of knowledge!’

  Yayati looked at each of them in turn, and was filled with a great sense of happiness. ‘Indeed, I cannot refuse such a generous offer, so sincerely made!’

  ‘Then climb aboard!’ said Vasumana.

  ‘Yes,’ cried Shibi. ‘For a guest must go first always. Climb aboard and we shall follow you to heaven.’

  As they said these words, the smoke cleared and a shining pathway opened up from the plane on which they stood to a distant destination, winding and curving through the skies and galaxies and stars. ‘There,’ said Ashtaka happily, ‘our pathway has been lit up as well. Surely that is a sign that we are doing the right thing.’

  Yayati had no arguments or objections to offer. Climbing aboard the fifth chariot, he realized that while there were only four righteous ones, the devas had deliberately sent five chariots. The fifth one was intended for himself all along, so confident had the devas been that he would earn the respect and love of those on this plane and earn back his place in heaven. He thanked them silently as the chariots began to ascend, blurring to great speed as they travelled through worlds and dimensions and time itself.

  And thus did Yayati ascend for the second and final time and achieve moksha for all infinity. Let his story be a lesson for all: the path of dharma is not a means to an end, it is an end unto itself. For when used as a means of gaining some specific goal, even if that goal be to ascend to heaven itself and live among the gods, one can still lose that particular prize and be flung down even from heaven, but those who follow dharma for its own sake and because it is the right path, always achieve their goals because the pursuit of dharma itself is the greatest goal of all.

  ||paksha four||