In order to celebrate their marriage, he killed for flesh the bodies of monkeys, horses, fowls, crows and pigs and dried them like festoons in the strings of nerves. Birds were pouncing upon them as they were exposed. Swarms of flies were buzzing in the pieces of flesh held by boys in their hands as they trudged along in the streets.
In this hamlet bespattered with blood and bones, a panddl (shed) was erected with plantain trees as the four pillars.”
“Then with great hilarity, the marriage festivities began. The old hunch-backed grand-mother of the house surveyed, through her large fleshy eyes, me, her son-in-law and was greatly pleased with the choice. All the out-castes being as sembled on the occasion, the drums were caused to be bea. ten. Toddy and flesh were distributed freely among the audience. Like sin which produces a Yathana-sarira vbody of suffering) for men in hell, the Neecha father gave me this girl in marriage. As usual with these low-caste people, the wedding lasted seven days.* After it was over, I passed eight months in the company of this lady who was as if all sins had solidified themselves in her. Through my union with this lady of budding breast, a child was born like pains, the offspring of dire accidents. The complexion of this child was like that of a burnt brand and it grew up like the minds of the ignorant. Then in the course of three years she bore me a son, like birth generating ignor ance.
Then again another child was born of her through me, as if human miseries arising out of excessive desires in carnated in the form of that child. With these, spouse and children I lived for a long time. Then what with the cares of Sarnsara and the pains I and my family had to undergo, my body became old and emaciated. And when I was thus enfeebled through dotage, the whole earth near the base of the Vindhya mountains, became parched up through drought and all lives about there palpitated through hunger. The verdant foliage of trees with long branches, creepers, grass and others were not to be met with there, The whole air was saturated with volumes of dust raised through heat. Then one by one began to perish my new relatives, and a few that were alive fled to foreign dominions.”
“ In order to survive this shock, I and my wife abandoned my country under the scorching rays of the sun, myself bearing two of my children on my two shoulders and the third on my head. Having crossed my country I saw a big palmyra tree under the shadows of which I dismounted my children and rested myself along with my wife for some time, like one who, having crossed the terrible hell of vicious deeds, enjoys the happiness resulting from his past good deeds. There my wife expired in the very embrace of her children, having been quite jaded through dotage and the efforts of a long travel under a tropical sun, though to all appearances she was like one, faint or asleep. At this, my heart gave away.
One of my younger children mounted on my lap without a wink of sleep and weeping incessantly with his two eyes ever trickling down tears, demanded of me flesh and blood to eat, as he was unable to endure his hunger. Unable to find out any means to appease the hunger of him who was greatly distressed with it in my very presence, I was like a lifeless carcase ignorant what to do. Thus did the piteous and incessant weepings of my boy break my heart and the misgivings about his life rise to a certainty in m?. There fore I resolved to put an end to my life, by rearing a great forest fire and falling into it. Thus I approached the flames and rose up to fall into it, when I tumbled down from the throne here and woke up to see you, courtiers, uplifting me and pronouncing the words Jaya, (victory to thee) Jaya (victory to thee) and to hear the sound of musical instruments herein. Thus did I find myself here not as a Neecha but as the king Lavana.
I lost my senses only through the fasci nating power of this Siddha. Now did I learn that the ego of man has different states of experiences to undergo.” Whilst he was saying thus, the ministers in Court enquired as to who this Siddha was, whereupon Sambarika, the Siddha disappeared from view then and there, in the twinkling of an eye.
Vasishta continued. This personage is no other than the Divine Maya, sent here to illustrate clearly the fact that this universe is no other than the mind itself. Know also, oh valiant Prince, the wise say that the self-light of Para Brahm alone is, appearing as mind or this universe.
THE CONCLUSION OF UTPATHTHI-PRAKARANA OR THE CHAPTER ON ORIGIN.
Summary This chapter summarises all that was said in the previous stories as to the origin of the mind and the universe.
It is the actions of the mind that are truly termed karmas. True liberation results from the disenthralment of the mind. Those who have freed themselves from the fluctuation of their mind come into possession of the supreme Nishta (meditation). Should the mind be purged of all its impurities, then it will become as still as the milky ocean undisturbed by the churning of Mandara hills ; and all our Samsaric delusion attendant with its birth and deaths will be destroyed.
Muni Vasishta continued The poisonous tree of the great Maya s illusion flourishes more and more, out of the seed of the mind s modifications full of Sankalpa, in the soil of the variegated enjoyments of the world.
The panacea prescribed by the wise for the removal of the diseases of the mind can be got at very easily through the mind alone. Now hearken to what I say. Those who without longing for ob jects avoid them, can be termed the subjugators of their Manas (mind). Those who do not develop the painless Vairaggya inhering in one s Self and that with great facility and happiness, are at best but vermins in human shapes. If the mind be divested of the Sankalpa of “I,” then through the meditation of Atma after being initiated by a guru and having known the real significance of the Vedas given out by Lord, the mind can be turned back from the pains generat ing externals into the internals where it can be made happy.
Like one iron shaping another iron, the pure mind of a person which makes efforts in the virtuous path, should correct and mould his impure mind. To lovers of Moksha in whom the invincible desires take a tangible shape and who try to win their way up to Salvation through their own efforts, the easy abandonment of their dire mind is itself their transcendental path and they then feel as if a great load were off their heads. No other path is truly beneficial.
