The Story of Līlā 2 part 3

2. The Story of Līlā

Part 3

Passing through the Ākāśa by means of Yoga power, they went to where Padma was and saw his body. After that, they went to where the king Vidūratha was, who the second incarnation of king Padma was.

At this juncture they observed the incomparable king of Sindhu of tremendous powers march against Vidūratha. A fierce war was waged between the two armies, striking terror into the heart of even Death.

Vidūratha’s numerous army was reduced by the enemy to an eighth of its original number.

Then the sun disappeared from view, as if afraid either of this terrible war or of the mountain of carcases. With the setting in of intense darkness, the armies ceased to battle.

With the disappearance from the field of the enemy’s hosts, king Vidūratha returned with a broken heart along with the shattered remnants of his army to his own palace.

Whilst he rested upstairs in sleep, Saraswatī and Līlā came to where he lay.

Being refreshed by their Tejas (radiant effulgence) which was like the nectarine rays of the moon, his lotus-like eyes opened and beheld before them these two ladies whom he saluted and eulogized.

Then in order to acquaint Līlā with the glorious lineage of this race, Saraswatī willed that the minister lying near the king should wake up from his deep sleep. Instantaneously, the minister shook off his lethargy and seeing Saraswatī saluted her.

Then she asked him to trace from the beginning the history of the king’s family. The minister then began thus:

In the race of Manu Vaivasvata, the most esteemed of kings, there was born a king of the name of Kumbha-ratha (or Kundaratha) who had a son Bhadraratha, a king of kings.

The last had in his turn Akhilaratha (or Viśvaratha) as son and through him a grand­son by the name of Manoratha. This grandson brought forth Viṣṇuratha who, in his turn, had as his offspring Bṛhadratha.

This king had, in his line of descendants Sindhuratha, Śailaratha, Kāmaratha and Mahāratha, who begat, in this place, the present king of kings, Vidūratha.

The mother who bore the present king went by the appellation of Sumitrā. His father, having controlled his mind, abdicated his kingdom in favour of his son, then ten years old, and led the life of a recluse in the forest.

Now Vidūratha, our king, reigns with perfect justice.

As soon as the minister had finished these words, Saraswatī, in order to enable the king to know easily the events of his former births through his Jñāna (spiritual) vision, touched the king’s head lovingly with the palm of her hand, and blessed him with divine vision.

Whereupon the gloom of Māyā that had obscured his mind like a great antagonist flew away from it and he was able to recognize himself, in the previous body of King Padma sporting with Līlā.

Then a pleasant sensation of marvel and joy arose in him, the former on account of the diverse workings of Māyā, and the latter, because of the knowledge of Māyā he derived through the grace of these (the world’s) mothers.

With these thoughts, in his mind, he placed their feet on his head and said:  

In the one day that passed from the extinction of my former body up to now (as seen through my divine vision), I have spent seventy years with this my present body. I have also known all the events that transpired during that period.

Whence are all these curious anomalies of Māyā?

Thereupon Saraswatī of the form of divine grace vouchsafed the following reply:

The trance called Death is always accompanied at the very spot and in that very instant by the great delusion of rebirths (and vice versa).

Now the conception of the duration of seventy years arose only through the delusion of the Karmas performed by thee while in life.

Know therefore and perceive for thyself that when thy mind was rendered immaculate like Ākāśa, free from all illusions, such conceptions of time vanished (as all conceptions of time arise through the Vikalpas of the mind only).

They (the events of seventy years) are only like long-drawn dreams of many events enacted in one Mūhurta (forty-eight minutes). Even our life during the waking state appears prolonged in diverse ways through many unreal events.

To speak truly, there is no such thing as birth or death for thee. Thou art the true Jñāna alone. Thou art the eternal, supreme state.

Hence, though seeing the whole universe, thou seest it not. Being of the nature of all, thou art shining through thy wisdom in the Ātmic Reality.

An old adage runs to the effect that a baby, which is obsessed while in the cradle, will be freed from such possession in the crema­torium only. Similarly is the Ajñāna (illusion) in man; and to the ignorant, full of this painful Ajñāna, the universe, appears to be real.

Persons ignorant of gold assert an ornament made of gold to be an ornament alone and not gold. Likewise, persons devoid of spiritual vision maintain this universe to be inert (and not spirit, the seer free from the seen).

Know also all the universe, arising through the egoism of “I” and “mine”, etc. to be nothing but a dream and the different objects seen therein to be as illusory as things in a dream.

Such objects and universes are of the nature of that Jñāna (Reality) which is the permanent Paramākāśa, actionless, full, Vast and immaculate.

It is the one reality which, being all, and having all the different Śaktis (potencies), manifests itself, without being diminished thereby, in different forms according to the fructifica­tion of time and Karmas.

Through Līlā, I have initiated thee into the mysteries of the true Jñāna state. Thy mind has been illumined through the undecaying Tattva (Truth). Therefore we shall depart.

After reflecting upon the enjoyment (of bliss) into which he was now initiated, Vidūratha remarked:

Even persons coming to me for aid are accustomed to receive whatever they long for. Therefore is it surprising for me to attain the object of my quest at the hands of you both who are like the fresh Chintāmaṇi? When shall I be able to resume my former body of Padma?

To which Saraswatī replied:

You will perish in this war and with your death, you will resume your Padma body.

Here a herald came in with the following announcement to the king:

An ocean-like army is discharging showers of arrows at us, and our town is reduced to ashes through the enemy’s flames. Oh puissant king! I have to announce to thee these painful tidings.

While the information was thus being given to the king, his ears were deafened by the terrible sounds of the enemy’s hosts which made the hearts of all in the three worlds to quail.

The cries of shrieking, roving townsmen mingled with those of the enemy and rent the air. The hissing flames, which were like Vadavā Agni, enveloped the whole scene with its volumes of smoke.

The whole town became a heap of ruins. All these devastations were personally witnessed by Saraswatī and Līlā, the king and his minister.

At this time, the consort of King Vidūratha came to where her husband was with great trepidation. Her handmaids who accompanied her apprised the king of the fact that the damsels and wealth in the palace were being ravished and ravaged by the foe.

Hearing this, he entrusted his wife to the custody of those near him and sallied forth to war.

Now Līlā, the spouse of Padma, was extremely surprised to find Līlā, the spouse of Vidūratha, an exact counterpart of herself, like an image reflected in a glass. Thereupon she queried Saraswatī as to how she was duplicated.

The moon-coloured Saraswatī cleared her doubts in the following manner:

Actuated by an excessive love towards thee, thy husband Padma thought, at the moment of death, of enjoying thy company without being ever separated. Accordingly he was able to get thee here.

Whatever is, thought of by one at the time of his death, that will be realized by him afterwards. Will a glass reflect other than that which is placed before it?

In­asmuch as death, birth, mental delusion, the waking, dreaming and dreamless states are all one, not having another as cause (or each of them not having another as the cause), all things that are and that are not, are of the nature of delusion only and hence increase beyond number.

Stainful enjoyments are of two kinds.

Some experiences arise as the result of former ones. Others arise anew, being entirely differ­ent from the previous ones. Hence, being in the former case, the new Līlā with your form, race and conduct appeared not different from you, like your, shadow.

It was through the thought of the king that she was moulded in her present form like yourself. Vidūratha will perish in this war and then assume the body of Padma.

So said Saraswatī, when the new Līlā petitioned thus:

Oh thou,, who seemest to be Saraswatī herself whom I adored in former times, please confer on me the boon that, in the event of my partner perishing in this war, I may live in this body of mine along with him wherever he is.

To which Saraswatī nodded assent.

Again the old Līlā questioned the Mother of the Vedas:

How was I able to journey to the higher Loka and Girigrāma with the aid of the Ādhibhautika body only and not with the Ātivāhika body (while the new Līlā was blessed otherwise)?

The goddess replied thus:

I never give anything (without any cause) to any person. People get things according to (or as the result of) their thoughts. You thought of (acquiring) Jñāna before and implored me for it and I gave you therefore the divine vision longed for by you.

This damsel, your shadow, prompted by excessive desire asked of me another boon which was as promptly granted. All men through my grace get whatever their minds long after.

With a terrible, angry face, the valiant Vidūratha mounted his car, marched into the field of battle and attacked his enemies so furiously as to drive them into the path of death.

Both the Līlās who had undying affection for their lord, in anticipation of his death, addressed Saraswatī thus:

Oh mother, how comes it that in spite of our lord’s dauntless courage and your grace, our husband has to die so soon in this war?

Saraswatī replied:

As the learned Vidūratha longed for the higher spiritual state, he has to merge secondless into the supreme state.

This king of Sindhu who has come to oppose him will gain the day over Vidūratha in accor­dance with my mandates at his propitiation of myself and will become the king.

Whilst they were discoursing thus, the day broke and the battlefield on both sides, became completely void of its living contents.

Then the kings, who alone survived, took up their bows and filled the sun, the moon, the quarters and the sky with showers of arrows. The arrows hissed flames, everywhere, and it seemed as if the end of the Yuga was approaching.

Then Vidūratha was left alone without his car and driver. His bow was unstrung; his armour was shattered to pieces by his enemy’s arrows; his limbs were rent asunder and thrown about; and then his body fell flat upon the ground.

Where­upon the new Līlā addressed Saraswatī thus:

My husband is about to breathe his last; please allow me to join my husband.

Saraswatī having prepared the way for it, the new Līlā became light and ascended the Ākāśa.

Having crossed one after another the Mandalas (spheres) of clouds, Vāyu, the hot Sūrya (Sun) and Nakṣattras (stars), and then Satya­loka and other divine Lokas

and then breaking open the mundane egg and piercing through the septenary veils of water (Ap), etc. she reached soon the immeasurable and endless Reality of Cidākāśa.

There she went into the harem where Padma’s dead body was lying, after crossing the Jñānākāśa with its Āvaraṇas (veils) in the midst of the many mundane eggs which are as innumerable as the fig fruits in a fig orchard and which are impossible to cross even in the course of a long time and at the speed of Garuda (eagle).

Concluding that the dead body covered up with flowers was her lord’s and that somehow, through Saraswatī’s grace, she had come ahead of him, she sat beside his body and fanned it gently.

Meanwhile the Jīva of King Vidūratha was winging its way in the Ākāśa and without noticing the two- ladies, Saraswatī and Līlā of divine vision, who were behind it, it reached the recess where Padma’s body was lying.

There these two ladies accompanied it and saw the new Līlā before them.

In the golden dome, the Jīva of Vidūratha was arrested in its progress and prevented by Saraswatī from obtaining ingress into the body of Padma.

Then the old Līlā looked for her former body, and not finding it there, asked Saraswatī what became of it.

The goddess replied:

When you fell into a profound trance of meditation, the ministers taking you for dead disposed of it by consigning it to flames.

If you stay on earth with the Ātivāhika body, then it will only revolutionize the world with wonder that the deceased Līlā came corporeally here from Devaloka.

And as you have divested yourself of all Vāsanās in this your Ātivāhika body, it is but right that you should abandon that Ādhibhautika body of yours.

Saraswatī then willed in her mind that the new Līlā should see her. Where­upon the latter was like one who had discovered a long lost personage. Saluting Saraswatī by falling at Her feet, she eulogized her.

While the two Līlās were thus in the company of Saraswatī, the latter let slip the grip she had on the Jīva of Vidūratha which therefore entered into the nasal orifice of Padma’s body, in the form of Prāṇa and permeated the whole parched frame.

Then blood began to circulate freely throughout its fleshy tenement and the deceased king woke up, rubbing his eyes. He asked the bystanders who those were who stood nearby.

Whereupon the old Līlā prostrated herself before the king and said that she herself was the wife congenial to him, that the new Līlā was the offspring of his mind which had thought of a form similar to hers, and that the third personage was no other than the immaculate Saraswatī.

After she had pronounced these words, Padma fell at the feet of Saraswatī who, laying her beautiful hands on his head, blessed him with long life with his wives, exalted fame and ever-increasing wealth, so that he might render people happy by destroying vice and peopling the world with great, wise men.

With these words, Saraswatī withdrew to her silent abode, and the king praised her with the following words:

May Saraswatī, the Goddess who presides over the tongues of all men and the departments of knowl­edge, prosper long in this world!

Then the emperor Padma along with his wives wielded his sceptre over the earth for 80,000 years.

With the blessing conferred dry Saraswatī, he shortened then and there the seven kinds of births and attained on earth the Jīvan-mukti state. Finally he attained the state of Videha-mukti which never ceases, even though great Kalpas come to an end.