The Story of Śūka 1
1. The Story of Śūka
Summary— In this chapter, Viśvāmitra relates a story to Rāma to impress upon him (who was convinced of the unreality of the universe and the ego, as is evident from the foregoing chapter) the truth that he alone is the One Consciousness (Reality).
Hearing these wondrous words of Rāma, the heir apparent, which would relieve one from the great Saṁsāra, all those assembled in the council hall of Daśaratha were exhilarated with joy, their hairs standing on end, as if they came there expressly to hear Rāma’s words.
Even the effulgent hosts of Siddhas exulted in the Ākāśa above.
After expressions of approbation of Rāma’s words, and copious showers of flowers (namely contentment) had filled the hall for about twelve minutes, the Siddhas, who had been roving in the Ākāśa for about a Kalpa in extreme pain, said to themselves:
We who were labouring under delusion till now are fortunate in having drunk today the sweet nectar of Rāma’s words and thereby purified our mind of all stains. We shall benefit from what the Munis say and attain the Supreme Principle.
So saying, they descended from the Ākāśa to Daśaratha’s assembly on earth, and all in the hall rose up and advanced to meet them:
First and foremost did Vāsiṣṭha and Viśvāmitra pay respects to them, who returned the same to both. Then king Dasaratha was offered respect by the Siddhas through kind expressions, on his saluting them.
Then showering flowers and kind words on Rāma who was before them, they exclaimed:
Oh Munis, the recent utterances of Rāma, expressing benevolence and other qualities, are passing strange and noble in their nature.
It is indeed difficult to derive happiness in this most injurious Saṁsāra which, though created full of pleasures by Devas, is fraught with pain?
True, if Rāma with supreme indifference towards objects had longed after Saṁsāra, we may be justified in doing so; but inasmuch as we long for things hated by Rāma, we Siddhas as well as Devarṣis, etc. should be classed as ignorant.
Viśvāmitra, looking at Rāma with great love, said:
Thou hast cognized all through thyself, through thy bright intelligence. There is nothing more for thee to understand clearly.
Thou and Muni Śūka, replete with spiritual wisdom, are on a par with one another. Even those who have acquired the matchless spiritual wisdom endeavour to attain the quiescent state.
At this Rāma questioned him thus:
Please, Oh father, enlighten me as to how Śūka Muni, though possessing intelligence devoid of Ahaṁkāra, had no quiescence of mind at first, and how he came into possession of that bliss afterwards.
The Muni replied:
Brahmāṛṣi Śūka, who was replete with Jñāna (spiritual wisdom), which, if developed, puts an end to a series of seven rebirths at once, enquired, like you, into the origin of things.
In doing so, he became seized with doubts as to the certainty of his convictions and his equilibrium of mind was disturbed.
But with a non-fluctuating mind freed from the thraldom of sensual objects, he approached his father Vyāsa living on the mountains of Mahāmeru and asked him for a solution of the following questions:
Whence this Māyā generating great pains? How does it perish? Who had it as its originator? What part of it, if any, does endure? When did all the things of the universe originate?
After Vyāsa had, given suitable replies to the many questions proposed by Śūka, the latter simply remarked that his (father’s) explanation had not dispelled his doubts, he having been aware of the same before.
Finding it was not possible for him to convince Śūka (his son), Vyāsa asked him to apply for solution to King Janaka of stainless and supreme spiritual wisdom. Whereupon he descended from Mahāmeru down to earth and reached the gates of the golden palace of Janaka.
Though apprised of the arrival of Śūka, the Brahmāṛṣi, he king did not go in advance to meet him as he wished to test the new-comer’s equilibrium of mind. Yet Śūka was not in the least disconcerted and waited at the gates of the king for seven days.
Then after being detained and tested in another place for seven days, he was conducted to the harem in the palace and was there sumptuously fed upon the choicest viands of six tastes and treated with flowers, sandal and other objects of enjoyment by handsome ladies of slender waist.
And yet Śūka who was like a cool full-moon was indifferent to the dark or bright aspect of these enjoyments. So that neither the happiness arising from the enjoyments to which Śūka was exposed by the king nor the pains flowing out of the disgrace to which he was subjected did affect, in the least, the mind of this great Muni.
Will ever the soft, noble zephyr be able to agitate Meru, the grandest of mountains?
Observing the internal exultation of the Muni‘s heart (unruffled by the externals), the king saluted and eulogised the Muni and then addressed him thus:
Oh Brahmāṛṣi, who has attained the highest fruit, having given up all worldly concerns, please tell me what business has wafted you here.
At which Śūka questioned him thus:
How did Māyā arise? How does it grow? And how is it destroyed? Please, oh guru, explain them to me truly.
At these words of Śūka, Janaka explained in the same manner as Vyāsa did, which the Brahmāṛṣi no sooner heard than he said:
Thus had I known previously and you gave the same explanation, my father gave me. The significance of the holy sentences, given out in the sacred books, point only to the non-dual Ātman.
If Māyā which originates as differentiated out of the one Ātman in the nature of breath or vibrations is again merged into it, there seems not to be even an iota of benefit derivable from this perishable Māyā.
Oh Guru, who is able to remove the delusion of the minds of men, please throw light upon the nature of this incomparable real Ātman?
To this the king replied:
Though thou hast known everything definitely, still thou hast asked me in spite of thy father’s words. The state described (by us) is the real one.
Ātman alone is, pervading as the all-full Cidākāśa everywhere. Nought else is but That. That Jñāna is bound by its own Saṁkalpa. With the liberation from that Saṁkalpa, there is freedom from the trammels of bondage.
As thou hast now clearly cognized that Ātma-jñāna, thou hast abandoned all longing for enjoyment and the sight of the visible. Thou hast, through thy all-full mind and without pain, attained all that could be attained, namely Brahman itself.
Thou hast mingled with that secondless Principle which is beyond the reach of all vision. Thou hast become a Jīvan-mukta.
But there is one thing which thou hast yet to do, namely to give up the delusion of Māyā which has arisen in thy mind (the giving up of which will entirely free thee and not bar thy further progress.
When the king of kings named Janaka thus initiated Śūka into the Ātmic mysteries (through his direct presence), the stainless Ṛṣi attained quiescence in his Ātman or Higher Self, being freed from the pangs of birth and the agonies of death; then all his questioning, perplexities of mind and doubts vanished through (direct) self-cognition.
Then, having reached the highest pinnacle of Mahāmeru, he went into the non-fluctuating Nirvikalpa Samādhi and after a period of a thousand solar years merged into the Jñānākāśa, like a light which, when divested of its wick and ghee, returns to its fount of Ākāśa Agni (fire).
Like water-drops becoming one, with the ocean of waves, he, being cleansed of the stains of contemplation (or thinking), merged into the secondless Brahman, the vibration that started in himself (as the ‘I’) having melted away.
Thus did he attain quiescence (of mind), free from the delusion of Māyā.
This is exactly the path thou should follow, Oh Rāma. The characteristic of a mind that has known all that should be known is non-identification with the ever pleasurable worldly enjoyments.
By the proclivities of the mind towards material objects, bondage to objects becomes strengthened; otherwise, the bondage becomes slackened and in course of time ceases.
Oh Rāma, the extinction of Vāsanās alone is Mokṣa (liberation); the fixation of the mind in material objects through Vāsanās is bondage.
Those persons are Jīvan-muktas who have conquered the Vāsanās and are indifferent to the many worldly enjoyments without the aid of Tapas (religious austerities), Vratas (religious observances), etc.
That one Principle which Rāma’s mind has cognized through the utterances of the Great Ones is the One Reality and nought else.
The only person able to relieve the great soul of Rāma from all doubts and render his mind quiescent is the omniscient Vāsiṣṭha who knows clearly the three periods of time, is the Guru of men in this world and is a witness to all things having name, form, etc.
So said Viśvāmitra in the king’s assembly.
Having spoken these, words, Viśvāmitra looked at Vaṣiṣṭha’s face and reminded him that Rāma should be taught those Jñāna stories with which Brahma residing in the lotus had been pleased to favour them, in order to put an end to the dissensions between them and liberate the virtuous from their Sañcita Karma and lead them to Mokṣa.
Initiation into the mysteries of Brahman will fructify only in that disciple’s mind which is desireless and will produce Jñāna (spiritual wisdom) in it. This is what the Śāstras (scriptures) say. And herein lies the glory (of the higher spirituality).
But initiation imparted to a vicious disciple, full of desires, will become defiled like pure milk deposited in a container made of dog’s skin.
Thus did Viśvāmitra expatiate in various ways, when the unsullied Nārada, Veda Vyāsa and other Muni-s assembled there, who heard Viśvāmitra’s words, eulogized him for his noble utterances.
Thereupon Muni Vāsiṣṭha, son of Brahma and equal to him, addressed Viśvāmitra thus:
Oh Muni, well versed in all departments of knowledge, I will do thy bidding. Whoever would go against the words of the Great Ones who have known really who “the knower” is?
I will now recite the pure Jñāna stories meant for those with non-fluctuating and pure mind and related by the lotus-residing Brahma on the Niṣadha hills in order to liberate them from the cycles of rebirth.
Therefore Vāsiṣṭha with a concentrated and pure mind related the following to make Ajñāna (ignorance) perish and the supreme state of all-full Jñāna dawn in men’s minds.