Post by dattaseva on Apr 10, 2017 10:14:10 GMT -8
There was a scholarly priest, who was delivering a sermon on a philosophical scripture called Astavakra Samhita.
In that scripture, there was a certain verse which can be translated as follows: "The mother and the son of this birth are born as wife and husband of each other in the next birth, owing to the attachment of the mother to the body of her son." The scholar simply could not accept this outrageous statement due to the social stigma associated with this idea.
Preaching this statement to people was out of the question for he would surely get beaten up if he were to do so. However, the statement, being in the scriptures, could not be refuted. The scholar was extremely distressed at his inability to resolve the conflict and understand the verse. He consulted many other scholars hoping that someone would come up with an acceptable interpretation of the verse. However, nobody could satisfy him.
Some scholars suggested that he just skip that verse and move on to the next one. However, this particular scholar was a true seeker of the truth. Neglecting what he could not understand or accept or just blindly accepting it, was not an option for him. He had to know the true meaning of the scripture.
He had to know the truth even if it was hard to accept. He was looking for some authoritative scholar who would explain it to him. However none of the scholars, he had met could help him. Upset and helpless, he began neglecting his food and health. He fell ill and remained in bed for six months. Finally, in desperation, he gave up food until he could get his answer.
It was in this state when someone told him about Swami, telling him that Swami was an incarnation of the Lord. If there was anyone who could solve his problem, it was Swami. He was carried to Swami, where he asked his question to Him. Swami offered him some coffee and food. However, the scholar refused, saying that first, he must have the answer to his question. Swami was amazed and extremely pleased to see this man who was so committed to knowing the truth that he had given up his food and sacrificed his health for its sake. He said, "People approach Me only to satisfy their worldly desires but here is a true seeker of the Truth". Swami convince, the scholar that He had the answer to the question and would certainly explain it to him at length if he ate well first. Finally the scholar agreed.
Swami was amazed and extremely pleased to see this man who was so committed to knowing the truth that he had given up his food and sacrificed his health for its sake. He said, "People approach Me only to satisfy their worldly desires, but here is a true seeker of the Truth". Swami convinced the scholar that He had the answer to the question and would certainly explain it to him at length if he ate well first. Finally, the scholar agreed.
After the scholar had had some food, Swami explained to him the meaning of the verse as follows "In a movie, two actors acted as mother and son. In another movie, the same two actors acted as wife and husband. In reality, the two actors are totally unrelated; they are neither mother-son, nor are they wife-husband. Before the movie, the two actors were unrelated, after the movie they are unrelated, only during the movie they temporarily pretend to be related. That which does not exist before and after the shooting of the movie, does not exist even during the time of shooting. The mother-son and wife-husband relationships are totally unreal. In each of the movies they are only co-actors or co-employees of the same movie producer. However the employer-employee relationship between the movie producer and actors remains before the movie, during the movie and after the movie. It is the only real relationship since it is a relationship whose scope is beyond the unreal movie."
Swami continued to explain, "Relationships between souls in this world are unreal, because these relationships did not exist in the previous birth and will not exist in future births. Therefore, they are both temporary and unreal. The only permanent relation that a soul has is that with God, the Producer of this Cosmic Cinema. This relation is permanent and real. It was there in the past, it is there in the present and will remain in the future. When a person dies here on earth, his soul with its subtle body (past impressions and feelings) leaves the gross body. The gross physical body is left here and it disintegrates. As soon as the soul leaves the body, all relationships in this world are also left behind. The soul retains no memory of who his parents, spouse or children were in the past birth. However, the bond with God remains."
"Our attachment to worldly relationships is foolish. When Abhimanyu, the valiant son of Arjuna (a main character of the Mahabharata, an ancient Indian epic), died in the Mahabharata war, Arjuna was overcome with grief. He decided to stop the war. Lord Krsna (a past human incarnation of God like Buddha, Jesus, etc.) tried His best to convince Arjuna to stop grieving unnecessarily but it was all in vain. Finally, in order to show the impermanence of all worldly relationships, He took Arjuna to heaven. There, Arjuna saw Abhimanyu enjoying the pleasures of heaven. Arjuna ran to Abhimanyu and embraced him. Abhimanyu was surprised and asked Arjuna "Who are you?" Arjuna told him that he was Abhimanyu's father. Abhimanyu replied that he had had millions of births and in exactly which birth was Arjuna his father? Clearly, Abhimanyu remembered nothing about his past birth and relationships. Arjuna saw the futility of attachments in this world. He had seen the proof that all worldly bonds were unreal."
When the scholar heard this explanation, he fell crying at the feet of Swami. He had finally understood the true meaning of that scriptural verse. He praised Swami, "You are undoubtedly Lord Datta. No one can explain the scriptures as You have, O Guru Datta!" The scholar returned home, in great happiness and recovered completely. Swami had cured the illness of this devotee entirely by the power of divine knowledge. He did not need to transfer the suffering of the devotee's body on to His own body. This was indeed the greatest miracle.
Source - www.universal-spirituality.org/greatestMiracles.html
In that scripture, there was a certain verse which can be translated as follows: "The mother and the son of this birth are born as wife and husband of each other in the next birth, owing to the attachment of the mother to the body of her son." The scholar simply could not accept this outrageous statement due to the social stigma associated with this idea.
Preaching this statement to people was out of the question for he would surely get beaten up if he were to do so. However, the statement, being in the scriptures, could not be refuted. The scholar was extremely distressed at his inability to resolve the conflict and understand the verse. He consulted many other scholars hoping that someone would come up with an acceptable interpretation of the verse. However, nobody could satisfy him.
Some scholars suggested that he just skip that verse and move on to the next one. However, this particular scholar was a true seeker of the truth. Neglecting what he could not understand or accept or just blindly accepting it, was not an option for him. He had to know the true meaning of the scripture.
He had to know the truth even if it was hard to accept. He was looking for some authoritative scholar who would explain it to him. However none of the scholars, he had met could help him. Upset and helpless, he began neglecting his food and health. He fell ill and remained in bed for six months. Finally, in desperation, he gave up food until he could get his answer.
It was in this state when someone told him about Swami, telling him that Swami was an incarnation of the Lord. If there was anyone who could solve his problem, it was Swami. He was carried to Swami, where he asked his question to Him. Swami offered him some coffee and food. However, the scholar refused, saying that first, he must have the answer to his question. Swami was amazed and extremely pleased to see this man who was so committed to knowing the truth that he had given up his food and sacrificed his health for its sake. He said, "People approach Me only to satisfy their worldly desires but here is a true seeker of the Truth". Swami convince, the scholar that He had the answer to the question and would certainly explain it to him at length if he ate well first. Finally the scholar agreed.
Swami was amazed and extremely pleased to see this man who was so committed to knowing the truth that he had given up his food and sacrificed his health for its sake. He said, "People approach Me only to satisfy their worldly desires, but here is a true seeker of the Truth". Swami convinced the scholar that He had the answer to the question and would certainly explain it to him at length if he ate well first. Finally, the scholar agreed.
After the scholar had had some food, Swami explained to him the meaning of the verse as follows "In a movie, two actors acted as mother and son. In another movie, the same two actors acted as wife and husband. In reality, the two actors are totally unrelated; they are neither mother-son, nor are they wife-husband. Before the movie, the two actors were unrelated, after the movie they are unrelated, only during the movie they temporarily pretend to be related. That which does not exist before and after the shooting of the movie, does not exist even during the time of shooting. The mother-son and wife-husband relationships are totally unreal. In each of the movies they are only co-actors or co-employees of the same movie producer. However the employer-employee relationship between the movie producer and actors remains before the movie, during the movie and after the movie. It is the only real relationship since it is a relationship whose scope is beyond the unreal movie."
Swami continued to explain, "Relationships between souls in this world are unreal, because these relationships did not exist in the previous birth and will not exist in future births. Therefore, they are both temporary and unreal. The only permanent relation that a soul has is that with God, the Producer of this Cosmic Cinema. This relation is permanent and real. It was there in the past, it is there in the present and will remain in the future. When a person dies here on earth, his soul with its subtle body (past impressions and feelings) leaves the gross body. The gross physical body is left here and it disintegrates. As soon as the soul leaves the body, all relationships in this world are also left behind. The soul retains no memory of who his parents, spouse or children were in the past birth. However, the bond with God remains."
"Our attachment to worldly relationships is foolish. When Abhimanyu, the valiant son of Arjuna (a main character of the Mahabharata, an ancient Indian epic), died in the Mahabharata war, Arjuna was overcome with grief. He decided to stop the war. Lord Krsna (a past human incarnation of God like Buddha, Jesus, etc.) tried His best to convince Arjuna to stop grieving unnecessarily but it was all in vain. Finally, in order to show the impermanence of all worldly relationships, He took Arjuna to heaven. There, Arjuna saw Abhimanyu enjoying the pleasures of heaven. Arjuna ran to Abhimanyu and embraced him. Abhimanyu was surprised and asked Arjuna "Who are you?" Arjuna told him that he was Abhimanyu's father. Abhimanyu replied that he had had millions of births and in exactly which birth was Arjuna his father? Clearly, Abhimanyu remembered nothing about his past birth and relationships. Arjuna saw the futility of attachments in this world. He had seen the proof that all worldly bonds were unreal."
When the scholar heard this explanation, he fell crying at the feet of Swami. He had finally understood the true meaning of that scriptural verse. He praised Swami, "You are undoubtedly Lord Datta. No one can explain the scriptures as You have, O Guru Datta!" The scholar returned home, in great happiness and recovered completely. Swami had cured the illness of this devotee entirely by the power of divine knowledge. He did not need to transfer the suffering of the devotee's body on to His own body. This was indeed the greatest miracle.
Source - www.universal-spirituality.org/greatestMiracles.html