Mahabharata: A Modern Retelling (78 page)

What do they attain by such a practice?

What path are they following?”

Bhishma told him,

“It all depends upon their state of mind.

First they should strictly practice all the virtues,

subduing the senses, celibate, austere.

They should live alone, concentrating

on meditation and on non-attachment.

Using their mind, they should meditate

on mind itself, reducing their dependence

on all things external, all things internal.

In this way, the world of opposites—

self and other, joy and misery—

becomes increasingly unreal to them.

As they silently recite the Vedas,

they sit, meditating upon Brahman

—Brahman the formless, the One, the infinite—

losing all sense of distinctiveness

until only awareness itself remains.

“If they recite without any desire

for favorable outcome, they attain

the highest reward, complete liberation.

If they retain desire for the reward

of their pious practice, then they go

to the realm of one god or another,

or even to hell. There they experience

the attributes of that particular sphere.

Only if they relinquish all attachment

can they go beyond, and merge with Brahman.”

Then Yudhishthira asked to be told

about the different spiritual routes,

the paths of understanding, and of conduct.

“If one’s aim is spiritual release,

is it best to focus on observance,

fulfilling every ritual obligation

to the letter? Or should one, rather, follow

an inner journey—prayer and meditation—

toward enlightenment and final freedom?”

Bhishma said, “Acting scrupulously

in line with ritual and moral precepts

is always right, and leads to happiness.

But happiness is not the highest goal,

and a person who seeks it for itself,

gripped by craving, will find themselves in hell

tortured by suffering, a burning sense

of separation from the eternal One.

Only by true indifference to results

can action lead to liberation—union

with the divine, the inexpressible,

the being with no attributes, neither

male, female, nor neuter, neither existent

nor non-existent, beyond categories.

It is akin to the dark side of the moon—

we know it exists, though we are unable

to perceive it with our mortal senses.

“The path of understanding is austere.

It is the apprehension of the soul

by the soul itself. Devoted study

leads to great learning, but learning alone

will not reveal Brahman. Just as we may wait

for the moon to emerge from its shroud of mist

to light us on our way, so, patiently,

we wait for the One to manifest itself.

Only then can we come to experience

our own being as part of the divine.

“For this, we should detach ourselves from sorrow

and from every sensual impression.

We should not yearn for what is transitory

as a child runs here and there after a toy.

We should not say, ‘Why me?’ at our misfortunes,

but see that sorrow knocks at every door.

Cultivating true understanding,

we move beyond sensory experience,

beyond distinctions, beyond attributes,

even beyond language, into the radiance

of a clearer, more far-sighted vision.

In this way, our soul becomes prepared

to recognize that it has always been

continuous with the eternal Self.

The clouds disperse. We see. Only illusion

has kept our true nature hidden from us.

Those who are obsessed by earthly things

will never understand reality.”

“Grandfather, please tell me more of Vishnu,

the uncreated Creator of all that is.”

“Vishnu is the highest of all beings,”

said Bhishma. “He created the elements

and the earth, and then he laid himself

floating on the surface of the waters.

He made consciousness, which infuses

all created things. And as he lay

on the waters, a most beautiful lotus

grew from his navel and gave birth to Brahma.

From the surrounding darkness, there then sprang

Madhu, a demon, bent on killing Brahma.

Brahma called on Vishnu to protect him

and instantly, Vishnu destroyed the demon;

that is why he is called Madhusudana,

‘Slayer of Madhu,’ among his many names.

“Vishnu then created day and night,

the seasons, and all temperaments of weather.

In Brahma’s line, sons were born, and daughters,

and from them came animals and demons

and gods, to populate the three worlds.

Next he created the four human orders.

From his mouth, he created brahmins;

from his arms, kshatriyas; from his thighs,

he made vaishyas; and, lastly, from his feet

he brought lowly shudras into being.

He appointed gods to be responsible

for diverse aspects of the heavens and earth

and to guard the cardinal directions.

He made Brahma lord of created beings.

He appointed Yama ruler of the dead;

Kubera was lord of treasures; Varuna,

lord of the waters and of aquatic creatures.

“At first, there was no fear of death—people

lived as long as they chose. There was no sex.

Children were conceived by touch alone.

Only in a later age did people

feel the need to marry and live in pairs.

And only later, too, did warfare start.”

“Tell me how Lord Vishnu saved the world

the first time, by taking animal form.”

“This is how it was told to me,” said Bhishma,

“in the hermitage of Markandeya:

“
M
ANY YEARS AGO
, the earth was overrun by demons. They had become very powerful and arrogant and, rather than being content with their earthly riches, they cast their eyes up to heaven, and were envious of the prosperity of the gods.

“The other inhabitants of the earth, minor deities and their offspring, were oppressed and grief-stricken, and came to Brahma in great distress. He reassured them. ‘The fate of those wretches has already been decided. They do not know that the invincible Vishnu has assumed the form of a boar, and is out to destroy them for their pride and wickedness.’ The petitioners were overjoyed.

“As Brahma had said, Vishnu, in the form of Varaha, burst into the place under the ground where the demons had congregated. Astonished, the foolish demons tried to fight the animal, seizing it and trying to drag it down. But however hard they tried, and whatever weapons they used, the boar remained unharmed. At this they became afraid. Then the boar started to give voice to roars so loud and terrifying that they resounded over the entire earth and through the heavens as well. The demons fell to the ground, unconscious, and the boar pierced them with its hooves, tearing the fat and flesh from their bones.

“At the tremendous sound, the gods ran to Brahma in confusion. He told them the world had been put to rights again by the great Vishnu—Creator, all-destroying Time, Ordainer, Upholder of the world. And he told them that, from time to time, when the earth was oppressed, Vishnu would incarnate himself, in order that balance and order could be restored. And so it happens that, in our day, he has taken birth as Krishna, for the good of all humanity.”

This account was so wonderful, the listeners

were moved to tears, and gave heartfelt thanks

that they were living at this historic moment

when Vishnu walked among them on the earth.

The story was familiar but, somehow,

in the telling, it became news again.

“What are the faults a person should avoid,”

asked Yudhishthira, “if they hope for freedom?”

“Avoid those qualities that are born of passion

and darkness,” warned the patriarch, “such as greed,

lust, anger, cruelty, procrastination,

laziness and self-indulgence. The person

whose soul is purified by austerity

will see these tendencies for what they are.

But those caught in illusion will meet sorrow.

“From the very moment we inhabit

a body, in the womb, sorrow begins.

We all have to be born from a woman’s womb,

defiled by blood, phlegm, urine and excreta

which give rise to evil tendencies.

Women are primal substance; men are souls.

Wise men should keep well away from women;

they are the eternal embodiment

of the senses, and give rise to trouble.

Leading the fascinated mind to follow

as a child chases a dazzling butterfly,

they draw a man from his spiritual path.

A student at the start of life, practicing

celibacy, should avoid all contact,

even the most mundane, with any woman.

If semen spurts out of him as he dreams,

he should immerse himself up to the chin

in water, and remain there for three days.

If this fails, he should abandon sleep,

that forest of illusory delights,

and use the long hours of the night for study.

“Later, because the man desires a woman,

children arrive who undermine his quest

for wisdom. ‘These are my children,’ he will say.

But they no more belong to him than vermin

born on his body; he should shake them off

as he would fleas and mites. The man of wisdom

should avoid becoming attached to them.

He will find the practice of yoga useful

in harnessing the restless, possessive mind.”

So said Bhishma, lifelong celibate.

And if Yudhishthira gave any thought

to Draupadi, sitting among the listeners,

and wondered what she felt, we will never know.

“A clear mind is the way to liberation.

Even compassion, since it is prone to lead

to attachment, will hold a person back

by focusing attention on particulars.

One cannot know the universal soul

if worldly concerns clutter up the mind

with material issues and distinctions.”

Day after day Bhishma shared his wisdom.

There seemed to be no end to the king’s questions.

He asked how happiness could be achieved,

how fear could be avoided. What penances

were most appropriate; and whether people

really were the authors of their actions.

“On this last point,” said Bhishma, “there is a tale

of the visit Indra paid to Prahlada:

“
P
RAHLADA, CHIEF
of demons, had fallen on hard times, defeated by the gods, his enemies. Indra came to visit him, intending to gloat over his vanquished opponent, expecting to find him crushed and humiliated. But far from being cast down, the demon was living in tranquillity, seated in an empty room, meditating, observing stringent vows, and indifferent equally to praise and blame. A clod of earth and a heap of gold were just the same to him. He wished for nothing and avoided nothing.