This story conveys a deep spiritual truth about SELF [atma, jeev] in implicit but impactful language. Forgetting our real self, which is part of God, immortal, eternal and non-doer [अकर्त्ता]- 15.7 ,13.31 gita, we consider ourself to be body, act for its happiness, get attached to actions and their fruits, and are caught in the vicious circle of births and deaths. Just like us was king Pracheenbarhi. He was performing yagyas [यज्ञ] with animal sacrifices. Naradji explained that main purpose of life is freedom from sorrow and attainment of bliss that cannot be achieved by performing actions with an eye on the fruit [सकामकर्म ].The king prayed for spiritual knowledge .
Sage Narada, narrates to king Pracheenbarhi, who was steeped in materiality and in whom the learned one wanted to instil spiritual wisdom : In Panchaldesh[पांचालदेश ] there lived a glorious king, Puranjan. His companion was AVIGYAT[अविज्ञात , literally meaning unknown] , whose ways nobody could fathom. One day while looking for a suitable place to live, he came upon a beautiful city with exotic surroundings. There the ruler saw an attractive teenager who was searching for a husband. She was attended by ten servants, each of whom had a hundred wives.
They fell in love.They started living in this town with nine gates, enjoying all pleasures. Infatuated with her he did all her biddings. He became her pet monkey, much against his will. With the passage of time they begot many sons and daughters.
City, with nine gates, was guarded by a five-headed serpent. Kalkanya [कालकन्या], a vamp, helped by villain Prajwar [प्रज्वर ] attacked this place with nine gates. Yavanraj [यवनराज ] joined forces with them. To aid them came Ganharvraj [गन्धर्वराज ] with 360 gandharvas and 360 gandharvis. The snake with five heads [पाँच सिर वाला सांप ] put a valiant battle for a hundred years; but, eventually Puranjan was taken prisoner. Puranjan was put in a dark place for a long time. He was tortured by animals which he had sacrificed. [Prachinbarhi had sacrificed many animals]. Again he took birth. Since at the last time,i.e. the time of death, his thoughts were on his wife Puranjani [पुरंजनी], he was born a girl [as per divine rule -gita 8.6,14.14,15,18 and18.12 which states that the next birth depends on the last thought held in mind] in the house of king of Vidarbha [विदर्भ ], and named Vidarbhanandani [विदर्भनन्दिनी.] At proper time by svyamvar [स्वयम्वर ], she was married to king Malaydwa j[मलयधवज], led a happy marital life, produced children,and then her husband of this life also died. She was overcome with grief.
To console her a brahamin came. He was none other than the forgotten friend, AVIGYAAT[अविज्ञात ], of Puranjan. AVIGYAAT explained, “You are not the daughter of Vidharbharaj. Brave Malaydwaj is not your husband; you are not the husband of the lady with whom you lived in the nine-doored city in your past life. In previous life you thought you were a man, now you think you are a woman.You are neither man nor woman----this is my MAYA [माया ]. Both you and I are SWANS [हँस ].’’ Then AVIGYAAT expounds the unity of ISHWAR and JEEV [ईश्वर व जीव ] ie . God and soul in detail.--4. 28 . 63 -65.
You have by now guessed this parable of Puranjan is in fact our story---yours and mine—and every soul‘s. Parables, concise and implicit tales, have been in vogue since time immemorable. In old testament: Bramble king, Judges 9:7-15, and brother slayer 2 Samuel 12:1-1. Jesus taught by parables like the sower and the four types of soil and the prodigal son, Luke15:11-31. Quran tells of two gardens of grapes 18:32-44 and house of spider 29:41. In Indian panorama we have the spiritual wisdom shown by the story of an elephant and six blind men. Going back to Puranjan,he is the BOUND SELF[मायाबद्ध जीव ]; AVIGYAAT is ISHWAR, GOD; our human body is the nine-doored city—2 eyes, 2 ears, 2 nostrils, one mouth, one penis, and one anus; the five-headed snake represents 5 prans[पंचप्राण] our very life; AVIDYA [अविद्या ] or Purajani [पुरंजनी ] is the damsel of the city, her servants being the 5 senses and their 5 subjects, [पंचकर्मइंद्रियां व पंचज्ञानेन्द्रियाँ]10 in all, which have hundreds of objects of pleasure; heart is the inner chamber, anthapur[अंतःपुर], where Vishucheen [विषूचीन] i.e. mind [मन], the eleventh warrior, resides; Kalkanya,daughter of TIME [कालकन्या] symbolises old age, hated by all; Yavanking [यवनराज ] is fear; Prajwar[प्रज्वर] means all diseases; Chandveg[चण्डवेग] is Gangharva king with 360 gandharvas [गन्धर्व ] as days and 360 gandharvis [गंधर्वी ] as nights that make a year, and 5 senses are Panchaldesh.[पांचालदेश ].
Wisdom pertaining to Self and God, JEEV and ISHWAR [जीव और ईश्वर ] has been imparted by sage Narada to royal Pracheenbarhi in an implied and indirect manner, using Puranjan’s parable [Bhagvat 4.25-29]. Stated explicitly, SELF/JEEV a part of God, eternal, conscious and un-changeable, has entered into a false relationship with the world and body which are material, unconscious, ever-changing and perishable.This union is a nought for a tie is always between two of the same genera [kind,type].Wood-wood can unite, so can iron-iron; however, wood-iron cannot bind. Thus conscious-unconsciou s[spirit-matter] can never be ONE, being of opposite kinds; their union is not real, it’s only an appearance. Because of this false-binding, self thinks he is the body whereas he is the one who lives in it, shariri शरीरी, as Sh .KRISHNA names self in Gita.Thus body has become ‘I’ and other relations of body are ‘MY, MINE’ for the bound self. This ‘union’, appearing because of maya[माया ], has to be broken. Being false at the very inception, it is subject to break-up, it can be put asunder. WE the SELF have to turn our attachment away from the body and all persons, things, situations of this material world and then only the tie with material body will snap.Since we are parts of God we are always in oneness with HIM; all that is needed is to REALIZE the UNION. Again in our parable ISWAR declares to JEEV, “You and I are not two distinct entities, JEEV is what ISHWAR is. Wise see no difference between us.’’ When the truth of this oneness dawns on him, Puranjan swan [हंस] gets self-realisation--4.28.63-65. We too can reach this when: we get the understanding we are not the body but the ONE who lives in it; eternal, imperishable parts of GOD ever in union[ योग ] with HIM.
Practically, we can attain GOD by gyan, karm or bhakti yog [ज्ञान,कर्म या भक्तियोग]. Jagatgurutam Kripaluji Maharaj maintains bhakti is the only way to achieve our goal of [ दुःखनिवृत्ति व आनन्दप्राप्ति ]cessation of sorrow and attainment of bliss. Lord Krishn [कृष्ण ], confides to Udhav [उद्धव] : “Therefore, turning your back on injunctions and interdictions [श्रुति, स्मृति], renouncing worldly activity and cessation from activity, and rejecting what has been learnt and that which has yet to be learnt, O Udhav ,seek your refuge in ME alone, the ONE SELF of all embodied creatures, with all your being; for with ME alone you can be rid of all fear----‘’11/12/14-15. Such philosophy was also taught to Arjun--Gita 18/66. The gist of it all ---‘’GOD only’’ for GOD is all [वासुदेवसर्वम ]—Gita 7/ 7 ,7/19 ,7/30. Has HE not informed us “For I AM the abode of BRAMHA, THE IMMORTAL, THE IMPERISHABLE, of Eternal DHARMA, of Absolute BLISS--Gita 14/27.
KRISHN declares HE is the master, controller, cause and source of all; nobody can enter HIS abode, the ultimate goal of all yogis and devotees, without dwelling his mind on HIM. Then why look anywhere. HE IS HERE in you--- “nearer than your jagular vein[Quran 50.16 ,Qaaf ].’’ Your indwelling lord, the father in you--John14.11. Both of you live in the same body, as if two birds on a tree but different like sunlight and shadow.---kath.up.1/3/1 कठ उप. [प्रथम अध्याय तृतीय वल्ली प्रथम मन्त्र] .
Seek HIM.Just know HIM. Realize HIM.
Ref:
1,Sadhak Sanjavini, Gita press, Gorakhpur
2. Srimad Bhagvat,Gita press,Gorakhpur
3.Quran
4.Bible
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