The Cart Puller and the King

Seeing a screaming first page advertisement in a leading national daily newspaper today, on the charitable activities of a corporate group, took my mind to a story I had read in the Chandogya Upnishad when I was a kid.

Chandogya upnishad is associated with Samveda ( you could read Sri Devi Didi’s wonderful post on upnishads right  here ) And chapter 4 talks about the story of the famous King Janashruti.

Janashruti was pious, knowledgeable and an epitome of charity and kindness. He made sure all his guests and subjects were well fed and taken care of  and was lavish in giving away money , gifts and cows (quite unlike Vajasravas in the previous story ). His fame spread far and wide. He thought himself to be worthy and one who had accumulated a lot of tapas (penance)) and punya ( merit) through his acts of kindness. And he prided himself in being the foremost patron of his people.

One day as he was watching the skies from his palace balcony he saw two swans flying home. As it happened the King had mastered the language of the birds and he could understand their conversation. One Swan cautioned another,  “Do you see the light emanating from King Janashruti? That’s because of his piety and generosity. Steer clear of that flaming light ,my friend or you might get burnt.” Clearly, even in the absence of 24/7 news channels, the swans had their own social network and knew well the news of the world.

The other swan responded, “Goodness gracious! You mean the king is better than the cart puller Raikva?? That cannot be. The king only hankers after praise and glory. That’s why he is so restless and knows no peace”

“Oh, really? Said the first swan , taken aback, who is this cart puller? Where does he live? I have never heard of him!”

The King became extremely restless as he heard this. While his chest had swollen with pride when the first Swan praised him to the skies, the second swan’s mention of Raikva brought his ego crashing down. He was determined to find Raikva now, who possibly had little fame but was at peace with himself and had more punya (merit)

He sent out his soldiers and servants to find Raikva and after a long search  (remember no social media or tracking networks ) the servants found the poor man in rags, resting under a cart and scratching himself.  While they were puzzled why the king wanted to see the beggar, on the King’s orders, they invited him to the palace but Raikva refused. The servants went back and reported to the king about the poor man’s arrogance . The King was furious but he forced himself to be humble and decided to go himself .

Janashruti made elaborate preparations and went to Raikva with six hundred cows, gold and  carriages. He offered them all at the feet of Raikva and said, “O Raikva, be pleased to accept all this and give me spiritual knowledge.”

Raikva retorted, “Take back your wealth! Knowledge of the Self is not for sale!” Janashruti went back and returned after a while, this time with a thousand cows, gold carriages and his own daughter to be offered as wife. He offered all this and prayed that he may be taught the higher truths of existence. Raikva was not moved by the gifts. But he was impressed  by Janashruti’s persistence and sincerity– and the one who is persistent cannot be driven away !

Raikva then  taught  Janashruti , “In this creation there are many elements which are worshipped as gods. There is the wind that sweeps everything. And among Devas  worshipping the Vayu (wind ) and the Prana (the vital breath ) is advisable** (see footnote).But all these are moved by the Spirit within. This Spirit is not created by anyone. It exists by itself. And yet it creates and sustains the Universe . Thus all of us are but instruments of this Spirit doing our tasks.  Therefore, having pride, ego and vanity from our little actions takes us away from this truth .

 He further instructed “O king! Have neither pride nor vanity for the charities that you dispense. Give but not as something that is yours, but as something given to you by the Spirit for giving to others. He who realizes this truth becomes a realized soul and a saint

The king learnt his lesson. He lacked gratitude for what he had and the opportunity he had to help others .Instead he had pride and vanity and hence a compulsive need for constant praise . He  humbly made his offerings to Raikva and named the city Raikvaparna .

As  the Book of Kindness  says, the only way one can be successful in the quest to achieve happiness for oneself is to first spread happiness and show kindness to others. Swami ji often stresses on gratitude and humility which go hand in hand with kindness .

Lets make random acts of kindness a part of life. Lets give with humility and gratitude and not with pride and vanity. Kindness and gratitude do make the life’s garden blossom with flowers of happiness .

** footnote: when fire is extinguished it goes to the air, when the sun sets it goes to the air, when the moon sets it goes to the air, when the waters dry up, they go to the air; thus verily is Air the final absorbent of all things whatsoever.(Chandogya Upanishad IV.3.1-2) 

PS : A humble second offering of  stories from the scriptures .  My grateful and humble pranaam to Sridevi didi. The translation  is my own with a little help from Gitapress Gorakhpur publications .And I seek forgiveness for any errors and omissions which are my responsibility alone . Jai Sri Hari