Parables from the Upanishads

Indra - Virochana and Prajapati

(Chhandogya Upanishad)

Prajapati, the Lord and Creator, once declared himself thus:

"The Self is the sinless, ageless and deathless One; it has no sorrow nor hunger and thirst. The goal of all its desire is the Truth, Truth is the one thing worthy of its resolve. It is this Self that has to be sought after, it alone one should seek to know. And one who seeks after the Self and knows it, gains possession of all the worlds, wins all that is desirable."

The message of the Lord reached both the gods and the demons. They discussed it among themselves. "If the Self is such a thing as can win all the worlds and every object of desire, then, come, let us go and seek it." The gods sent Indra as their representative, the Asuras chose Virochana. The two of them came to Prajapati separately and unknown to each other, carrying fuel in their hands in token of their offering. Both lived as disciples taking the vow of chastity, for a period of thirty-two years. This was their first period of trial.

At the end of this period, Prajapati said to them both, "You have stayed here for thirty-two years, but what has been your aim?" Both gave the same reply: "We have heard this message of the Lord, that the Self is sinless, ageless and immortal; it has no sorrow nor hunger and thirst; its aim is the Truth, Truth is the one thing worthy of its resolve; that it is this Self that has to be sought after and known, one who seeks and knows this Self gains all the

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worlds, wins everything desirable. To know this Self has been the sole object of our stay here."

Thereupon the Creator made reply, "Behold, the Self dwells in the eye, one can see it there. That verily is the Self that is immortal and fearless, and that is the ultimate Reality." Both of them asked the same question: "Who is that person whom the eye sees reflected in water, within a mirror?" To this the Creator replied, "In all this the Self has been manifested."

The language here used by Prajapati nearly borders on a riddle; it is the language of symbol or metaphor. What He means to say is that the Self (God or Supreme Reality) dwells in the eye because That can be seen by the eye, though not by this physical eye but by another kind of vision. But both Indra and Virochana gathered from this that because the Self dwells in the eye, in one's own eye, and one cannot see one's own eye, the reference here must be to the reflected image. They thought they were being very clever and had got the sense of Prajapati's words very well. But Prajapati added to the riddle and said, "Verily, this Self dwells in all."

"You look at yourself," He continued, "in a vessel full of water. Then if there is anything you do not understand about the Self, come and ask me." They saw their own image in the water and approched Him once again. Prajapati asked, "What is it you saw?" Both came out simultaneously with an eager reply, "Lord, we saw the whole of the Self, from the top of the hair to the tip of the toes. We saw the true form of the Self." Then Prajapati said, "Very well. Now you look into the water again after getting yourselves beautifully adorned and dressed." They acted accordingly: they tidied themselves up, adorned their bodies with fine ornaments and dresses and looked at their forms in the water. Prajapati asked them, "What did you see now?" Both gave answer in the same enthusiastic way, "We saw the Self, but this time we found him beautifully adorned and

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dressed." Prajapati seemed satisfied. He said, "Very well, it is just as you say. You have seen no other than the Self, the Self that is Immortality, Fearlessness, the Supreme Reality."

When the two had taken leave and departed, Prajapati said to Himself, "O the unfortunate ones! They left without a knowledge of the Self. If either of them should imagine that the body is the supreme reality, that this is the sacred lore, the knowledge of the Truth, then he is doomed to perdition."

Virochana did in fact return to his people, happy and satisfied. He imparted to the Asuras this teaching as the supreme secret, "This body that you see, this alone is the Self. You should glorify this body as the true form of the Self, you should serve this body alone. By glorifying the body which is the Self, by serving it well, both the worlds are won, this world and the world beyond."

That is the reason why those of little faith, who make no gifts, do no sacrifice, are described as Asuras. This is the Asuras' gospel, that the body has to be pampered by luxurious living, adorned with fine ornaments and clothes, thus can the worlds be conquered; this is what the Asuras imagine.

Indra on the other hand as he was going back home began to ponder. "By making the body beautiful, its reflected image too grows beautiful; by adorning it the other also gets adorned; by cleaning the one the other too looks clean. But if it becomes blind, its reflection too will look blind; if this becomes lame, the other also will limp; if it loses a limb, that also will lose the same limb. Whatever happens to the body, the same is reflected in its image. If that be so, then I do not see where is the gain."

So he came back again, with fuel in his hands. On seeing him back, Prajapati inquired, "You departed along with Virochana, seemingly happy and contented. What now brings you back?" Indra replied, "Lord, I have perceived

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indeed that on adorning this body, its image reflects the adornment; on dressing it up, the other looks dressed. Not only that, but when the one becomes blind the other too looks blind, when it becomes lame, the other also limps, when it loses a limb the same happens to the other. I do not see any advantage in all this."

Prajapati said, "It is as you say. But I shall explain to you more fully again. You live with me for another thirty-two years." Indra stayed with Prajapati for the next thirty-two years and then approached Him once again. Prajapati gave a fuller explanation this time. "I have already told you," He said, "about the waking self. But the person that moves about in the dream-state is the one to be glorified. He is the Self, He is the Immortal, the Fearless, the Supreme Reality."

Indra was satisfied and he started going back again, his doubts set at rest. But a fresh doubt arose as he was wending his way. "Granted," he thought, "any harm done in the waking state to the physical body does no hurt indeed to the dream-self, it does not reflect any flaws of the other. But one does feel during sleep, in the dream-state as if someone is coming to attack, one does feel that one is being pursued. If the dream-self too feels sorrow and affliction, then where is the gain, what makes it worth while?"

Indra went back to Prajapati, related to Him his experience. And once again Prajapati said, "What you say is right. I shall speak about it in more detail, if you can wait for another thirty-two years." At the end of the thirty-two years, Prajapati spoke again about still more fundamental things. Beyond dream is the state of dreamless sleep, in which the entire consciousness becomes calm and still, where there is no sense of movement. The Person in this state of dreamless sleep is the Self, the Immortal, the Fearless, the Supreme Reality.

Indra now left for home, satisfied as before. But again a doubt arose in his mind. He began to think, "In this state of sleep there is no consciousness or thought, there is no sense

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of I-ness. Even if the I remains, the world does not exist, nothing exists, all becomes non-existent. I do not see the utility of this kind of experience."

Again he came back to Prajapati, and as on the previous occasions, Prajapati said once again, "What you feel is true. But if you stay with me for another five years, I shall give you my final instructions and you will have the realisation." Indra spent another five years with Prajapati, making in all a stay of thrice thirty-two plus five, that is a hundred and one years.

Thereafter, Indra was initiated by Prajapati into the last secret, he was told about the All-Conscious Self or Reality that stands as on a peak above the states of waking, dream or deep sleep. This fourth or supreme status of the Self is the Reality that abides beyond all Ignorance, on the other shore of Darkness; for our waking, dream and deep sleep are no other than states of Ignorance and Darkness. It is this state of superconscient Being that is the true Immortality and Fearlessness.

The Asura had remained contented with the first steps of the true Knowledge. Their strength is the strength of the body, to them the strength of arms is the one source of strength. Quick is their gain and early their victory. The effort of the gods is long. Their desire is for the true Truth, the integral Truth, not any half-truths or anything that masquerades as the Truth. Their victory is in the end, they have to wait for it long What they have to acquire is not the mere strength of body, but the power of the Self in its integrity. And why this insistence on a hundred and one years? A hundred denotes perfection; one added to it makes the perfection perfect. The mystery of the other figures remains still a mystery.

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