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AtmaChintan

The Golden Bangle

A Long time ago, there lived an Acharya Brahmadutt. He had a son named Abhiroop. He sent his son Abhiroop to study with another Acharya Indradutt in the town of Shravasti. The ancient custom mandated that a child has to go to a guru to study. Although BrahmaDutt was a scholar himself yet he preferred to send his son to another scholar to inculcate the principle of discipline and self-reliance which cannot happen while living at his own home. Like any other student, Abhiroop was also required to go take “Bhiksha” from households. He used to go to wealthy person’s place to take alms. The maid use to feed Abhiroop like her own son. There, he fell in love with the food that was given to him every day.


Time passed, and when he was about to graduate, the maid told “That now you are graduating. I don't have gold bangles. Give me a bangle." Abhiroop replied, 'If I go home, I will send it. I have nothing here at this time.' Maid suggested, since you are a brahmin, let me suggest you a solution. “The king of Shravasti gives two gold coins to whoever appears first before him in the morning. However, he gives it to the Brahmin only. I am not a Brahmin, but you are. Those two gold coins will suffice for my bangle." Abhiroop thought that 'She has always fed me lovingly and has asked for something for the first time, I have to get it for her.


That night, he could not sleep worrying about how to reachKing’s palace before anyone does it. He got up at about two o'clock in the night and started walking towards the palace of the king of Shravasti. As it was very late in the night, the policemen thought he was a thief and they caught him. He said a lot but the policemen did not agree and was locked up in a room. In the morning, he was presented in the court before the king.


The king noticed that the student appeared from a good family. His face shone with divine energy. He must not be a thief. The student said that “Maharaj, i had not come to steal, I was coming to meet you, but I got arrested." He narrated the whole story. The king also found out that he was a disciple of Acharya Indradutt. The king was happy to see his innocence and said, ”Feel free to ask fir whatever you want.” Abhiroop said he would tell after thinking. He went home, he thought, “I should ask for two thousand rupees.” Then, it came to his mind that it would be too less and would be spent easily. He thought that he should ask for two crores. Then a thought came to his mind that he would need security personal to protect two crores and lot will go as expenditure. And as kept thinking of the problem, he concluded, until he gets the Kingdom of Shravasti, his problems won’t be solved.


He went to the king's court in the morning and said, “Maharaj! I hope you won’t mind if I ask you what is on my mind”. The king said “I won’t mind at all. Ask for whatever you want." "Sir! Please give me your entire kingdom, only then it will work for me." The king of Shravasti had no children. He was also wishing to handover the reign of kingdom and take Sannyas(renouncement). He said, 'O Brahmin Kumar! I am not saddened at all by this demand of yours. You have freed me from the clutches of craving! I have tried to keep filling this bottomless pit of desire. I was exhausted myself but I was not able to get out of this quagmire.”


Now, Abhiroop was also totally shocked. He thought, ”I have asked for the kingdom and he is leaving it happily!” He said 'Maharaj! You keep this kingdom; I don't want to take this kingdom now, because you yourself want to leave it. I am not going to get trapped in the swamp from which you want to get out." The king tried to convince a lot but he did not listen. And we walked away from the palace and came to the maid, who was waiting for him.

He told the maid that 'I have found the nectar of life. May you be blessed! Because of you, I have come to know the essence of life. Neither had you asked for two gold coins, nor would I have got awakened. I am going to take Sannyas to attain God. Achieving which, all desires are fulfilled and nothing more is required to be acquired.


This is the condition of all people. Abhiroop represent soul (Jiva) which keeps assuming many forms and keep on taking various bodies in different world. This world is Shravasti, that is, here the Vedas and scriptures etc are studied. Jiva gets attached to the one who feeds and cares for him. This is how we get attached to worldly objects. Although, food was arranged by the wealthy man, yet he owed the allegiance to the maid. Similarly, all the fruits in this world are ordained by God (based on our previous Karma), yet we attribute it to be coming from this world and get deluded. We know that things come and go. So to have money, fame, relationship and power, we pray to God. The very of act worship bears its fruits (although done for ephemeral objects). Similarly, the king (Supreme God) offered anything and everything what Abhiroop wanted.

We calculate and estimate and ultimately seek the Glory of God. We feel if we get Godly power, everything will be sorted in our lives. When we see that God is ready to give us everything, than we are forced to think. When Abhiroop deliberated that all the worldly object and spiritual powers are mere illusions, he left it with God itself and he got determined to seek THAT which is real.


Story Credit: This story is taken from book CharamLakshya(The Ultimate aim) by Sri Maheshanand Giriji Maharaj

Sri Dakshinamurthy Math Publications

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