Re: You are all FOOLS -- Sri_Chinmoy

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Date Posted: 23:58:44 08/08/02 Thu
Author: M51
Subject: Re: You are all FOOLS

Here is some ancient wisdom that seems to me quite appropriate to this discussion. It is taken from an edition of the Ramayana, written/translated by C. Rajagopalachari, first printed in 1952 for the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, of Bombay. I offer it here especially to those who feel their time with CKG has had a damaging effect on their love and respect for the Hindu tradition. It is a story of lust, error and punishment, and of redemption and grace.

Early in the Ramayana, the two divine princes Rama and his brother Lakshmana have gone on an adventure with the great and amazing rishi Vishwamitra. I recall CKG speaking and writing about Rama and Vishwamitra back in the 70's and early 80's when I was a disciple living in Connecticut and then in Queens.

After a day's stay in the city of Visaala, Viswaamitra and his party left for Mithila. On the way, not far from Mithila, they saw a beautiful aashrama which seemed untenanted. Raama asked Viswaamitra: "Whose is this aashrama with ancient trees? Why does such a beautiful abode stand deserted?"

Vishwamitra replied: "This aashrama is subject to a curse. Sage Gautama lived here with his wife Ahalya, spending his days in peace and holy meditation. One day during the sage's absence from the aashrama, Indra, filed with unholy desire for the beautiful Ahalya, entered it disguised as Gautama and approached the lady with urgent solicitation. She was not deceived by the impersonation, but vain of her beauty and proud that it had won her the love of the lord of the celestials, she lost her judgment and yielded to his desire.

When the sin had been sinned, realising its heinousness and the fierce spiritual energy of her betrayed husband, she warned Indra of his terrible peril and begged him to be gone in the instant.

Indra was fleeing in guilty panic: but unfortunately for him he almost bumped into the rishi who was just returning from his ablutions, clad in wet garments and radiating spiritual lustre. Pretence was hopeless before that all-seeing wisdom and Indra bowed in abject supplication, and threw himself on the mercy of the rishi. The sage looked at him with wrath and loathing and cursed him:

"Lustful beast as you are, dead to all truth and righteousness, may your manhood fall away from you."

Indra at once became an eunuch and went back to the Devas in ignominious shame.

Then the sage turned to his erring wife and prescribed a long penance for her. He said: "Living on air, you shall stay here, unseen by anyone. After a long time, Dasaratha's son (Raama) will pass this way. When he sets foot in this aashrama, you will be freed from the curse. Welcome him as a guest. You will then recover your lost virtue and get back your own beauty."

The sage then left his violated aashrama for Himaalaya to engage himself in austeries there.

Vishwamitra said to Raama: "Let us enter the aashrama. You will bring redemption to Ahalya and re-kindle the light in her as the sage promised."

And they went into the aashrama. As Raama set foot in the aashrama, the curse was lifted and Ahalya stood before them in all her beauty. Having lain concealed behind leaves and creepers and kept her vow for many years, she now shone, says the poet, in Raama's presence, like the moon emerging from the clouds, like a flame issuing from smoke and like the sun's reflection in rippling water.

Raama and Lakshmana touched the feet of the sage's wife made pure by penance. She welcomed the divine princes with all the customary rites of hospitality. A shower of flowers descended from the heavens as Ahalya, cleansed of sin, shone like a goddess; simultaneously the sage Gautama returned to the aashrama and received his repentant and purified wife back to his affection.

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