Drushtant Kathao

Author(s): Shrimad Rajchandra, Dinubhai M Patel
Publisher: Shrimad Rajchandra Ashram

Page 15

Conversation between Namiraj and Shakrendra
starts his discourse by way of testing the resigned attitude of Nami Rajarshi as under :
Brahmin : O you King ! Mithila city is in great turmoil; your palace and the homes of your subjects are filled with loud wailings and heartbreaking cries which should startle and discourage or dishearten everyone around and the only reason of this sorrowful state of your kingdom is that you have been initiated as a monk, leaving aside your duties as a ruler. Do not be silly to invite worldly circles of birth and death by becoming cause of trouble and unhappiness to your whole family members and subjects. Return to your palace, perform the duties of a noble and benevolent ruler and please them all.
Namiraj :-(In dignified words) O you good Brahmin ! what you advice me, results from your ignorance. This Mithila city had a garden, in the midst of which, there was one tree giving cool shade to a large area around; it was beautiful and pleasing to one and all. It was heavily laden with leaves, flowers and fruits; it was helping in protection of many kinds of birds. A strong wind shook the tree in its roots and by its falling down, all the birds staying in the foliage of that tree are in tears and unbearable pain and they feel, their resort and protection has been lost; they do not cry for the uprooted tree; they cry because they lost their happiness.
Brahmin :- King ! But see how the raging fire helped by powerful winds, is ablaze in your whole city, palace and temples. Therefore you go there and quell the raging fire.
Namiraj :- O Brahmin ! Nothing of mine burns by the burning of Mithila city, my palace or my temples; I live in the way which make me feel happy. Nothing is mine out of all these objects you described above as mine. I have nothing which I can really call mine in the burning temples etc. I have already relinquished my family and all the rest, my sons, my wife and I have cut off all my relations with them. Nothing of all these is either attracting or distracting me.
Brahmin :- But you King ! You fortify your city by a solid fortress with proper inlet doors with strong closing and locking arrangements and get prepared a wide ditch of water all round that fortress capable of destroying hundreds of invaders and then you can go.
Namiraj :-(Inspired by objects and reasons) O Brahmin ! I will prepare a city of pure faith with Samvar as its locking arrangement and will prepare forgivenes as the city's holy fortress and it will have compartments in the form of holy mental yogic disciplines and I shall prepare the ditches all around my fortress by the control of my speech and prepare body control as missile to destroy hundreds of enemies of the soul. I shall take valour as my bow with its string as Irya Samiti, I will have patience as the arch to hold arrowstring and by truth I will tie this arrow in the form of penance and with such arrows I will be victorious over the enemies in the form of worldly bondages. I have no desire of engaging in physical battle or warfare. I only wish to undergo mental warfare as described above.
Brahmin :- Inspired by objects and reasons) O King ! you first get ready tall buildings with beautiful cony tops for your residences and put in them round windows decorated with diamonds and other costly golden articles and also get ready beautiful palaces in the ponds for your sport and then you can take to non-attachment or renunciation.
Namiraj :-(Inspired by objects and reasons) Whatever kinds of residences, you enumerated and asked me to get ready, appear to me quite unsteady and transient, they appear to me as stay-homes in my path of progress. Therefore where there is my real home, where there is eternity and where there is stability, I wish to stay and remain there.
Brahmin :- (Inspired by objects and reasons) O ! the best of the Kshatriyas ! You first