Drushtant Kathao

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

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Bhavnabodh - Ekatva Bhavana
unbearable to him. Every cell of his body began to give him terrible pain like thousands of scorpion bites. He took all medicines, adviced by expert physicians to cure his burning sensations but all that went in vain. The more he took the medicine to cure the fever, the more rose his burning sensations and the disease increased manifold, instead of lessening. All medicines helped fever rather than working against it. None of the medicines was apathetic to this fever. Thus expert physicians failed and became helpless and the great king also was much disheartened by ever growing burning fever. All in his kingdom, were in search of such a person who would cure king's malady. One very skilful physician was found out and he suggested the application of sandalwood paste, available on Malaya mountain. Soon the sandalwood was brought in and all ladies in the harem, began to rub sandalwood on different slabs of strong stones but in doing so the bangles of their hands began to rattle and it made a very big noise. The King of Mithila, the patient, was already suffering from the pain caused by increasing burning fever and his pain increased by this noise of bangles which rattled, while the ladies wearing them were rubbing the sandalwood for applying its paste to the king's body to cure the burning fever. As he could not bear the noise of rattling bangles, he ordered the ladies to stop rubbing sandalwood. He said he could not bear the noise at all. The noise was adding to his pain. On this advice the ladies took out bangles from their hands, keeping only one bangle as a sacred sign of a married woman and then by stopping the noise, continued to rub the sandalwood on slabs of stones. Namiraj asked his queens as to whether they stopped rubbing sandalwood to which they replied "No." They said, they only took out all the bangles, keeping only one bangle on each of their two hands so that the whole noise of rattling bangles was stopped. Since they had no collection of bangles on their hands, there was no reason for occurence of the noises. Upon hearing these words from his queens, Namiraj experienced the feeling of singleness or loneliness thoroughly in every cell of his body. He felt being alone like the one bangle on each hand of his queens and his sense of mineness or possession was totally gone. Really, more things gather together, more trouble they bring; just see a group of golden bangles on every hand, created an unbearable noise by their movements, while a single on every hand created no noise.
O conscious soul! You should now realise that only in loneliness there is real paradise. The more you have, the more you suffer. Where is the need for you to keep contact with many friends, relatives and other things of this worldly life? Leave it altogether and adopt loneliness, just see how this single bangle enjoys peace of loneliness! How did it suffer noise when it was in contact with many bangles! Similarly O you self, you are also like the golden bangle. So long as you level in contacts of many persons and relatives in this world, you will have to bear this unbearable hustle bustle noise of this world. Otherwise, when you aspire for loneliness and feel alone like the bangle on each hand, being alone without making any noise by its movement, you will obtain the highest acquisition of the soul, namely the singleness of your soul, and thus you will experience eternal peace. Thus, in thinking and reflecting on the beneficial effect of singleness or loneliness, king Namiraj remembered his previous birth and went to sound sleep with a firm determination to adopt ascetic life. On the next day in the morning, auspicious bands were played and the king was cured of his burning fever. Salutations to this great king Namiraj who perfectly followed his experience of being lonely or single!
"Rani Sarva Mali Suchandan Ghasi Ne Churchvaman Hati, Bujhyo Tyan Kakalat Kankantano Shroti nami Bhupati;
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