Drushtant Kathao

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

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Bhavnabodh - Ashuchi Bhavana
same guise as Brahmins and they nodded their heads seeing Sanat Kumar quite differently than what they did when they saw him while getting ready for
good bath. Quite surprised at this queer nod, Sanat Kumar asked, "O Brahmins ! What is the reason for nodding in such a different way?" The deities by their Avadhigyan (Special high knowledge) replied: "O King Sanat Kumar ! There is a vast difference like that between sky and earth, between your beauty and luster that we observed when you were about to take bath and that we see now when you are seated with all the pomp and glory on your throne in this royal assembly." Sanat Kumar asked for the clear meaning of their nodding. To which the deities replied as under :
"O King of Kings ! When we first saw you at the time of your getting ready for a good bath, your body was like nector, and when we see you now it is like poison. So when we saw you first, we nodded our heads in appreciation and when we saw you here, we nodded expressing sorrow at your poison like body. If you want to verify the truth of what we say, you can now spit the bettle leaf in your mouth at some place and soon a fly will sit on it and it will die." Accordingly Sanat Kumar examined and found that the statement of the deities was true. It was the mixing of his past life's misdeeds or sins with his sense of pride of present bodily form that made this whole body turn into poison. Observing this result of his body, a spirit of utter disgust at this bodily beauty and lustre developed in his mind and a strong feeling of non-attachment to his body and worldly life connected with it, grew strong. He realised that his worldly life was worthy of abandonment and similar impurity resides in the bodies of his wives and those of other relatives and friends. Therefore all pride about one's living body is no good; pride about it is only infatuation and a delusion. So saying he left his worldly life of a sovereign ruler of six continents and started his journey for self-realisation. When he was moving as a saint, he caught leprosy, a deadly disease. To confirm his determination to work for self-realisation with a spirit of total non-attachment, one deity came to him in the guise of an expert physician and said to Sanat Kumar that his body was suffering from deadly disease and that he was an expert royal physician who would cure his deadly disease immediately if Sanat Kumar wanted it. To this the saintly Sanat Kumar replied; "O you physician ! The disease in the form of bondages of a living being is deadlier than this deadly disease, if you are capable of curing me from the bondages, please cure me off it and oblige. In case you are unable to cure me of my bondages, leave my deadly disease alone." To this the deity replied, "I cannot cure you off your disease in the form of your bondage." Hearing this Sanat Kumar, using his atmost spiritual acquisitions, took his spittle with his finger and applied it on his deadly disease and instantaneously his deadly disease got cured and his body regained its previous health. Seeing this miracle, the deity disclosed his real form and showering respectful praises, bowed to Sanat Kumar and returned to his place.
Lesson :- The body in which the deadly disease like leprosy grows, the body which has tendency of instantaneously perishing; in every cell of the body there reside diseases and as the body has three and a half crores of cells, naturally it is the storehouse of incalculable diseases and this is clearly proved by discerning knowledge. By excessive deficient food and other nutrients, these diseases appear in slight or acute form in the body which is composed of refuge, urine, filthy substances, bones, flesh, puss and marrow and it looks beautiful or good to look at only by its covering of the skin. To be attracted to such a body or to take pride in its form and lustre is really foolishness. It is that body, in which Sanat Kumar took pride but that body could not tolerate it showed the growth of leprosy in it. O lowly human being! Why should one
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