Karma-Yoga : Ch-6. Part-18.

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CHAPTER VI

NON-ATTACHMENT IS COMPLETE SELF-ABNEGATION

Part-18.

There was a great sage in India called Vyasa.

This Vyasa is known as the author of the Vedanta aphorisms, and was a holy man.

His father had tried to become a very perfect man and had failed.

His grandfather had also tried and failed.

His great-grandfather had similarly tried and failed.

He himself did not succeed perfectly, but his son, Shuka, was born perfect.

Vyasa taught his son wisdom; and after teaching him the knowledge of truth himself, he sent him to the court of King Janaka.


He was a great king and was called Janaka Videha.

Videha means "without a body".

Although a king, he had entirely forgotten that he was a body; he felt that he was a spirit all the time.

This boy Shuka was sent to be taught by him.

The king knew that Vyasa's son was coming to him to learn wisdom: so he made certain arrangements beforehand.


And when the boy presented himself at the gates of the palace, the guards took no notice of him whatsoever.

They only gave him a seat, and he sat there for three days and nights, nobody speaking to him, nobody asking him who he was or whence he was.

He was the son of a very great sage, his father was honoured by the whole country, and he himself was a most respectable person; yet the low, vulgar guards of the palace would take no notice of him.

Swami Vivekananda
To be continued  ...



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