Saints - men and women who renounce the world and set out in search of deep truths have been a tradition of the Hindu way of life for thousands of years - as far back as any mythological story can be traced and perhaps, even earlier.
Buddha joined a long line of such saints when he renounced his life as a prince to seek deeper truths.
These saints then return, enlightened, to share their wisdom with other humans so as to help elevate their lives.
Their favorite way of teaching is to use simple stories and homilies to illustrate the truth.
As you can imagine, many parables have been handed down orally and written through the ages, evolving as additions are made to the original story.
Some takeaways evolve into proverbs for easy remembrance and spread to the masses.
Continuing the wisdom series, I retell some stories which embed many Hindu philosophical constructs in simple terms.
Parable
A woodcutter worked hard to earn a living. One day, he had a vision of a Goddess due to his good actions. His happiness knew no bounds. After blessing him, she disappeared. However, the woodcutter still had to return to the painful, blister-filled life of cutting wood.
Takeaway
Some may believe that visiting temples and worshiping God religiously absolves them of the need to perform their duties to the best of their abilities. The idea here is that even if you see God, it doesn’t mean you can circumvent your responsibilities. Instead, your actions are to be performed in faith without attachment to the results.
Parable (Adapted)
Once, two men were crossing a river.
One of them was a religious scholar, and the other an ordinary working man. The scholar was proud of his erudition.
He asked the second man if he knew the scriptures.
The man replied respectfully, “No sir, I don’t.”
After a moment, the scholar enquired, “Do you at least know the Yoga Sutras?”
The man replied he did not.
Each time the scholar named an important scripture, the man regretfully shook his head.
Suddenly a storm broke out, and the rain caused the water levels to rise dangerously. The small boat weaved back and forth on the rising waters.
Now, the man asked the scholar, “Do you know how to swim?”
The scholar, terrified, replied, “No, I don’t.”
The man said, “I do. What use are those scriptures now?”
Takeaway
Knowledge of the world is useless if you wish to cross the river of life. This is a concept often used in Hindu philosophy - “life in the material world is like crossing an ocean.” The one thing to know is this: God alone is real, everything else is an illusion. Essentially, the idea is to encourage folks to seek out spiritual wisdom versus just focussing on becoming experts only in worldly matters.
Parable
In ancient times, a dispassionate celestial saint1, considered a foremost devotee of the Preserver-God, sought to understand the concept of ‘illusion,’ or ‘Maya,’ from the Preserver-God on multiple occasions.
On one such occasion, when he asks to understand the concept of ‘Maya,’ the Preserver-God assents but first asks him to bring some water.
The saint goes in search of water and, after traveling some distance, ends up near a town and settles down. He gets married, has children, and enjoys a happy life.
One day, huge thunderstorms engulf the town, and waters from the nearby rivers sweep away many of the residents, including his wife and children.
When the storm recedes, he sits by the riverbank lamenting their deaths and is inconsolable.
Then, the Preserver-God taps him on the shoulder and asks, “Where is my water, Narada?”
Shocked, the saint turns and is instantly aware that he has been under an illusion.
There was no town, marriage, wife, or children.
Only the Preserver-God standing there smiling at him.
Chastised, Narada, sworn to renunciation, bows, and acknowledges the power of His Maya.2
Takeaway
It is believed to be nearly impossible for even great ones to escape the veil of illusion. However, once a person becomes aware of this illusion and pierces the veil, they become aware of the true Self. This is a rare accomplishment, and the sages of yore who were not bound by ‘Maya’ were respected for their power. The ancients then advise that the quest for freedom of the soul is to break the cycle of birth and rebirth and to be one with the true Self.
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He is considered as being ‘created’ by the Creator-God.
Considered to be the form of a female Goddess.
Hi Jayshree, I really liked this one! Very clear explanations, thank you. Keep up the good work!
Catholics have Saints O'Plenty. The takeaway is that many of the ancient saints from 1800+ years ago died horrible deaths. You kind of venerate them but don't want to be exactly like them. Speaking for myself.