Continued From: http://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.ca/2013/06/srimadh-bagawatham-jata-bharatar_20.html
Jata Bharatar narrated the following story. “Once upon a
time there was an Acharyan called as Ribhu. He had a disciple called as
Nidhakar. Ribhu taught atma vidhya to Nidhakar.
‘Atma is atomic in size,’ said Ribhu. ‘All atmas look
alike. The differences you see arise because of the different bodies occupied
by each atma. The differences are only present for the body whereas there is
equality amongst the atmas. Atma is knowledgeble and it has knowledge.’
After teaching Nidhakar, Ribhu left. Nidhakar pondered
over his guru’s teachings and thus passed a thousand years. One day, Nidhagar
went to the forest to collect the kusa grass. After collecting a big bundle, he
entered the city limits of Sunagaram. He passed the bank of River Devika. As he
entered the city limits he could hear the sound of festivities. It was the
King’s birth day and the people had gathered to witness the parade. There were
hundreds of horses, elephants and chariots. In the midst of the procession was
a large elephant decorated from head to toe in gold. On top of a howdah placed
on the back of the royal elephant sat the king. The people stood on either side
of the street. Some waved flags while some threw jasmine, rose and lotus petals
in the air. Nidhakar stood far away from the parade. He wanted to wait till the
procession passed as he was afraid that his bundle of kusa grass and fuel wood
to be used in Yagnams might lose their sanctity.
An old man approached Nidhakar. ‘Why are you standing
here in solitude? Why don’t you proceed to your home?’ asked the old man.
‘I am waiting for the King’s parade to pass since I don’t
want the bundle of kusa grass to lose their sanctity,’ replied Nidhakar.
‘Procession? King? What is a king?’ asked the old man.
Nidhakar looked at the old man in amazement. ‘Don’t you
know the meaning of the word “king”?’ asked Nidhakar incredulously. ‘See that
large royal elephant. The person sitting on top of that elephant is the king. That
thing below the howdah is the elephant.’
‘What is an elephant?’
‘Wow! You don’t know what an elephant is! See that big
greyish black animal with a large trunk, 2 tusks waving its ears…that’s an
elephant. The king is on top of the elephant and elephant is below the king.’
‘What is top and what is below?’ came the next question.
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Nidhakar started to feel annoyed. He lost his temper.
‘Are you telling me that you don’t know what top is and what is meant by
below?’ He threw down his bundle of kusa grass, grabbed hold of the old man and
pushed him to the ground. Nidhakar sat on top of the old man’s belly.
‘I am on top, you are below. Like me the king is on top
and like you the elephant is below! The one below is supporting the one on top.
Now you are supporting me.’
‘You said that you are on top and I am below; what is “I”
and what is “you”?’ asked the old man.
Nidhakar looked in to the eyes of the old man and
realized that he was looking in to the familiar eyes of his acharyan. He
immediately got up and helped Ribu to his feet. Nidhakar fell at Ribu’s feet
and asked to be pardoned.
‘Please forgive me! I didn’t realize that it was you.
Please teach me atma vidhya once again!’
‘It has been 1000 years since you left school. For a
thousand years you had been contemplating on atma vidhya but alas the knowledge
cannot be attained by just contemplating about it. While in class the teacher’s
words seem to make sense but it is very difficult to bring it in to practice.
‘The King’s body is being carried by the elephant’s body
but one atma cannot carry another atma. I wanted to make you understand this
concept and hence decided to test you today.
‘Due to its past bad karmas, the atma in the elephant’s
body has taken birth as an elephant whereas the King has obtained the King’s
body to spend his good karmas.’
After teaching Nidhakar, Ribu took leave of him only to
return after another thousand years.
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