Chandi Saptha Sathi -2
-Santhipriya-
Now hear the story of king Suratha and a Vaisian, also referred by few as a merchant named Samadhi, who were driven away from their home and Kingdom by their own members who plotted against each of them. Unable to take refuge anywhere, they reached the forest and wandered in search of a place to stay. Finally they could locate the hermitage of Maharishi Medhas and sought asylum. The atmosphere in the hermitage was totally calm and peaceful.
They were kind heartedly welcomed by the Maharishi and offered true hospitality after which he inquired the purpose of their visit to the forest. Immediately the King cried out and fell at his feet to narrate his ordeal. The King said “Oh, venerable Maharishi, I do not know what is happening around me. As a King, I led a life of purity and treated every one in my state with respect, be they be rich or poor showed no partiality in my treatment, engaged in the act of many good deeds, acted for the welfare of others and extended my act further by charity of many sorts, but only with the treasures I owned. I had cheated none, nor had eyed on others treasures or destroyed their pleasures. I was true to the Devi whom I worship and performed rituals in all sincerity. In spite of all such good acts, I am pained to see that the very same people who enjoyed my care and comforts have turned against me to become my foes and drove me out from my Kingdom. My mind is afflicted with unbearable sorrow and I fail to understand why fate has been so crude to me when I had done nothing wrong. The merchant too has similar tale to narrate. He has been disowned by his own children, wife and servants and forsaken by his own people. Still he is inordinately affectionate towards them who drove him out from home. Why such cruelty is happening to honest persons like us ?
Maharishi replied “Oh, King, calm down first. You claim to have done enormous good deeds, remained honest and claim that you never aspired to swallow the treasures of others. For a moment I do not want to disagree to agree on your claims, but did you ever thought or recollected the wrong doings of yours, which you have done either intentionally or ignorantly? Do you want me to believe that a person of your stature can always remain fair in all your acts right from childhood till grown to become a King ? Do you want me to believe that there are no negative aspects in your or the life of this merchant ?
Always think twice before you speak as the root cause of all your present problem is the sins that you had intentionally committed. You are trying to hush up your negative acts, though unintentionally. After you reached the power of glory, you wantonly insulted and ignored those very same people who shared your pains and pleasures and ensured that you reach the zenith of power sailing on their shoulders. Outwardly you may have done umpteen good acts with good intention, but they were indeed done to gain return rewards of praise from public. Your mind was impure, corrupt and dishonest. The one who possessed such qualities and sinner mind even if worshiped Devi with elaborate rituals to please her, she would not accept the prayers of dishonest devotee but would only grace to the extent they committed good deeds and punish for their remaining sins simultaneously.
In the initial periods of your life, you may have received the grace of Devi when your intentions and thoughts were pure and you were imbibed with good qualities of many sort. By the grace of the Devi when you became a powerful King, further aided and helped by your true followers, you began to feel that the glory was yours alone and Devi was obliged to grace you for your good deeds and acts. At some point of your rule, arrogance overrode purity in mind and your character eroded with corrupt thoughts. Unintentionally you portrayed that even the Goddess Devi was under your control and felt that pleased with your act she continued to grace you.
In arrogance you began to insult and ignore all those who were your brain and thoughts, stood shoulder to shoulder with you in pain and pleasure, and warmed up your heart. Your treacherous act took them away from you and you lost their confidence. You lost the kingdom because you were a fool who believed that the grace of God received was due to your good acts while the fact is that she graced you because of the good deeds of your parents.
See your plight today wherein you stand alone in wilderness, unable to know the reasons for your fall from glory. You have no peace of mind because you have not understood the gravity of your mistakes. Don’t you feel that you would have received the grace of Devi at this hour of ordeal, had your intentions and acts were indeed honest and pure? Your present ordeal is just the beginning and would continue to appear multifold unless you realize your folly, shed away the mindset of racist thoughts of revenge and arrogance which reels inside you without your control.
Do you know what the philosophy of worshiping Devi? ‘Praise her with all sincerity by heart. Pray her with devotion and believe her in totality. Beware, if you offer prayers to her with dirty mind Devi would certainly be not anywhere near you. It would be an unwise act of worship with evil thoughts. Believe me she would never grace those with corrupt mind at heart. You had remained in the world of illusion that Devi was pleased with your prayer and bestowed grace to fulfill all your wishes. Why are you praying Devi ? what for… to blaspheming true friends? You need to come out of the illusion and believe that she has created this entire universe, both moving and unmoving including you and she thus knows true feelings in ones’ inner heart and mind.
If you however pretend to be perfect and honest before others, and continue to offer prayers to the Devi seeking her grace to instantly remove your ordeals, never be a fool to believe it would happen. Before surrendering to her burn away the treacherous feelings and blasphemy running in mind. Then only she would answer your prayers and help you come out of the ordeal and the world of illusion which is dominating in you.
If you are able to follow my advise in all sincerity and offer prayers to Devi by chanting Chandi Saptha Sathi during the auspicious period of Navarathri, you would get back all those you have lost”.
The King felt as though a big stone had hit his head to come back to senses and realizing his sinner acts, instantly he feel at the feet of Maharishi Medhas and sought his help in performing the Chandi Saptha Sathi ritual to appease the anger of Devi. Maharishi too read his inner heart which intended to turn to purity, and therefore began to tell him how to perform the ritual- Chandi Saptha Sathi.
………to be continued
