Austerity

महाभरत

Mahābharata

As retold by

Michael Dolan, B.V. Mahāyogi

Amba

Bhishma kidnaps Amba and sisters

"I rode my battle chariot to the walls of Kashi and swept the maidens from the swayamvara. defeating the princes gathered there. And when it was time to marry, Vichitravirya refused. She had been betrothed to another. I set her free. 

"You may go," I said.

"You have shamed me." she said.

"Return to Shalva."

"I will have my revenge."

"Go, now," I said.

Bhishma spat blood. 

"When I gave Amba leave to depart the great city of Hastinapura, she first went to the city of Shalva, the prince she had loved, accompanied by her nurse and some brahmaṇas. Arriving in the court of King Shalva after such a long journey, she approached that mighty warrior and said, “I come at last, my Lord, having escaped the hands of Bhiṣma, who would have killed me and my sisters had we not surrendered to his grasp. I come to surrender myself to you, O my Lord as your wife. Please accept me.”

"At this, the proud Shalva laughed, and said, 'O fair one, you were taken from me by Bhiṣma, who insulted me. You have dwelt in his court as the betrothed of Vichitravirya, and now, spurned by both, you dare to come before me. You have been used by another, and I have no wish to eat the remnants of Bhiṣma’s plate. Go. You were pleased when he abducted you, and smiled, pleased to have such a mighty suitor. Go to him, or anyone else who might have you. I have no use for you.' And so saying, his royal guard approached to remove Amba."

           

" Amba, devastated, replied, 'O Lord, it is not so. If I grimaced when Bhiṣma took me by force, it was not a smile. I had to grit my teeth at the horror of being molested by such a brute. Didn’t you see my tears, O great one? Take me, for I am yours.' She said, weeping, as the royal guard approached to escort her from the hall of the great king Shalva.

            

“The son of the Ganges never laid a hand on me after bringing me to the court of Hastinapura. I swear that I have not been so used or violated. I appealed to his good mother Satyavati and told her that I am meant for you, O Shalva. Do not reject me. I am meant to be your wife, and you my husband, as these brahmaṇas here are my witness. I have never been in love with any other. I am a humble maiden who comes to you to surrender myself - as you are my Lord!”

        

   

 "The King of Shalva would have none of this and merely smiled and waved his hand at the royal guards. “Take here away. I have no interest in women who have been used by other men. Such women may be found selling themselves in the rudest sections of the public market. I can have my pick of dancing girls and servants. There are many fair maidens in my court who would give themselves freely for a night. Why should I accept one whose charms have been known by a beast like Bhiṣma? Go now. Go home to your father, the King of Kashi and see if he will accept you after having spent so many nights in the house of other men.”

          

" With this, Amba was led in tears of despair from the court by the royal guard of the King of Shalva, crying, 'The truth shall prevail! The righteous shall protect me!' She wandered to the gates of the city. Stolen by Bhiṣma and shamed, she could not return to Hastinapura. Now rejected by King Shalva she had no where to go.

            

"So she walked into the forest, burning with rage cursing the day I was born and saying, 'Cursed be Bhiṣma! Cursed be my wretched father, cursed be Shalva! I shall revenge myself on Bhiṣma, through mystic power earned by long austerities or by the force of arms of a champion in battle. What king or prince will be my champion in battle? Who shall take up arms to protect me? So she wandered deeper into the forest until she reached the ashram of a mystic named Shaikavatya.

Hearing her story, he said, “My dear girl, how can we poor forest sages help you? You speak of great kings and dangerous warriors. We live a meek life here in the forest. We live on honey and roots and berries and pass our time in meditation. How can we help you?”

The rejected and desperate Amba said, “Let me live here with you. I have renounced the world. Show me the way of mystic yoga, that I may acquire such power that I can revenge myself with mantras and mystic weapons.” 

The sage replied, “This is not our way. Austerity and renunciation are not meant for revenge. Both renunciation and exploitation are dangerous, but renunciation is more dangerous than exploitation. Do not act in anger. We cannot help you. Go to your father.” 

But Amba was determined and said, “I shall never return to my father’s court in the kingdom of Kashi. I have been shamed. I shall live here with you and practice the austerities of a forest sage. Please accept me.”

Disciple asks for acceptance from guru.

Comment: In Bhagavad-gita, we find:

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4 TEXT 34

tad viddhi pranipatena
pariprasnena sevaya
upadeksyanti te jnanam
jnaninas tattva-darsinah

SYNONYMS

tat--that knowledge of different sacrifices; viddhi--try to understand; pranipatena--by approaching a spiritual master;pariprasnena--by submissive inquiries; sevaya--by the rendering of service; upadeksyanti--initiate; te--unto you; jnanam--knowledge;jnaninah--the self-realized; tattva--truth; darsinah--the seers.

TRANSLATION

Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth.

PURPORT

The path of spiritual realization is undoubtedly difficult. The Lord therefore advises us to approach a bona fide spiritual master in the line of disciplic succession from the Lord Himself. No one can be a bona fide spiritual master without following this principle of disciplic succession. The Lord is the original spiritual master, and a person in the disciplic succession can convey the message of the Lord as it is to his disciple. No one can be spiritually realized by manufacturing his own process, as is the fashion of the foolish pretenders. TheBhagavatam says: dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam--the path of religion is directly enunciated by the Lord. Therefore, mental speculation or dry arguments cannot help one progress in spiritual life. One has to approach a bona fide spiritual master to receive the knowledge. Such a spiritual master should be accepted in full surrender, and one should serve the spiritual master like a menial servant, without false prestige. Satisfaction of the self-realized spiritual master is the secret of advancement in spiritual life. Inquiries and submission constitute the proper combination for spiritual understanding. Unless there is submission and service, inquiries from the learned spiritual master will not be effective. One must be able to pass the test of the spiritual master, and when he sees the genuine desire of the disciple, he automatically blesses the disciple with genuine spiritual understanding. In this verse, both blind following and absurd inquiries are condemned. One should not only hear submissively from the spiritual master, but one must also get a clear understanding from him, in submission and service and inquiries. A bona fide spiritual master is by nature very kind toward the disciple. Therefore when the student is submissive and is always ready to render service, the reciprocation of knowledge and inquiries becomes perfect.