| 10.
Krishna's experience was Vyasa's too. Krishna and Vyasa are one. The
essence of their lives is the same. Moksha does not depend upon
one's learning or performance of rites. All it needs is straight and
simple bhakti. While learned men who say "I, I," are left
behind, innocent and devout women go forward. When the mind is pure
and the heart full of simplicity and holiness, moksha is not
difficult to attain. There is a Chapter in the Mahabharata
describing the conversation between Janaka and Sulabha. Vyasa
creates a situation where Janaka approaches a woman to learn wisdom
from her.
You may go on discussing whether
women have the right to study the Vedas; but here we see, before our
eyes, Sulabha teaching divine wisdom to king Janaka. She is an
ordinary woman, and he an emperor, and a profound scholar. But the
wise Janaka had not attained moksha. And so Vyasa sends hem to fall
at the feet of Sulabha. The story of the vaishya (merchant)
Tulaadhar is similar. The brahmin Jaajali goes to him in search of
wisdom. Tulaadhar tells him, "All my wisdom consists in holding
the scale even." Similar too, Vyaadha is the story of the
hunter. He killed animals and sold meat. That was how he served
society. An arrogant brahmin ascetic was asked by his guru to
approach the hunter and learn wisdom from him. The brahmin wondered,
"What can this butcher teach me?" Still he went to him and
saw him cutting the meat, washing it and displaying it for sale. |
