Parable of the king's dream

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Parable Of The King's Dream

 

A king went to bed in his palace, which was guarded on all sides by

sentries.

Not even a fly could enter it and disturb the king. The bed-room was

equipped

with every kind of comfort and there was nothing lacking which

enabled the

monarch to enjoy the bliss of deep sleep.Soon after he lay down he

had a dream. A jackal had somehow entered the palace, attacked him

and had bitten a toe of his left foot. In the meantime he hears the

news that enemies have entered his kingdom and taken possession of

all things. He flees in fear; but the toe gives him great pain. He

runs to a doctor for medical aid. The doctor refuses to treat him as,

though he was a king, he had no money to pay for the doctor's fees on

the spot, for he had lost his kingdom.

As a mendicant he runs away to the forest. There he finds a Mahatma

who heals

the wounds. Gratitude to the Mahatma wells up in the heart of the

ruler, then he

wakes up.

 

The dream vanishes. The king is still lying on his golden bed in the

palace

which not even a fly could enter. He finds that there is neither the

jackal, nor

the wound nor his running away to the forest. But the Mahatma's grace

endures

in his mind, and he, though it was all a dream and he has realised

it, for ever

cherishes the memory of the holy man's healing service and derives

inspiration

from it.

 

Similarly, the Jiva (self) is truly the Supreme Monarch of the

Universe. There is

nothing lacking in it and it is in possession of supreme bliss. it is

bliss

itself. Yet, when the veil of ignorance is thrown over it, it dreams.

In that dream the jackal of egoism bites it. The enemies of the

senses overpower it. The

happiness that it so long enjoyed is gone; it experiences pain and

misery. It

runs here and there in search of relief from misery and in search of

happiness.

Everyone in the world is selfish.

 

Unless there is immediate benefit from it, no one is prepared to give

it even a

cup of water.

 

Disgusted with the ways of the world, it runs to the forest to the

lotus-feet of the Sat-Guru. The Guru heals its wounds and awakens its

higher soul-consciousness. The awakened soul perceives everything

that happened as nothing but a long dream. Gratitude to the Sat-Guru

who healed the Jiva of the dire malady of birth-and-death, alone

remains. The Guru's Upadesa and his Grace alone endure when all else

that was part of the dream vanishes. The awakened soul once again

feels that it is the Supreme Monarch of the Universe, that nothing

ever happened to its majesty, that there was no ignorance and no

egoism, and that from eternity to eternity it continues to be the

self-same Self all-blissful, peaceful and immortal