Elephants, glue and overcoming obstacles

 Hari Aum.

Around a decade ago, when I first embarked upon the journey of mantra japa and purascharana, I looked online for guidance and inspiration. I was keen to hear about the lives of other spiritual seekers who had already walked this path and who could inspire me as I started out on this unfamiliar path. 

I could not find all that much online at the time but did come across a video (please see link below) in which a spiritual teacher discusses the subject- towards the end of the video, he says something rather dramatic-- he declares that, when a spiritual seeker performs spiritual practices such as mantra purascharana, sooner or later, a number of cosmic forces unite in an attempt to drag him/her off the path. Forces, within and without, do everything possible to shake the spiritual seeker off the path, to make him/her give up the practice and let go of the Divine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nn8WyYXzXtU

When I watched this video years ago, I thought the comment about the obstacles was interesting but it is only in recent years that I have more truly understood the meaning of what this teacher has said. (By the way, I do not know much about this particular Guru or follow his specific spiritual path of Tantra; I just found this video of his teaching on purascharana useful and am therefore sharing it here).

In recent years (particularly in the astrological phase of Rahu-Rahu), I have certainly experienced the truth of this statement. Things are calming down (by the grace of God), however, and as I look back at this period, I see things more clearly. 

I realise that it is the mantra itself that acts as a divine shield against negativity both within and without. It is the mantra, which is none other than God Him/Herself (and a manifestation of His/Her highest grace), that keeps the devotee steady on the spiritual path.

When I was a child growing up in India around thirty years ago, there used to be advertisement on television for a type of glue (called 'Fevicol' that children would often use in school at the time). In the advertisement, a group of strong men attempted to pull apart an object that had been stuck together with the glue. They tugged hard at a rope connected to the object, and were even assisted in their efforts by a large elephant! After much pulling and tugging, and huffing and puffing, the men and the elephant gave up. They conceded that the glue was simply too strong for them! 

Similar is the case with the mantra and the forces that attempt to pull the devotee off the path to the ishta devata.

The devotee stands in the middle. One one side is the rope of the mantra attaching them to the Divine, their favourite form of God, the beloved ishta devata. On the other side is the rope of all sorts of cosmic forces-- some that come to test the strength of the devotee,  others that come to try and force the devotee to give up the spiritual search.

As the men in the advert pull at the glued furniture (roaring in Hindi, "Dum laga ke, haisha! Zor laga ke, haisha!", which broadly translates as "Let's make an effort with full strength, will full force!"), so also the cosmic forces pull and tug at the devotee with full force in all directions. 

However, the mantra acts like the glue firmly holding the devotee together and connecting him/her to the Divine. Under no circumstances will the mantra ultimately permit the devotee to fall from dharma or from the sacred feet of the Divine.

This is why the Gurus famously sing the song "Jis haal mein, jis desh mein, jis vesh mein raho, Radha Raman, Radha Raman, Radha Raman kaho!". In order words, no matter what condition one finds oneself in, one should recite the name or mantra of the Divine. 

And, they remind us that no matter how wonderful and fantastic our family, friends and others may be, it is the mantra alone that stands by us at all times. Everybody on this planet has their own issues to deal with in life, and, as the yogis say, it is hard work to manage one's own mind and be happy. So, they say, when it is generally hard work for people to keep themselves happy, how can we expect anyone else to make us happy (we are ultimately each responsible for our own happiness in life)!

Thus, the Gurus wisely say, stick to the mantra at all costs. It will give us everything we need in life and more. 

Speaking of elephants and the grace of God, I am reminded of a famous story from the Puranas that highlights this message of the Gurus.

Once upon a time, there lived in the celestial realms, a majestic elephant known as Gajendra. He was King of elephants and lived a wonderful life filled with material joys. He had a loving family and they were part of a large herd of powerful elephants who lived in a beautiful forest. 

One day, accompanied by the herd, he went to a lake to drink water. After he and the other elephants had quenched their thirst, they played in the crystal clear waters of the lake that was filled with lovely flowers and with water birds that sang most enchantingly. The elephants, immersed in the joy of playing with each other, were oblivious to the danger that lurked under the surface of the placid waters of the lake.

A large and ferocious crocodile lived deep within the lake. He was greatly incensed by the disturbance created by the elephants playing in the water. He came out of his lair within the lake to investigate what the matter was. Upon seeing the elephant-King in the water, he swam up to him swiftly. Opening his mighty jaws, he clamped down upon one of Gajendra's legs. Then, with great strength, he pulled downwards with the intention of drowning the elephant and consuming him. 

The elephants, mighty though they were, could not match crocodile who was far more powerful, especially in the water. In great alarm, they all rushed towards the banks of the lake and saved themselves. Seeing their relative and King in the grasp of the crocodile, they all felt great grief and shed many tears but did not know how to help him.

Gajendra, meanwhile, managed to drag himself with great difficulty towards the bank of the lake. However, the crocodile was not prepared to give up on his prey so easily. He responded by tightening his vice-like grip on the unfortunate elephant's leg and dragged him back into the water.

The elephant and crocodile continued to pull in opposite directions for some time with neither side winning. After a while, Gajendra began to feel very fatigued; however, the crocodile showed no sign at all of any tiredness. 

At last, the elephant-King, who had given the fight his all, realised that he would not be able to save himself by his own efforts. He also knew that his fellow elephants would not be able to rescue him. 

Faced with the unpleasant prospect of being killed and eaten by the crocodile, he felt greatly distressed.

At this moment, by the grace of God, he suddenly recalled his previous lifetime as a human king. He remembered that he had incurred the wrath of a sage who had then cursed him to be reborn as an elephant. 

As a human being, he used to recite a mantra of Narayana, and the memory of this mantra now came back to him. Without any further ado, he recited the mantra with great devotion and prayed to Narayana, pleading with Him to come to his rescue. 

Hearing the elephant's prayers, the legend goes that Narayana appeared before the elephant-King. Gajendra, delighted to see Him, presented Him with a beautiful lotus from the lake to express his deep gratitude and devotion (he managed this feat despite being in a significant pain due to the attack by the crocodile). He also praised Him with a beautiful hymn. 

Narayana accepted the flower and hymn, and then used His divine weapon (called the Sudarshana chakra) to slice off the crocodile's head, thus saving the elephant's life.

Now, there appears a twist in the tale (or tail, depending upon how you want to look at it)! The crocodile too, had had an exalted birth in his previous lifetime; he had been no less than King of the celestial musicians known as the Gandharvas. He too had unfortunately managed to offend a sage and had been cursed to be reborn as a crocodile; the sage pronouncing the curse, had declared that he would be saved when he would encounter Narayana! 

(Aside from any other moral, this story clearly teaches that one should avoid offending any sages, even by mistake! As the yogic saying goes, "If God is offended, the Guru can save you, but if the Guru is offended, then even God cannot save you!". In other words, the Guru, being the highest manifestation of God, is to be treated with utmost reverence at all times as far as possible. This applies to all true Gurus-- not only one's own).

Upon being cut by the divine weapon of Narayana, the crocodile was immediately transformed into his original form as the King of Gandharvas. He was delighted to be finally freed of his curse and bowed to Narayana to express his heartfelt gratitude and devotion. Narayana blessed him and the Gandharva King then returned with great joy to his celestial realm.  

Meanwhile, Gajendra too had received a great blessing from Narayana. As he had come in direct contact with His hand, he was granted a form of Self-Realisation (known as 'Salokya mukti', where the devotee assumes a form similar to that of the Lord and is given a place in His own realm known as 'Vaikuntha'). 

Thus, the story which seemed to be heading towards a very grisly end, fortunately turned out for the best for all involved--it was a happy ending all round! 

And, as you would have noted, the key ingredient that turned things around was the recitation of the mantra of Narayana by Gajendra!

This story is often taught by Gurus to highlight the power of mantras, of devotion to God, and to illustrate that the Supreme Being is compassionate towards all beings including animals (not only towards human beings; and that we too should endeavour to be compassionate).

May Narayana bless us all so that we too, being gripped by the dread crocodile of samsara, may repeat His names and mantras daily with devotion and thereby obtain His grace and blessings.

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Hari Aum Tat Sat