Hello and welcome to episode 15 of The Ask Sri Vishwanath Show. Today’s episode is part two in our conversation about consciousness and its ability to conquer death. If you haven’t seen episode 14 yet I would suggest that you watch it first in order to be able to get the most out of this episode.
In the last episode Connie asked if fate is preordained and someone is destined to die, can we change it. We talked about Savitiri and how her love for Satyavan overcame death. Today I want to talk about another story. It’s a little different but it’s still very powerful.
Parikshit and the sage
Parikshit was the grandson of Arjuna. Krishna preached the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna. Parikshit was a powerful king. One day he went to the forest to hunt. He travelled far and became really thirsty. He noticed that he had run out of water. He searched everywhere for a water source but he couldn’t find one.
He found a hermitage and went inside to look for water. As he went inside he noticed a sage who was deep in meditation. He told the sage how thirsty he was and asked him for some water. The sage did not respond. He asked once more and again the sage didn’t respond. He tried again and again but the sage remained silent.
The king was disgusted by this insolence. He was so powerful yet this sage refused to bring him water and his ego had been tarnished. He noticed a dead snake in the corner. He grabbed it and started to wrap it around the sage’s neck. Still the sage remained still and silent so Parikshit left and returned to his kingdom.
When the sage’s son returned to the hermitage he noticed the snake around his father’s neck. He cursed the one who did this to his father and vowed that they would die by bite from the powerful snake – Dadaksha in 3 days.
A curse
After some time the sage got up from his meditation and the son told him about the snake and how he believed someone had placed it there it to kill him. Even though the sage was deep in meditation he knew through yogic powers that it was Parikshit. He told his son that he should not have cursed him. He acted in anger. The sage was compassionate but unfortunately once a curse is spoken it cannot be taken back.
The news of this curse spread wide and far. Soon everyone knew the kings fate. Parikshit knew he had only days to live but he took it in the right spirit. In the last story Satyavan was brought back due to love, penance and chastity. Parikshit knew that this was an act of god so he was determined to know what happened after death and what he should do before it comes so that he would not be born again.
Seek knowledge
He decided to spend his reaming days seeking knowledge. He dedicated his time to seeing God. He could have chosen to spend his last few days in despair but instead he welcomed death and accepted that this was God’s will. He knew that this was God’s way of pushing him to seek knowledge and know God. He saw it as an opportunity.
He went to the banks of the Ganges River and asked the sage Sukhadeva to give him the knowledge of God. This is a very beautiful part of the scripture. Sukhadeva gave the knowledge of God to Parikshit. As he gave him the knowledge the snake started to make its way up the banks of the river.
It was said that there was one person who was able to consume the snake’s deadly poison and still live. This person thought if we went to king and asked to consume the poison that the king would offer him a lot of money. He was travelling toward the kingdom when he was seen by Kali, the god of time.
The god knew that this man could prevent the death of the king so he appeared before him in the form of a stranger. He asked the man why he wanted to stop the king from dying. He told him that this was the king’s fate and it couldn’t be prevented. He told him to turn back, that if he continued his whole family would be cursed. He said if he wanted money then he would give him money. The god of time gave the man the money and told him to go home.
Destiny
This is very important. He was destined to die. Parikshit knew this and he welcomed it. Even though there was someone who was capable of saving the king, time stopped him and turned him away.
The king studied and achieved the knowledge of Brahman and the consciousness. He was able to get this knowledge from Sukhadeva very quickly because he was an enlightened man.
Parikshit was at peace when the snake approached him. It reared up and struck him, injecting its poison into his blood. Parikshit then lay down, closed his eyes and died.
So in the last episode we spoke about Savitiri and how she saved Satyavan through chastity and penance. She won Yama’s heart and took back her husband’s soul.
In this story Parikshit welcome death. He said if it is God’s will that I should die then so be it. He saw it as an opportunity to really know God. He used everything he had inside him to connect with his consciousness. Three days was enough. Ram Krishna says it’s possible to see God in as little as 3 days.
The reason why this doesn’t happen. We keep procrastinating and delaying things. We we’ll do it tomorrow or next week or next year. Then suddenly death is upon us and we realise that we only have a little time left. Life will always catch up on us.
So I encourage Connie and everyone else to look at things this way: through purity and chastity, surrender yourself to God. See it as an opportunity.
The giver of sanction
Krishna says “close observer, giver of sanction, experiencer, sustainer, preeminent lord thus is styled the spirit in the body”
The important thing here is the giver of sanction. If you are completely immersed in the consciousness the giver of sanction of the script as its running, you will have the power to avert it through love and surrender.
You must have complete knowledge of the consciousness. Surrender to it and then you the power to avert death – if that is what you want. At that point this may not be something that you want. Maybe, like Parikshit you will welcome death and see it as an opportunity.
Krishna says the consciousness is the giver of sanction. If you get in touch with it you will be directly in touch with God. We should not have the attitude of wanting to change every fate but it is possible if that is what you wish. Just remember to surrender to your consciousness.
I hope this answers your question. Remember you keep asking questions and I’ll keep answering them.
