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Symbol of detachment

CHENNAI: In the Bhagavad Gita Lord Krishna refers to worldly existence as ephemeral and emphasises the distinction between the perishable body and the immortal soul. His advice to mankind caught in the worldly trap is to seek the transcendent truth by developing detachment while living in this world. Liberation is to be understood not as a physical destination but an inner realisation by which one understands the ultimate truth and knows the dreamlike quality of worldly existence. Mind is the cause of ignorance in this regard and prevents the perception of truth.

The Bhagavata Purana describes King Ambarisha’s unlimited opulence and possessions, but also highlights his detachment to all these, and this is symbolic of the state of mind of realised souls, pointed out Sri C. L. Ramakrishnan in a lecture.

Ambarisha exemplifies the qualities of Viveka (ability to discriminate between true and false), Vairagya (detachment to worldly objects) and Vishvasa (unflinching faith in the Lord). So while he ruled with great dedication to dharma he also lived a devout life fixing his mind on the Supreme Being, in the manner of a Raja Rishi.

Pleased with his devotion the Lord gave him His divine discus. This Chakra came to Ambarisha’s aid when once Sage Durvasa took needless offence and abused the innocent king and caused a demon to attack him. The king observed the Dwadasi Vrata meticulously and was pleased with the sage’s arrival on the day of completion of this fast. But he was in a dilemma when he was not sure how to break the fast at the correct time and yet not offend the sage who had not yet returned from ablutions in time for the meal. On the advice of the elders he sipped the sacred water symbolising completion of the vow.

When the sage’s anger became a threat to the devout and upright king, the Lord’s Chakra took charge of the situation and burnt the demon and started to chase the sage. Finally, the sage was made to seek the king’s help and it was made clear that the Lord is fully committed to His Bhaktas.

Though a sage’s curse is most feared by all, in the case of Ambarisha, his devotion rendered the curse ineffective.

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