हिमालय की पर्वत-कंदराओं
में कभी एक प्रतिष्ठित संन्यासी रहा करता था, जिसके हज़ारों
अनुयायी थे।
एक बार वर्षा-काल में वे पहाडों से
उतर वाराणसी पहुँचे, जहाँ उन्हें वाराणसी नरेश द्वारा
राजकीय सम्मान एवं आतिथ्य प्राप्त हुआ। वर्षा-काल जब शेष हुआ और
वे वापिस हिमालय पर वापिस लौटने की तैयारी करने
लगे तो राजा ने सन्यासी से वहीं रुकने का आग्रह किया।
अत: सन्यासी ने अपने शिष्यों को अपने प्रमुख शिष्य की देख-रेख
में वापिस भेज दिया।
कुछ महीनों के बाद वह प्रमुख शिष्य गुरु
से मिलने और संघ की सूचना देने हेतु पुन:
वापिस आया और गुरु के ही पास बैठ गया, जहाँ उसकी आवभगत नाना-प्रकार की
भोज्य वस्तुओं और फलों से हुई।
थोड़ी देर के बाद राजा भी उस गुरु के पास पहुँचा। उस
समय पकवान और फलादि के बीच बौठा वह प्रमुख शिष्य अपने गुरु
से कर रहा था, "वाह ! क्या सुख है ! क्या
सुख है !!"
तब राजा ने समझ लिया वह शिष्य लोभी है।
अत: गुरु द्वारा हिमालय पर भेजे जाने के
बाद भी सांसारिक भोगों की कामना
से पुन: वापिस लौट आया था।
राजा की अप्रसन्नता को देख गुरु ने उसके
मन के भाव को पढ़ लिया। उसने राजा
से कहा,
"राजन् ! आप मेरे जिस शिष्य को लोभी
समझ रहे हैं, वह वस्तुत: एक बहुत
बड़े सम्राट रहे हैं। सांसारिकता का त्याग कर उन्होंने अपना
राज-पाट बन्धु-बान्धवों को सौंप दिया है।
ये जिस सुख की चर्चा का रहे हैं वह
भोग्य सांसारिक पदार्थों की नहीं अपितु
संन्यास के सुखों के संदर्भ में है !"
राजा ने तब अपना गलती को समझा और शर्म से उसका
शीश झुक गया।
O nce,
there lived a hermit with his five hundred disciples in the Himalayan
mountains. He belonged to a wealthy brahmin family and had renounced the
worldly life because of his realisation of the transience of the worldly
pleasure.
One
day, the ascetic along with his followers visited Varanasi to beg for alms
and to spend the rainy season there. There, he and his followers were
extended the royal hospitality and served food and shelter in the royal
park. At the conclusion of the rainy season when the ascetic begged for
his leave from the king the latter requested him to stay there longer by
sending back all his followers. The ascetic accepted the royal invitation;
and entrusted the responsibility on his chief disciple for the care and
instructions of all his followers.
Back to the Himalaya, the chief disciple discharged his duty rather meticulously. Further, having thus spent there for several months, he one day came back to the royal park in Varanasi to pay homage to his guru . There, he apprised him of the activities of his followers in the Himalayas and sought necessary guidance for future course of action.
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The ascetic and his followers |
When
the chief disciple was engrossed in discussion with the guru, the king, too, arrived there. The chief disciple was, however,
unmindful of the kings arrival and did not stand up to greet and honour
him. The king instead heard him uttering, Oh, what a great pleasure !
Oh, what a great pleasure !! The king thought the disciple was greedy
and was expressing his gratification after eating some royal dishes, which
are scarcely available in forests. So, he gave a contemptuous look at
the visiting ascetic.
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The
guru, however, read the mind of
the king. So, to appease the king he introduced the chief disciple and
revealed his earlier identity. He told the king that the disciple was the
monarch of a kingdom, which happened to be much mightier than the kingdom
of Varanasi. Further, the utterances of great pleasure, which he had
just made, were the expressions of the pleasure of the life of a recluse,
which he had never experience during the days of his sovereignty. The king
then realised his distrust in the chief disciple and felt ashamed and
apologised.
(The
guru was the Bodhisatta; and the
chief disciple was Bhaddiya).
See
Sukhavihari Jataka Jataka Pali No.10.