SÚCHÍ’S REGAINING HER FORMER FRAME.
Argument. Brahmá’s appearance, admonition and blessing to Súchí and her
resuscitation to life.
Vasishtha continued:—After the lapse of a thousand years of long and
painful devotion, the great father of creation (Brahmá), appeared to
her under his pavilion of the sky, and bade her accept the preferred
boon.
2. Súchí who was absorbed in her devotion, and her vital principle of
life, remaining dormant in her, wanted the external organs of sense (to
give utterance to her prayer), and remained only to cogitate upon the
choice she should make.
3. She said to herself: “I am now a perfect being, and am delivered from
my doubts; what blessing therefore is it, that I have need of asking
(either for myself or others), beyond this state of beatitude; which I
already possess in my peace and tranquility, and the bliss of
contentment and self-resignation.”
4. I have got the knowledge of all that is to be known, and am set free
from the web of errors; my rationality is developed, and what more is
requisite to a perfect and rational being?
5. Let me remain seated as I am in my present state, I am in the light
of truth; and quite removed from the darkness of untruth; what else is
there for me to ask or accept?
6. I have passed a long period in my unreasonableness, and was carried
away like a child, by the demon of the evil genius of earthly desires.
(As a child wants to have everything he sees, not knowing whether it is
good or bad for him to have it).
7. This desire is now brought under subjection by my power of
ratiocination, and of what avail are all the objects of my desire to my
soul? (There is nothing of any good to the soul, for nothing temporal is
of any spiritual good).
8. The lord of creatures kept looking on Súchí sitting with her mind
fixed in her silent meditation, and resigned to her destiny; and quite
abstracted from all external sensations, and the use of her bodily
organs.
9. Brahmá with the kindness of his heart, again accosted the apathetic
dame, and said unto her: “Receive thy desired blessing, and live to
enjoy for sometime longer on earth”.
10. Then having enjoyed the joys of life, thou shalt attain the blissful
state from which thou shalt have no more to return here, and this is the
fixed decree destined for all living beings on earth.
11. Be thy desire crowned with success, by merit of this devotion of
thine, O best of the womankind! Resume thy former corpulence, and remain
as a Rákshasí in this mountain forest.
12. Regain thy cloud-like shape whereof thou art deprived at present,
and revive as a sprout from thy pinnate root, to become like a big tree
growing out of its small root and little seed.
13. Thou shalt get an inward supply of serum from thy pinnate tendon, as
a plant gets its sap from the seeded grain; and the circulation of that
juice will cause thy growth like that of a germ from the ingrained seed.
14. Thy knowledge of truth has no fear of following into the
difficulties of the world; while on the contrary, the righteousness of
thy soul will lead thee like a huge cloud, that is heavy, with its pure
water high in the heaven, notwithstanding the blasting gusts of wind.
(_i.e._ The pure and contrite spirit goes on its wonted course, in spite
of the tribulations of the world).
15. If by thy constant practice of Yoga meditation, thou hast accustomed
thyself to a state of habitation (death like Samádhi), for thy
intellectual delight, and hast there by become assimilated to the
_anaesthesia of_ thy meditation (to the _state of a stock_ and stone).
16. But thy meditativeness must be compatible with thy worldly affairs,
and the body like the breeze, is nourished best by its constant
agitation. (_i.e._ Meditation must be joined with utility, and the body
with its activity).
17. Therefore my daughter! thou dost act contrary to nature, by
withstanding the action which thy nature requires; nor can there be any
objection to thy slaughter of animal life under proper bounds. (Because
the carnivorous are made to live upon flesh, as the omnivorous man upon
all kinds of food).
18. Act therefore within the bounds of justice, and refrain from all
acts of injustice in the world; and stick steadfastly to reason, if thou
shouldst like to live liberated in this life. (Justice is the source of
liberty, but injustice leads to bondage).
19. Saying so far, the god disappeared from below to his heavenly
sphere, when Súchí said to him “be it so and I have nothing to oppose to
this”. Then thinking in her mind, that she had no cause to be
dissatisfied with the decree of the lotus-born Brahmá, found herself
immediately in possession of her former body.
20. She came to be of the measure of a span at first, and then of a
cubit; and next a full fathom in length; and increasing fastly in her
height, she grew up as a tree; till at last she was of the form of a
cloud. She had all the members of the body added to her instantly, in
the manner of the growth of the arbour of human desire. (Our growing
desires and their increase, are compared with the growth and
ramifications and fructification of trees).
21. From the fibrous form of Súchí (the needle), which was without form
or feature, body, blood, bones, flesh or strength, there grew up all the
parts and limbs at once. Just so the fancied garden of our desire,
springs up on a sudden with all its verdant foliage and fruits and
flowers from their hidden state.