Yogakshemam Vahamyaham
Yogakshemam Vahamyaham
A learned Pandit was once giving discourses on the Gita in the august presence of a Maharaja. One day, the turn of this Shloka came:
Ananyaschintanto maam
Ye janaah paryupaasate
Teshaam nityaabhiyuktaanaam
Yogakshemam vahamyaham.
The Pandit was explaining enthusiastically the many-sided implications of this Shloka, but the Maharaja shook his head and said, “This meaning is not correct.” He continued to dispute the correctness of every one of the explanations the Pandit gave. The poor Pandit had won meritorious distinctions at the courts of many a Maharaja and was honoured by them all with pompous titles. He felt as if he was stabbed, when the Maharaja, in the presence of the entire band of courtiers, condemned his explanation of the Shloka as ‘wrong’. He smarted under the insult; but plucking up courage, he again set upon his task, and collecting all his scholarship, he plunged into an eloquent discourse on the multiple meanings of the words ‘Yoga’ and ‘Kshema’. The Maharaja did not approve of this. He ordered, “Find out the meaning of this Shloka and having understood it well, come to me again tomorrow.” With this, the Maharaja rose from his throne and went into the inner apartments.
The Pandit lost even the few grains of courage left in him. He was weighed down by anxiety. He tottered under the insult. He reached home and placed the copy of the Gita aside, he fell on the cot.
Surprised at this, the Pandit’s wife said, “Tell me why you came home from the Palace today, in such grief. What exactly happened?” She raised one anxious question after another, so that the Pandit was obliged to describe to her all what had happened, the insults heaped on his head, the command with which the Maharaja sent him home, etc. The wife listened calmly to the account of what had happened and after pondering deeply over the incident, she said, “Yes, it is true. What the Maharaja said is right. The explanation you gave for Shloka is not the correct one. How could the Maharaja approve it? The fault is yours.” At this, the Pandit rose in anger from the cot, like a cobra, whose tail is trodden upon. “What do you know, you silly woman? Am I inferior in intelligence to you? Do you, who are engaged in the kitchen, cooking and serving all the time, claim to know more than I? Shut your mouth and leave my presence,” he roared.
But, the lady stood her ground. She, why do you fly into such a rage at a statement of mere truth? Repeat the Shloka once again to yourself and ponder over its meaning. You will then arrive at the right answer yourself.” Thus, by her soft words, the wife brought calm into the mind of her husband.
The Pandit started analysing the meaning of each individual word in the Shloka. Ananyas Chinta-yantomaam, he began, deliberately and slowly, repeating aloud the various meanings. The wife intervened and said, “What benefit is it to learn and expound the meanings of words? Tell me what your intention was when you approached the Maharaja. What was the purpose? At this, the Pandit got wild, “Should I not run this family, this home? How am I to meet the cost of food and drink, of clothes and things, for you and all the rest? It is for the sake of these that I went to him, of course; or else, what business do I have with him?” he shouted.
The wife then replied, “If you had only understood what Lord Krishna has declared in this Shloka, the urge to go to this Maharaja would not have arisen! If He is worshipped without any other thought, if one but surrenders to Him, if at all times the mind is fixed on Him, then the Lord has declared in this Shloka that He would provide everything for the devotee. You have not done these three. You approached the Maharaja, believing that he would provide everything! That is where you have gone against the meaning of this verse. That is the reason why he did not accept your explanation.”
Hearing this, that reputed scholar sat awhile, ruminating on her remarks. He realised his fault. He did not proceed to the Palace the next day. Instead, he got immersed in the worship of Krishna at home. When the king inquired why the Pandit had not appeared, courtiers and that he was staying at home and had not started out.
The king sent a messenger, but the Pandit declined to move out. He said, “There is no need for me to go to anyone. My Krishna will provide me with everything. He will bear my Yogakshema Himself. I suffered an insult, because I did not realise this for so long, being blinded by eagerness to know the manifold meanings of mere words. Surrendering to Him, if I am ceaselessly engaged in worshipping Him, He will Himself provide me with all I need.”
When the messenger took this message to the Palace, the Maharaja proceeded to the dwelling of the Pandit on foot. He fell at the feet of the Pandit, saying, ”I thank you sincerely for explaining to me this day, out of your own experience, the meaning of the Shloka, which you expounded yesterday.” Thus, the King taught the Pandit that any propagation of spiritual matters, which does not come out of the crucible of experience is mere glitter and show.
Questions :
- In which text do you have this Shloka?
- What is the meaning of this Shloka?
- Why was the king not satisfied with the pandit’s explanation?
- How was the king satisfied finally?
[Source – Stories for Children – II, Published by – Sri Sathya Sai Books & Publications Trust, Prashanti Nilayam]