Darshan of Swami Krishnananda in 1999

by Swami Krishnananda

30. Buddha's Previous Lives

(Darshan given in June 1999)

Swamiji [to a visitor]: You must read the life of Buddha. He remembered five hundred births of his, five hundred births. He might have taken more than five hundred. He remembered what he was. He was the worst man, very bad man and corrupt man, good man, charitable man, lascivious man, ethical man. There was nothing which he was not.

In one birth he was a great king, and there was no rain in his country. For full years, no rain. He was thinking: “How is it? I am ruling the country very justly. Why Indra is not sending rain?” He consulted all his ministers, pundits. “One thousand goats have to be sacrificed for the pleasure of the gods. If your highness orders it, we shall perform the yajna, and then God will send rain.” He did not say anything. The king got up and went away. The second day he came, and the pundits said, “What is your order, Your Highness?” He wouldn't say anything. He went away. Third time he came. “How is it that Your Highness is not interested in the welfare of people? We are trying to do something for that, and why you are keeping quiet?”

Then the king said, “I will offer one thousand human beings to the gods. If poor goats can satisfy the gods, human beings will satisfy more.” He passed an order. “The king is going to offer one thousand human beings for sacrifice. What do you say?” he asked the ministers.

He announced an edict, told his orderlies, “Go throughout the country. Who is selfish, who is cutthroat, who is greedy, who is deceiving? Catch hold of all these people and give me the names. All those people's names will be given to me. I will send them all to the gods.”

Oh, this order came. The whole night people did not sleep because who can say he is not corrupt? Every shopkeeper reduced the shop prices to one fourth immediately. All the shopkeepers said, “From tomorrow onwards, one-fourth price only.” And they went on digging wells. The whole night they didn't sleep. All people got up and dug wells, and carried water to poor people, and gave food, and all this. Wonderful thing! Because nobody wanted to be offered to the gods like that. It is a very serious matter. So this went on. The whole country was awake with charitable activity everywhere.

And the king called the spies, “Have you found out anybody who is corrupt and bad?” “We cannot find anybody bad in your country. They are all doing great service.” And there was heavy rain immediately. And the king called the ministers. “You wanted rain, and the rain has come without offering a thousand goats. It is the corrupt people, the egoistic people, the uncharitable, greedy people – they are the causes of the stopping of the rains.” This is one of the stories about Buddha's life.

He was a king once upon a time. He was so many things. He was everything. Any kind of person that you could think of in this world, he was, and through all the stages he has passed and became Buddha afterwards.

[Later on]

Swamiji [to another visitor]: On what do you want to meditate? On what?

Visitor: Lord Narayana image.

Swamiji: That is wonderful. You have got an image of Lord Narayana. How far is Narayana from you, how many kilometres distance?

Visitor: No kilometres, Swamiji.

Swamiji: Then where is He just now?

Visitor: Everywhere.

Swamiji: Then where are you sitting?

Visitor: In Him.

Swamiji: This is called meditation. If you really believe that you are living in Him – neither outside Him nor inside Him, but in Him – you have really started meditating. You have already started meditating, but you must be sure as to how long you will continue this feeling. Even if you go for lunch, no harm. Narayana is still sitting on the plate. This is very good. You are in Narayana Himself, so you have no problem.

[Later on]

Swamiji: ...and third is a mathematician, and fourth is a logician or something. They were all walking together. Let us have some food, they thought. Then the ayurvedic man went to purchase vegetables. He went and saw. “It is all vata, pitta, kapha, and all that. These vegetables produce either vata or pitta or kapha. These vegetables are all no good.” He didn't bring anything.

Then the musician said, “You keep the water for boiling. If we purchase rice, we will put it.” That water was boiling, and he was keeping a lid on it. It started making sound. He said, “This is not good music.” He threw the water down. So the musician has lost the water also.

Then after that the mathematician came. “Let it go. Neither we can get any food or anything. Let us cross the river at least. What is the depth of the river?” “On an average it is two feet.”

“Doesn't matter. Two feet we can cross.” And when they went, it was not two feet. It was up to the neck. “Hey, you said it was two feet.”

“No, the average, I said.” This is no good. Finally it ends in nothing. Too much wisdom is no good.

So your argument is not good. And anandamaya, of course I mentioned the other day in the Academy class whether anandamaya kosha is Brahman or not. The Sutra says yes, it is Brahman, and Sankaracharya agrees because he cannot abruptly criticise the Sutra. Then finally, lastly, he says, “We have to say something here.” It is like a lawyer speaking in the court. The judge passes in order. “Your Lordship, may I speak a few words about this matter?” Then he will change the whole thing by arguing. This is what Sankaracharya did. “I agree with everything, but listen to me also.” Then it changes.