Saint Dewalashwa of the Kaivarta State was captured by soldiers of the neighbor king Vishwajit under the suspicion of being a spy. The king sentenced him to death by hanging.
The people of Kaivarta stopped taking food and water. They held a mass prayer. They said, ‘O God, such an injustice should not be done to your beloved innocent saint at any cost.’ Tomaraj, the king of Kaivarta became calm for a while and began to think over the strategy ahead.
One fine morning a stranger came to the royal court of Vishwajit, and said, “I have brought a message from Tomaraj, the king of Kaivarta. Release our saint for two crore gold coins.”
Vishwajit: “2 crores! You mean 2 crores gold coins for releasing just one person! What, after all, is so special about him?”
“He is a saint, not a person. He is free from ignorance. Merely the presence of such a personage brings about the welfare of the public.”
“How can we release an enemy spy, even if he is a saint?”
“The king of Kaivarta has sent a request too, ‘If 2 crores of gold coins fall short of your expectations, I won’t mind giving away my entire kingdom, but I can’t tolerate the assassination of a saint of our state.”
“You are a messenger. How can I trust you? I need some concrete evidence.”
That visitor then extended his right hand towards the king. There was an inscription on his ring – ‘Kaivarta-king, Tomaraj’. On seeing that, Vishwajita quickly jumped down from his throne and embraced him affectionately, saying – “O King, it’s you! You have come to beg for the release of the saint risking your life! You have opened my eyes. Even befriending one; who is protected by a saint is sure to bring us good.”
From then on, the two neighboring states became allies.
There is another story similar to this. Iran was at war with the Turks. They waged war with each other so fiercely that none became decisively victorious. Waging war with the Iranian forces proved too costly to the Turks. Under such circumstances, Fariduddin Attar, a Sufi saint from Iran, happened to pass through the battlefield. The Turks took him for an enemy spy and immediately arrested him. Knowing him to be an Iranian saint, they took the revengeful decision, wrathfully: “He will be sentenced to death as he is an enemy of our country.” When the Emirs of Iran came to know of this, they sent a message, “Please take diamonds and precious stones equal to the weight of the saint, but in no case should you make a saint of our country out of our sight.”
The egotist Turkish Sultan did not agree to this proposal.
At this, the Iranian King said, “If the offered amount of precious jewels is less than what is required by you; please take the entire state of Iran, but please don’t hang the beloved saint of our nation to death.”
“What’s so unique about him? He looks to be an ordinary man.”
“Well, he may seem to be an ordinary man; but actually, he is a great man capable of helping one meet God. If he departs, the Truth will be shrouded by the darkness of ignorance. Respect for a Self-Realized saint is respect for humanity, respect for the wisdom of man, and development. Rarely does such a Self-realized saint visit the earth? You may take over my state of Iran; but please
release my saint.”
The Turkish Sultan was also a human being after all. He said, “You have opened my eyes today. When you respect such saints and fakirs; who are capable of helping us meet Allah; how can I ever take your kingdom for the release of such a great saint? Please come, let’s embrace each other. Due to this great saint, our enmity is gone forever.”
भाग होया गुरु संत मिलाया ।
प्रभ अविनाशी घर में पाया ।।
“By good fortune, I have met the Saint, the Guru. I have found the Immortal Lord within the home of my own Self.”
The period we spend sitting at the holy feet of Self-realized saints and hearing their pious words are invaluable. We cannot measure the number of religious merits earned during that time.
तीरथ नहाये एक फल, संत मिले फल चार ।
“Saint Kabir says that going on a pilgrimage accrues one merit, while the company of a saints yields fourfold merits i.e. (1) religious duties are fulfilled (Dharma), (2) Life’s purpose is achieved (Artha), (3) the desires are fulfilled (Kama) and (4) emancipation is ensured (Moksha).”
Having darshan and hearing Satsang of a saint fructifies all the four goals of human life – Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha. And if we get Mantra-Diksha from the saint, he becomes our Guru; then we begin to get infinite merit from Him; such merit that is imperishable.
सद्गुरु मिले अनंत फल, कहत कबीर विचार ।।
“Kabir Says after deep reflection, “On meeting, a SatGuru one attains infinite fruit.”
The fruit of meritorious deeds is spent with the enjoyment of pleasures, while that of sins is exhausted upon experiencing the pains caused by them. But the fruit of having darshan and hearing Satsang of the Guru is not finished by giving either pleasure or pain; rather it leads one to union with Infinite Brahman making one a liberated soul. m
