The King who Removed the Veils of Illusion – Part 1
In a far off kingdom, there was a young and intrepid ruler, full of wisdom, whose name was Vikram. His friend and counsellor Bhatti was by his side for every adventure. With his renowned composure, Bhatti could always temper the fire of the young king, bringing him back to balance and to his senses.
Together they had many adventures, each one more surprising than the previous one. We will tell you all of them in good time, if you are curious enough to ask. But during these days, tired with all his exploits, the king had decided to live a quiet life for some time, marked simply by prayers, meditation and the day-to-day affairs of the kingdom. It did not last long! His curiosity was so easily awakened by any new knowledge or information he came across.
Listen to what happened when one of his courtiers told him about a queen as mysterious as she was beautiful. Her name was Abol-Rani and she lived in a parallel and hidden world. King Vikram found a way to approach the queen, but four veils prevented him from directly talk to her. He decided to try to remove each one of the veils of illusion. Can you guess how he did it?
Well, read on and you will find out. He told stories that were more like puzzles. Here is the first one.
Once upon a time, in a village, lived four boys who were good friends. The first one was from the caste of priests, the second from the caste of warriors, the third from the merchant caste and the fourth was a craftsman. They decided to travel the world together to learn a profession.
So
they bid their goodbyes to
their parents and dear ones and set off on their travels. The first evening they arrived in a village and found
shelter at a sculptor’s house for the night.
The next morning, as they were getting ready to take the road, the sculptor asked if one of them would stay as an apprentice. The craftsman’s son stayed and the other three took to the road. That night they found themselves at the house of a weaver, who invited one of them to stay and learn his craft. The son of the merchant stayed.
In the morning the two remaining friends started out and reached a village in the evening where they spent the night at a goldsmith’s home. This time it was the warrior’s son who stayed. So the son of the priest went on alone the next morning. In the afternoon he reached a hermitage in the middle of the woods, where a saint was living and became his disciple.
So the four boys each found a master and studied assiduously.
After twelve years of studies, the priest left his revered teacher and headed back home. On the way he stopped at the goldsmith to find his friend and together they went to the weaver’s home. They collected their friend and at last reached the sculptor’s village to find the last companion.
Together they travelled to their native village, but night fell quickly and they stopped to rest in the middle of the woods. They decided to take turn to stand watch.
The
first one on watch was
the craftsman, the one who had lived with the sculptor. He was sleepy, so to prevent himself from falling asleep
he took a big branch and started to carve a young lady out of it. The second boy on watch was the disciple of
the weaver, so he made clothes for the young girl. When his turn came, the apprentice of the goldsmith fashioned
necklaces, bangles and earrings that he lovingly placed on the girl. When it was the turn of the disciple of a
saint, he chose to give her life. He whispered magic mantras and, lo, the young girl opened her eyes and spoke a
few words.
The three other boys woke up and the four companions started fighting, each one claiming that he was the one who deserved her hand.
King Vikram stopped his story here and asked: “Tell me, with whom should the young girl spend her life?”
Most of the people who heard the story started voicing their opinions in low voices: “The one who gave her life!” “No! It should be the one who really took care of her.” “Without the sculptor, nothing would have happened, it must be him!”
Who do you think should marry the girl and why?
Will you find the right answer and bring down the first veil of Abol-Rani?
We will all come closer to the Truth by listening to the rest of this story and the next one from King Vikram.
To be continued…
Artwork by VERNIQUOE NICOLAI
