यह सच? या वो सच?
Is this True? Or Was that True?
In the Indian tradition, the philosopher-king Janaka of Videha is presented as a knower of the Self par excellence. In the great epic, Ramāyaṇa, he figures as the father of Sita-ji. In the Bhagavad Gītā (3.20), Sri Krishna mentions Janaka among the wise men who understood the art of performing enlightened actions for the well-being of all beings (lokasaṃgraham). He is the main character of Aṣtāvakra Gītā, the great wisdom text for advanced spiritual seekers. Similarly, in the Bṛhadāraṇyka Upaniṣad, his encounters with the sage Yājñavalkya and other sages represent the pinnacle of spiritual discourse. In sum, he is presented as a role-model for what a self-realized person should be and how such a person should behave—to be in the world, but not of the world.
One day, the king was taking a nap in the afternoon and his courtiers came running to him to inform him about a sudden attack by another king from the neighboring state. Janaka immediately rushed to the battle-field. There was a fierce battle in which the great king Janaka got defeated by his enemy. He was captured and was taken as prisoner before the enemy king. As a mark of respect for the philosopher-king, the enemy king spared his life and banished him from Videha kingdom. King Janaka spent next few years in exile—defeated, homeless, penniless, and foodless.
While in exile, one day, Janaka heard about a feast being given by a wealthy person in the town and he went there to get some food. He found himself to be sitting at the end of a long line of beggars waiting to get food. By the time his turn came, all food got finished and he was only served some leftover gravy in a wooden bowl. As he began to eat, a big bird came down and snatched away the bowl from him!
He could not take anymore and stated crying bitterly and loudly. His courtiers came running and found him sitting up in his bed, pounding on his chest and muttering:
यह सच? या वो सच?[1]
Is this true or was that true?
The whole thing was a dream, a nightmare. Nothing had happened. However, the dream-experience was so disorienting and unnerving that it left the king in a state of complete shock. For next several days, he would walk like a zombie, constantly murmuring to himself, “यह सच? या वो सच? Is this true or was that true?” Being a philosopher-king, he had a very analytical mind. He wanted to know which state was true: the waking state in which he was the king or the dream state in which he found himself bereft of everything, wandering and begging for food. Both states seemed so real to him at the time of their happening.
The queens and courtiers became really concerned about the king’s abnormal state of mind. The state physicians tried their level best to bring the king back to normal state but were utterly unsuccessful. And with every passing day, king’s mental state was progressively deteriorating.
One day, the great sage Aṣtāvakra came in the area and was informed about the king’s traumatic state. The sage was invited to the king’s court the next day and the following dialogue ensued between them:
Janaka: “यह सच? या वो सच? Is this waking state true or was that dream state true?
Aṣtāvakra: [who knew exactly what the king was referring to] O’ King, Tell me, during dream, when you were rolling in dust in exile, defeated and decimated, was this palace and its grandeur there? Your power, your wealth, your queens, courtiers, and Generals—were they there then?
Janaka: No. None of this was there. I only experienced defeat, misery, and sadness during that state.
Aṣtāvakra: And now sitting here in your king’s court surrounded by your ministers and queens—the defeat, misery and depression that you experienced during the dream—that terrible situation, is that here now?
Janaka: No, it is not here now. Now I only experience my glory as a king.
Aṣtāvakra: Therefore, O’ King, ना यह सच? ना वो सच: Neither this is true, nor that was true. [Really, neither this waking state is true, nor that dream state was true].
Janaka: तो कुछ भी सच नहीं है? Does that mean nothing is true?
Aṣtāvakra: During your dream when you were rolling in dust, defeated and crying, were you there or not? Did you experience that or not?
Janaka: Yes, I was very much there. During the dream, I experienced all that very vividly. It may seem false now, but during dream, it looked very real. I experienced it.
Aṣtāvakra: Okay. Now sitting in this court, are you present here or not? Are you experiencing this or not?
Janaka: Yes, I am very much experiencing this state right now.
Aṣtāvakra: तो राजन, ना यह सच, ना वो सच, पर तुम ही सच!
Therefore, O’ King, neither this is true nor that was true;
You alone are True!
May the Divinity reveal its true nature within our own hearts!
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[1] This beautiful story was told by Swami Sarvapriyananda during his talk at IIT Kanpur – “Who Am I?” according to Māndukya Upaniṣad-Part 1. Retrieved, May 28, 2016: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGKFTUuJppU
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