Yasha Prashna Talks, Mysore, 2017
Post by Kusuma
The questions and answers are weaving back and forth like a silken braid of wisdom. Śloka after śloka, Yakṣa’s questions and Dharmarāja’s answers spiral though ignorance, greed, anger, egoism, mercy, dharma, cleverness and realization.
While India itself seems to naturally provoke a reflective process, these talks are pursuing all the dark and sticky places where the robbers like to take shelter. I can hear Ācārya’s words “Identify the thief!” ringing in my ears.
The yogic stories are like jewels that settle in my heart, so here is my attempt to recapture Ācārya’s telling of the “Three Robbers”:
‘There was a young man on his way through the forest when suddenly, he was ambushed by three robbers! The first robber was dressed in black, and even his skin was blackish in color, and he was holding many weapons. The second robber wore red and even his skin was a little reddish in color. In his hand was a rope. The third was dressed in white with a whitish skin color and he came empty-handed. These three held the man, squeezing him, tearing through his pockets looking for money, jewels, gold or whatever of value they could take. But when they finished their ransacking, no wealth had been found on him. They threw him aside and stood around discussing what to do next.
First, the robber in white proposed: “Let us leave him. He has no wealth or anything so let us go find someone else.” Another robber protested “We cannot just leave him, surely he will go to the police!” The third robber agreed this was unwise and proposed “Let us kill him because he can identify us now and we would get caught.” Then the robber in white suggested an alternative plan “No, no, why go through all that trouble? Let us just bind him up with the rope and surely he will just die alone in the wild out here.”
All the robbers accepted this plan, binding him up well and they left feeling secure with the plan. After a few hours of being tied up alone and afraid of his pending outcome in this very unfortunate situation, the white dressed robber appeared without the other two. He spoke to the man: “Do not be afraid. By association with the other two, I had to go along with this robbery and some plan afterwards, but really I am a kind man and wish you no harm.” He then untied the disheveled man and observed that he was very shaken and weak so he told the man he would assist him through the wilderness. When they reached the edge of that wild forest, the white robber pointed to a house in the village “See, there is your house! Now go and be well.”
The man had some time to think and reflect upon all that had happened and was feeling so grateful for the help and kindness offered by that white robber. He insisted “Sir, you must come to my house where I may host you, feed you and offer my appreciation for your support!” The white man looked at the village for a moment and then turned to the man “I cannot come with you. There are chances of me being caught there because you see, I am still one among the robbers. It is time, go now.” ‘
Yakṣa asks :
“By which process will knowledge be covered?”
Answer:
“By tamas.”
“Ignorance will be seen everywhere but if there is tamas, whatever you teach, you cannot enlighten a person because of the twistings and complexities of that mind. So, all yogic techniques focus on reducing tamas for a while. When timely it is reduced, one can get enlightened, can understand ‘who I really am’, ‘what my duty is’, and so forth.
Tamas is controlled by rajas, and rajas controlled by sattva. We cannot directly attack tamas with our knowledge (Sattva), so by rajas we should try to tackle it. And by our sattva, then tackle Rajas. And finally, by our enlightenment we should tackle sattva. All three guṇas are causing attachments. Sattva shows kindness but it too develops bondage, so we need to overcome even that one. A sattvik person has interest in experiencing happiness: ‘Let me enjoy more and more!’ When he releases attachment to that joy or bliss, then he will get liberated. “
~ Ācārya