Day 245 - The Story of the Vampire

Day 245 - The Story of the Vampire

Vasistha explains:

True liberation (moksha) occurs when ignorance is dispelled through self-inquiry. In this state, the individual soul (jiva) and the mind cease to exist as separate entities. The ego and other mental constructs, which are as illusory as a mirage, disappear when examined closely with the light of knowledge. Let me tell you a story to illustrate this, featuring a vampire who asked some profound questions.

The Vampire's Questions:

In the Vindhya forests, there lived a vampire. One day, it entered a new territory, seeking to satisfy its hunger. However, this vampire had a rule: it would not kill unless the person deserved it. Finding no such person in the forest, it ventured into a city and approached the king.

The vampire said to the king: "O king, I will not harm you unless you deserve it. You are known for fulfilling the desires of those in need, so I ask you to fulfill mine. I have a few questions, and I expect correct answers.

  • What is the sun whose rays create these universes?
  • In what mighty wind does this vast space exist?
  • We move from one dream to another endlessly, yet we never leave the self, even though we constantly abandon the dream-world. What is this self?
  • When you peel away the layers of a banana stem, you eventually reach the core. Similarly, when you inquire into this world, what is the subtle essence that you find?
  • What is the smallest atom of which the entire universe is composed?
  • In what formless 'rock' are the three worlds hidden, like a statue in uncarved stone?

If you cannot answer these questions, you certainly deserve to be eaten by me!"

The King's Answers:

The king replied: "O vampire, this universe is like a fruit with many layers of coverings. There is a branch with thousands of such fruits, a tree with thousands of such branches, a forest with thousands of such trees, a hill with thousands of such forests, a country with thousands of such hills, a continent with thousands of such countries, a sphere with thousands of such continents, an ocean with thousands of such spheres, and a being who contains thousands of such oceans within him. Above all is a supreme person who wears these beings like a garland.

There is a sun whose rays contain thousands of these supreme beings. That sun is the sun of consciousness. It is this light that makes everything else appear real. In the light of this sun, these universes are nothing but the tiniest atomic particles."

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