Day 307 - The Story of Kundadanta

Day 307 - The Story of Kundadanta

RAMA* inquires about a Mysterious Visitor

Rama recounts an encounter with a radiant Brahmana named Kundadanta, who appeared at his teacher's house. The Brahmana, fatigued from his journey, was on a quest for wisdom. Upon settling in, he shared his journey's purpose.

Kundadanta's Journey to Penance

Kundadanta, from Videha, had renounced worldly affairs, drawn to the life of asceticism. He practiced austerities on Sri Mountain, where one day, he encountered a mysterious ascetic hanging upside down from a tree, deep in penance. This ascetic, originally from Mathura, revealed his aspiration to rule the entire earth and had endured twelve years of penance to achieve this.

The Radiant Being's Boon

One day, a radiant celestial being appeared before the ascetic, granting him his desire to rule the world for seven thousand years. With this boon, Kundadanta helped the ascetic return to Mathura, their journey interrupted as the ascetic chose to visit his brothers’ hermitage, Gauri Asramam. However, when they arrived, the hermitage had vanished, replaced by barren land.

An Ancient Sage’s Revelation

Under a solitary tree, they found an aged sage deep in meditation. Upon awakening, the sage recognized Kundadanta and the ascetic and revealed a mysterious history. He explained that the goddess Gauri once blessed the land, creating a lush forest that eventually faded. The sage had since remained, witnessing the aspirations of the ascetic and his seven brothers to rule the earth, each performing penance in different holy places.

The Power of Boons and Curses

The sage shared a profound tale: After the brothers left for penance, their grieving family met the sage Durvasa, whose curse created a conflict between their boons and curses. The brothers' wives, granted a boon by Goddess Parvati to remain with their husbands eternally, complicated matters, as the curse prevented their blessings from fully manifesting.

Upon the brothers’ deaths, their boons and curses would take physical forms, each vying for dominance. They would eventually seek Brahma’s judgment, and Brahma would declare that both blessings and curses are contained within consciousness itself. The curses would retreat, while Brahma explained that the brothers’ blessings of ruling the earth and remaining at home were both fulfilled, as they would rule from within their consciousness after abandoning their physical bodies.

The Illusory Nature of Creation

Brahma illuminated the mystery by explaining that this world, perceived as physical, is indeed an infinite consciousness. The earth exists as a dense void within consciousness, not limited by physical constraints. Each brother would experience the earth as rulers in distinct realms (like Ujjaini, Sakadvipa, and other mystical lands), their experiences shaped by consciousness alone.