Story of Gaadhi

There once lived a brahmin called Gaadhi in a country called Kosala. He was very pious and carried out prescribed austerities and duties very sincerely. After some years, he retired to a forest for contemplation. There, he intensely meditated on Lord Vishnu who appeared in front of him and asked him to name the boon he wanted. Gaadhi told Lord Vishnu that he was intrigued by Maya or Illusion which appears to be tossing everyone and everything around. Hence, he prayed to the Lord to explain what Maya was all about. The Lord smiled, granted him the boon, telling him that he will come to know about Maya and disappeared. Gaadhi returned to his routine thereafter and was waiting for the day when Lord Vishnu will keep his promise.

One day he entered a river still meditating on the words of Lord Vishnu. While he was in water, he beheld himself dead. His body had fallen and was lifeless. He saw himself surrounded by his relatives who were all wailing aloud. He listened to the weeping of his wife, mother, and other relatives. Soon his relatives carried his body and cremated him.

He was born as a chandala (the lowest of the castes then, a clan which typically tended to cremation grounds and ate even dog flesh. They were treated as highly polluted people and ordinary people kept them at a distance.) Katanja, for that was his name, grew up as a fierce ruffian and in due course married and had many children. He was in poverty and his life was a struggle. As time rolled on, he saw his parents and people die all around him. He got very frustrated, and he decided to leave his country. In his meanderings, he strayed into another country called Kirada, which was very prosperous. He saw a big procession with the royal elephant carrying a garland and all eyes fixed on it. Upon enquiry he was told that the king had passed away without an heir and it was the country’s custom, in such a case, to take the royal elephant carrying a garland in a procession and whomsoever it garlanded will be appointed as the king. Destiny was such that the garland thrown by the royal elephant fell on the neck of this chandala. He was immediately taken to the palace and with all ceremonies coronated as the king. No one paused to verify his antecedents. He became a well-known king called Gavala.

Gavala thus ruled the country for eight years and was going about his role as a king, when fate intervened. One night, he slipped out of the palace without his royal paraphernalia and was walking as a common man in the street He came across a group of chandalas who were merrily singing their songs. Out of pure exuberance, he joined them and started singing merrily. One old man rising from the group suddenly recognized him and addressed him as ‘Oh! Katanja, how come you are here, and it is a long time since you went missing’. The king realized his mistake and quickly returned to his quarters. However, some people from the palace, who were possibly following him, noticed it, and immediately informed everyone. As always, such news spread as fast as fire!  Soon the whole court and palace was agog with the news and sunk into complete chaos. The people around realized that everything they had partaken in had been from this untouchable chandala. Quick consultations were made with pandits by those who were in close contact with the king as to what purificatory rites are to be performed to get rid of this terrible pollution. Some suggested that fasting and taking bath in Ganges will be the right way ahead. Others felt that there is no expiation for this except death. While some left the country, members of royal court, ministers and brahmins built up a fire and jumped into it.

The king Gavala was immensely pained to see so much tragedy because of him. He therefore decided to give up his life as an atonement for all the agony caused by him. He set up a fire and calmly jumped into it.

When the flames started consuming the King Gavala in Kirada, the brahmin Gaadhi who was still standing in the river in Kosala, jerked back to consciousness!

‘Phew! All this after all was some kind of dream or illusion’ he said to himself with immense relief. The experience left him terribly fatigued and he staggered back to his hut. It took a while for him to resume his normal life although the experience left a deep impression on him and he used to think about it, always with a shudder.

After a few days, some brahmins dropped by and Gaadhi entertained the guests with good food, shelter etc. He then slipped into conversation with them and enquired as to where they were coming from. They answered that they were returning from a visit to Kashi. They are from a country called Kirada where a chandala became the king by a twist of an elephant trunk and the fact came to light only after eight long years. They felt very polluted and hence had gone to Kashi for expiation.  Gaadhi’s head reeled, and he sat down holding his head. What he thought was a passing dream or what he saw in a hallucination was experienced by some people as reality. He saw Lord Vishnu smiling at him or was it his own imagination?

Being made of sterner stuff he decided to verify the matter. He first set out for the place where Katanja lived. He could recognize the place and enquired with the people there. They confirmed that long time ago there was such a person, but he left the country. He then travelled to the country Kirada and enquired there. The people there confirmed that there was such a king who was actually a chandala. When the identity was discovered, he jumped into fire and died, they said. But that was twelve years ago, they added. His confusion only increased.

Not one who will give up easily, he sat in a cave and did intense Tapas on Lord Vishnu. The Lord appeared before him and asked him as to what he wanted now. Gaadhi asked him as to how, what he saw in hallucination was experienced by many people as reality. Further he wanted to know as to, what had happened to him only a few days ago as a dream or hallucination, had really happened many years ago.

The Lord explained to him thus. Just as whatever is in the seed goes on to become a tree, branches, leaves, and fruits whatever is in mind in miniscule form only expands to become the world. Further what you see in your mind is just an appearance in your own mind. You imagined yourself to be the chandala, imagined yourself to be the king, imagined that you spoke to brahmins, imagined you visited Kirada or the place of Katanja. Even though in reality there was a person called Katanja, a chandala who went on to become the King Gavala of Kirada, the events were superimposed on your mind. Mind is a force which pervades all beings and transcends all beings You have experienced two forms of illusion, one what you thought as illusion and the other one what you thought as reality. Both were illusions or Maya*.

Imagine the state of mind of the poor fellow Gaadhi. His head never stopped spinning. He prayed to the Lord to remove his confusion. So, the Lord told him not to concentrate on Maya but to concentrate on Moksha or self-realization instead. Gaadhi made intense Tapas for ten more years and attained Moksha.

(* Author’s Notes: The explanation by Lord Vishnu about the way illusion worked is worth reading and contemplating)