Chapter 24
Janaka finished the conference with his ministers. The atmosphere was charged. It was not the tension that comes of panic and uncertainty. It was the tension of the stretched bow before the arrow is discharged.
Almost everyone who came in contact with Janaka, invariably felt the impact of his lightening presence. It was an amazing experience for Yajnyawalkya in the beginning. How unlike he and Janaka were! And yet there was something deeply harmonious about their dissimilar temperaments.
While the conference was in progress Janaka had forgotten Yajnyawalkya who was occupying a low seat beside Janaka's throne. He had listened alertly, absorbing every word with its subtle nuances and vibrations, never obtrusive, but vigilant like a sentry. Yet at some point, he did not know when, Yajnyawalkya had drifted away from all that surrounded him. Huge armies being raised, fed, trained and maintained, all the talk about enemies and allies, potential and real, the shifting loyalties, strategies meticulously worked out in utmost secrecy, everything contributed to a scheme of life that held no place for him.
When they stepped out of the conference room into the open courtyard, the sun had reached the peak in the sky. The hot and sultry noon played viciously on Yajnyawalkya's overwrought nerves. Stepping out suddenly in the blazing sun, he was overcome by a dreadful feeling of waste and debility. He looked at the form of Janaka , striding a little ahead of him: quick, purposeful and brisk. He was the one who propelled this mindless scheme. He was the one who assigned a seemingly dignified function in that scheme to persons like Yajnyawalkya.
Yajnyawalkya tried to persuade himself that the revulsion he felt at that moment was unreasonable: a product of his disgruntled feelings of the moment. But his body revolted. It is easier to control the deviousness of the mind so long as the body functions like a chariot under command, unaffected by the erratic turns. But Yajnyawalkya had reached a state where he could not identify himself either with the body or with the mind. He envied Janaka. He envied the perfect integration of the body and the mind, with which this warrior conducted himself.
Janaka who had walked rapidly ahead, suddenly felt something amiss. He reduced his pace, but finding that Yajnyawalkya made no efforts to catch up with him, he turned around.
Still absorbed by the discussion he had with ministers, he asked Yajnyawalkya, 'Friend, what do you foresee for our plans of conquest? Do you think we are moving in the right direction?'
The question was asked with candor, soliciting a frank opinion supported by a native intuition. But Yajnyawalkya saw in it a vanity condescending to accommodate another's pride. His brow contracted. He looked in defiance at the king.
‘A monster! You are creating a monster! Boundaries of your kingdom will move up, but the
monster will grow and men will shrink. You will conquer land, but I do not see a difference between conquerors and marauders. This is not the kingdom you aspire for!'
Janaka stopped instantly.
'Let us go to your cottage. You are not well,' said Janaka.
On reaching there Janaka asked, 'What has come over you?'
'Nothing that I can understand!'
Then suddenly with apparent irrelevance, he said, 'It is hunger.'
Janaka looked puzzled.
Yajnyawalkya spoke, as if addressing none. 'I was brought up on the simple faith that one must grow food to satisfy hunger. Now I realize it is not as simple as that. One must also fight, conquer and perform sacrifices. This absurd sacrifice will devour you and me and everyone. We will create deities, gods, goddesses and depend upon them to satisfy our hunger. The more we propitiate them, the more demanding they will be. They will not let you escape, once you seek their help. Because you are worshiping gods who are hungry. Soon they will be intoxicated. They will demand their share, and there will be no escape”.
Janaka laughed in disenchantment..
“Yes, there is no escape. But why do you want to escape? One cannot fight gods.”
“If there is anything we need to fight, it is our gods, our gods who enslave us! We repeat the same structure, build the same edifice, on the same foundation: the same relationship everywhere: a dependency where the weak must look up to mighty, and we call it worship; we call it a sacrifice'
Janaka brooded silently. Then he spoke slowly, uttering every word as though it was a revelation:
'Now I understand what it is between you and me; you think it is enslavement, not a relationship. It is impossible for you to forget that I happen to be king and you happen to be Brahmin? The difference between our stations in life makes a natural relationship impossible! This is something I cannot comprehend and cannot accept. I make no demands on you. I am not a god to wrench a sacrificial offering from you, nor are you a worshiper asking for a favor from a superimposed god. But we are all caught up in a knot that cannot be untied.'
Yajnyawalkya stared at Janaka, stupefied at the result his words had produced! Something stirred deeply in his heart. It was the memory of Maitreyi as she stood in the doorway, speaking with a compelling clarity:
'I want to release you: let no enslavement come in the way of what you are seeking!'
What was he seeking? A gloom had descended between him and Janaka. Janaka got up silently. On reaching the doorstep, he turned back. He wanted to say something.
Yajnyawalkya looked at him eagerly. Unable to make use of words Janaka turned and walked away in silence.
Janaka finished the conference with his ministers. The atmosphere was charged. It was not the tension that comes of panic and uncertainty. It was the tension of the stretched bow before the arrow is discharged.
Almost everyone who came in contact with Janaka, invariably felt the impact of his lightening presence. It was an amazing experience for Yajnyawalkya in the beginning. How unlike he and Janaka were! And yet there was something deeply harmonious about their dissimilar temperaments.
While the conference was in progress Janaka had forgotten Yajnyawalkya who was occupying a low seat beside Janaka's throne. He had listened alertly, absorbing every word with its subtle nuances and vibrations, never obtrusive, but vigilant like a sentry. Yet at some point, he did not know when, Yajnyawalkya had drifted away from all that surrounded him. Huge armies being raised, fed, trained and maintained, all the talk about enemies and allies, potential and real, the shifting loyalties, strategies meticulously worked out in utmost secrecy, everything contributed to a scheme of life that held no place for him.
When they stepped out of the conference room into the open courtyard, the sun had reached the peak in the sky. The hot and sultry noon played viciously on Yajnyawalkya's overwrought nerves. Stepping out suddenly in the blazing sun, he was overcome by a dreadful feeling of waste and debility. He looked at the form of Janaka , striding a little ahead of him: quick, purposeful and brisk. He was the one who propelled this mindless scheme. He was the one who assigned a seemingly dignified function in that scheme to persons like Yajnyawalkya.
Yajnyawalkya tried to persuade himself that the revulsion he felt at that moment was unreasonable: a product of his disgruntled feelings of the moment. But his body revolted. It is easier to control the deviousness of the mind so long as the body functions like a chariot under command, unaffected by the erratic turns. But Yajnyawalkya had reached a state where he could not identify himself either with the body or with the mind. He envied Janaka. He envied the perfect integration of the body and the mind, with which this warrior conducted himself.
Janaka who had walked rapidly ahead, suddenly felt something amiss. He reduced his pace, but finding that Yajnyawalkya made no efforts to catch up with him, he turned around.
Still absorbed by the discussion he had with ministers, he asked Yajnyawalkya, 'Friend, what do you foresee for our plans of conquest? Do you think we are moving in the right direction?'
The question was asked with candor, soliciting a frank opinion supported by a native intuition. But Yajnyawalkya saw in it a vanity condescending to accommodate another's pride. His brow contracted. He looked in defiance at the king.
‘A monster! You are creating a monster! Boundaries of your kingdom will move up, but the
monster will grow and men will shrink. You will conquer land, but I do not see a difference between conquerors and marauders. This is not the kingdom you aspire for!'
Janaka stopped instantly.
'Let us go to your cottage. You are not well,' said Janaka.
On reaching there Janaka asked, 'What has come over you?'
'Nothing that I can understand!'
Then suddenly with apparent irrelevance, he said, 'It is hunger.'
Janaka looked puzzled.
Yajnyawalkya spoke, as if addressing none. 'I was brought up on the simple faith that one must grow food to satisfy hunger. Now I realize it is not as simple as that. One must also fight, conquer and perform sacrifices. This absurd sacrifice will devour you and me and everyone. We will create deities, gods, goddesses and depend upon them to satisfy our hunger. The more we propitiate them, the more demanding they will be. They will not let you escape, once you seek their help. Because you are worshiping gods who are hungry. Soon they will be intoxicated. They will demand their share, and there will be no escape”.
Janaka laughed in disenchantment..
“Yes, there is no escape. But why do you want to escape? One cannot fight gods.”
“If there is anything we need to fight, it is our gods, our gods who enslave us! We repeat the same structure, build the same edifice, on the same foundation: the same relationship everywhere: a dependency where the weak must look up to mighty, and we call it worship; we call it a sacrifice'
Janaka brooded silently. Then he spoke slowly, uttering every word as though it was a revelation:
'Now I understand what it is between you and me; you think it is enslavement, not a relationship. It is impossible for you to forget that I happen to be king and you happen to be Brahmin? The difference between our stations in life makes a natural relationship impossible! This is something I cannot comprehend and cannot accept. I make no demands on you. I am not a god to wrench a sacrificial offering from you, nor are you a worshiper asking for a favor from a superimposed god. But we are all caught up in a knot that cannot be untied.'
Yajnyawalkya stared at Janaka, stupefied at the result his words had produced! Something stirred deeply in his heart. It was the memory of Maitreyi as she stood in the doorway, speaking with a compelling clarity:
'I want to release you: let no enslavement come in the way of what you are seeking!'
What was he seeking? A gloom had descended between him and Janaka. Janaka got up silently. On reaching the doorstep, he turned back. He wanted to say something.
Yajnyawalkya looked at him eagerly. Unable to make use of words Janaka turned and walked away in silence.
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