In English
The moving and non-moving contents of creation are of four different categories described as , , and . If we carefully look at the detailed meaning of these types, we find that the first three are unmanifested and are present in a latent form. The fourth aspect which relates to birth, death and the changing features of life and living things in creation, relates to only a quarter of the contents of creation. The other three parts are connected with immortality. While those features connected with immortality really occupy three parts of the total, yet we give a great deal of importance to whatever relates to our daily life. It is in this context that our ancient have taught us that “.” This implies that the entire creation is only a manifestation of . was an individual who fully realised this lesson. was the son of a servant woman who was working in a house where the were being continuously recited. In order to celebrate a certain function, the householder of the house, where ’s mother was working, invited a large number of . The occasion was the celebration of the four sacred months during the rainy season; and during this period, all actions and thoughts were to be sacred. During those four months, while the celebrations were going on, was given the task of attending to the needs of the guests in that house. At that time, was six years old. Sitting with the , he was concentrating with a single-minded devotion on the that were being recited. He was accepting the orders of the without any question and putting them into practice. He used to eat the food that was left by them in their plates, accepting it as . Once in a way, the mother used to look at him and feel sorry for him and the manner in which he was gathering his food every day. After the four-months celebrations were completed, the were preparing to depart for their own homes. was not willing to stay behind and desired to go with them. However, as was still very young and was looked after affectionately by his mother, they did not think it right to take him along with them but instead they taught him various sacred aspects of the Lord. They taught him a twelve-lettered namely, “” which the six-year-old was reciting with concentration. They also taught him that the entire creation was indeed transient and was only an image, in that it was the projection of Lord . They also advised him that desires are bondages. Just as wanting to get something is a desire, wanting to get rid of something is also a desire. The ego relating to the concept of “I” is as much an ego as feeling the absence of “I.” Where there is a feeling of “I,” God cannot exist and where God is present, a feeling of “I” cannot be talked of. These two are mutually contradictory and exclusive words. They taught that he should not allow any confusing thoughts to arise in him but that he should develop the thought only of divinity and nothing else. From that day, was concentrating on the thought of God and deriving happiness. While he was carrying on his life in this manner, one day when his mother went to a cowshed in the twilight early morning hours, she was bitten by a dark cobra and she died instantly. was present and saw with his own eyes the struggle that his mother had to go through at the time of her death. This was the first test for . He looked upon the event as one of the of the Lord and did not feel dejected at the death of his mother. He pretended as if he was happy. The owner of the house came and asked him why he was happy. To this said, “All these days my mother was constantly thinking and worrying about me, and I am happy that this has now come to an end and that there would no longer be this attachment.” He was thus happy because the mother will no longer have the problem of worrying about him, and she will no longer suffer because of this attachment. If the mother was alive, she would be concerned and agitated about . was happy that this link was broken.