27.
THE KNOWER AND THE
MAGICIAN

PEOPLE who visited Bhagavan used to discuss with
Him the several aspects of spiritual life and also the
attainment of psychic and magical powers (siddhi ^[?]).
Bhagavan used to say that we are all siddhas, because it is
only after very great efforts and penances that we achieved
this bodily existence. The purpose of this wonderful
attainment is to achieve the greatest of all attainments --
the pure Existence-Knowledge Bliss. But if we use
embodiment only to gain psychic powers, we only put
on more fetters -- golden chains for iron ones. All the
same, fetters are fetters, and to remove those of gold you
have to requisition the service of the supreme fetter-
breaker, namely one who has attained Nirvana.

      In the view of a knower [jnani ^[?]], these powers are no
more real than those gained in a dream. Suppose a beggar
has a dream that he is a king ruling some kingdom. So
long as the dream lasts, he has the pleasure and satisfaction
of being the king, but the moment he wakes up he has to
pick up his begging bowl again to appease his hunger. So
too, these powers satisfy only so long as they pertain to
the existence of the inner nature. But when that is found
to be non-existent, then will come the rude shock of
finding these powers as essentially false.

Page 70
      To illustrate this principle, Bhagavan used to quote
the story in the `Prabhulinga Lila' of a great Siddha named
Gorakhnath. After very great efforts of various kinds, this
man had so perfected his physical body that it would not
die even for a thousand years. He put his body to various
tests, and it stood them all well. In high glee at the success
of his bodily perfection he invited all great souls and yogis
to cut his body with a sword. When they subjected his
body to this test, it could never be cut or pierced by the
sword, but from it emanated such a loud metallic clang
that its resonance lasted for several minutes, as in the case
of temple bells. The siddha ^[?] was so contented at having
overcome the fear of death, that it never occurred to him
that his embodied state must still come to an end some
day or other.

      While he was feeling supremely happy in his fool's
paradise, he heard of a great Jnani, Allama Prabhu, to
whom people were flocking day in and day out in large
numbers, to sit at his feet and imbibe the bliss of his
Being, and to benefit from the Truth of his spoken words.
Needless to say, this Jnani was in fact Lord Sankara Himself
incarnate in that form to help mankind. He explained to
all who came to Him that all our bodily experiences are
false; being based on the non-existent separateness of
individuals; also that unless the Self be realized as the
witness-Light before whom the three states of waking,
dream and sleep pass and re-pass, one cannot remain
unaffected by the experiences of mind-stuff, pleasant and
painful, and that the Fourth State is the permanent aspect
Page 71
of Being, experienced in and as the Centre (akasa) of the
Heart. This State is one indivisible whole in all beings,
on realizing which all sense of opposites and triplicities
vanish. In brief, His teaching was that you are the Absolute
Reality, the One unique witness of all -- indeed, rather
that the very `all' does not exist, for the word implies
something outside itself as a non-existent duality, whereas
there is only the One conscious Being-Awareness, which
you are. To be That is the only real Bliss.

      Now our great siddha ^[?] resorted to this Jnani's presence
out of idle curiosity to see what kind of man He was, and
if possible to arrogantly challenge Him and scoff at His
teaching. He was surprised to find that the Jnani was a
poor specimen of bodily health, a mere skeleton of skin
and bone. He accosted Him in not very venerable terms,
saying: "They say you are a great Jnani who has overcome
the fear of death. But what a miserable sort of body you
live in! Do you think that with this body you can have
overcome the fear of death? Look at me! I am sure that I
have so perfected my body that it can never be killed.
Here is a sword; try it on this body, and you will see for
yourself the nature of my attainment!"

The Jnani requested to be excused from making such
a hazardous experiment. But when Gorakhnath persisted
in his request, He took up the sword and struck it against
his body. Of course, the metallic sound came out and
echoed for a while. In all seeming humility, Allama Prabhu
pretended to be greatly impressed by the man's attainment.
Said He: "It is indeed a great power you have attained; all
Page 72
glory to you! But now that I have granted your request to
test your body, you must now grant me my request to
subject my body to the same experiment. Please take the
sword and kill me with it!"

The siddha ^[?] was afraid to do this; he said the Jnani
would die. But the Jnani said, "It will not matter if I die,
for I shall not hold you responsible." So the man took
up the sword and struck at the Jnani's body. To his great
surprise, the sword passed straight through the body
without affecting it in any way. Gorakhnath found that
he could pass it from left to right, from right to left, to
and fro, and yet Allama Prabhu was in no way affected
by it. It was as though the sword were passing through
empty air!

This gave him a rude shock indeed. He said to Allama,
"What is it that I have achieved after all? I have only
baked the pot, while you have the core of the deathless
Being. Great Guru, pray take me as your disciple, and
teach me how to know the Immortal Self!" Saying this,
the siddha ^[?] fell prostrate at the feet of the Jnani, who
accepted him as his disciple and taught him the Knowledge
beyond knowledge and ignorance.

      Now this story was a wonderful illustration of the
real state of Bhagavan's imperishable Being, and all who
loved Truth enjoyed it and were enlightened about the
state everlasting.

Page 73