In olden times there lived a king named Bhartari. For forty-eight years he lived as befits a king – enjoyed luxury, entertainment and never thought much about the real purpose of his life.
A lot of women surrounded the king. A very beautiful girl named Pingla was among them. The king loved her with all his heart – he gave her a lot of special attentions and the most expensive gifts. In response, Pingla told the King that she cannot live without him and loves him as God.
Once a jeweller arrived at the palace and gifted the King a very valuable diamond.
“Dear ruler,” said the jeweller, “this is a very valuable gem. It is worthy only of your crown. Its beauty will highlight your greatness even more.”
Once he saw the gem, the king immediately thought: “This jewel will perfectly adorn my beloved”. The same night he gave it to Pingla. She actually didn’t love the king and was in love with a royal coachman. Pingla gifted him the diamond in order to please him. The coachman had a bond with a courtesan and, in turn, gave the jewel to her. In her regard, the courtesan truly loved the king and treated him with great respect. Having seen the luxurious diamond, she thought: “This gem is only worthy of the king! Let it adorn his crown.” With that thought in mind the courtesan left for the palace.
When arrived, she repeated what the jeweller had said nearly word by word and handed the diamond to Bhartari, “dear ruler, this gem is only worthy of You. Let it adorn Your crown and highlight Your greatness even more.”
The king looked at the gem and immediately recognized it: “It’s impossible! This is the gem that I had gifted to Pingla! How come it is with this girl now!?” Thoughts were rapidly spinning in his head. Being a wise man, the king quickly realised that his beloved has deceived him dishonestly assuring her love. He was deeply hurt, because he truly loved Pingla. The betrayal was such a strong shock for him that he started thinking: “Even a king cannot buy love with money and gifts… And what if I loved God as much???”
Bhartari often hunted in his lands. After Pingla’s betrayal he found it difficult to cope with the pain, and one day, overcome by anger, he jumped on a horse and went on a hunt. That time he killed a lion. But something unusual happened: a white-golden light appeared over the fallen lion and in that light Bhartari saw a man.
“What have you done, Bhartari?” the stranger asked, addressing the king by the name.
“Who are you to ask me such questions?” Bhartari answered. “This is my kingdom and here I do whatever I want.”
The stranger tried to clarify, “are you saying that you are able to do whatever you want?”
“Yes, I can. I am a king.”
“Alright. If you are so powerful and can do everything, bring the lion back to life.”
“What is he talking about?” thoughts were spinning in Bhartari’s mind again. “How can I revive the lion? Who is this mysterious man?”
“And can you revive the lion?” the king inquired.
“Yes, I can,” – he replied calmly.
The stranger chanted a mantra, sprinkled the lion with some water and it was revived.
Bhartari was shocked; many feelings arose in his heart and tears appeared in his eyes.
“Who are You?” the king asked. “Tell me the truth, who are You? And who am I!?”
“Really, what are you, my son Bhartari, where have you stopped, why are you stuck in your way?” gently asked the stranger.
Bhartari couldn’t reply anything, just kept sobbing like a little child. The big king shed tears for a simple man who had nothing. The voice, calling him “son” seemed utterly familiar to Bhartari, as if he had been hearing it all his life. And it was the voice of his Master.
Then, with the help of spiritual knowledge, the Master showed how many lives Bhartari was his disciple. The Master had given the king the opportunity to gain power and acquire all the wealth of this world. And when it was time to continue the Path of Knowledge, he came into his life again.
“Calm down, don’t cry, Bhartari,” said the Master. “Nobody has deceived you here. This is the world, and in the world everything can happen.”
And the Master went on:
“My light has always been with you, but you were so attracted to this world that you could not see me. Now, when you have started thinking about God, looking for answers and have become deeply immersed in yourself, you could see the Light again.”
According to the legends, Bhartari mastered the mystery of the five elements and acquired the knowledge that he had been seeking for several lives on this earth. He became a great yogi, and he still exists in a higher world which is not visible to us.
