Episode 16- Story of King Pravahana, Sage Uddalaka Aaruni and Shwetaketu

Stories from Upanishads

My dear friends and listeners, it’s been a while I could upload any new episode. The reason being multiple, but here I am with a new story from the Upanishads. Before I begin, my earnest request to you to follow, subscribe, like, share and download my podcast. It will immensely help me to keep going and provide you with these contents. Also please do write to me at my email address [e-mail]. I receive emails from my listeners and we discuss lot of things and often goes into a discovery session on various questions. It’s real fun and interesting.

Today’s story is a follow up or continuation stories from three characters on which I have already told you earlier. Pravahana’s story was discussed in Episode 14 i.e. Story of 3 friends - Pravahana, Silaka and Chaikitayana and Uddalaka Aaruni and Shwetaketu’s story was discussed in Episode 15 - Tat Tvam Asi - Story of Uddalaka Aaruni and Shwetaketu. I would highly recommend you to listen to them to understand the continuity.

As per the book - The character of the Self in Ancient India by Brian Black brings in portrayal of character contributes in philosophical position of the texts. Such as the character of Shwetaketu, which has been mentioned in the Brihaddarankya Upanishad, Chhandogya Upanishads and Kausitaki Upanishad. As per Upanishadic researcher Patrick Olivelle, there are variations in the character and presentation and different Upanishads present the same story in a different ways. He argues that this variation in presentation is deliberate and that each version has its own narrative logic. So different portrayals of Shwetaketu and Pravahana Jaivali in different Upanishads tells us something about the overall stance. Olivelle concluded that Brihaadaaranyaka Upanishad favors the east and is critical about Kuru-Paanchala Brahmins and presents Shwetaketu as a rude and spoiled brahmin. However in Chhandogya Upanishad the portrayal is more conservative and presents the story of Shwetaketu and Uddalaka Aaruni more positively. Thus portrayal of certain characters in the Upanishads is a part of narrative strategy and political positioning of the texts. If incase you have not listened to my story of Tat Tvam Asi, please do listen to that episode. In Brihaadaaranyaka and Chhandogya Upanishad, Shwetaketu’s story introduces the teachings of five fires and the two paths whereas in Kausitaki Upanishad it introduces the doctrine of the path to heaven.

Another important point to note is that in CU seem to emphasize on the formal instructions between the teacher and student more such as Story of Tat Tvam Asi. BU focuses mostly on debates such as stories of Yaagnavalkya.

Today’s story is featured in Brihaadaaranyaka Upanishad Chapter 6, section 2. Chronologically this story falls after episode 15, when Shwetaketu gained the knowledge of Tat Tvam Asi from his father Uddalaka Aaruni.

As per book - “Political History of Ancient India” by Hemchandra Raychaudhuri, Pravahana Jaivali was a Paanchaala king and contemporary to King Janaka of Videha. We have already heard his story when he and his two other friends exchanged their experiences of Brahman and how he brought out the significance of Om. As a king Pravahana was a good ruler and was ruling his kingdom as per the ancient Hindu Polity as explained by Bheeshma in Shanti Parva of Mahabharata. Pravahana was a man of action, knower of truth and a preceptor of Aatman.

As we have seen that courtroom of King Janaka of Videha was filled with scholars and well-versed brahmins, so was King Pravahana’s courtroom. It was also filled with innumerable eminent scholars and brahmins questing for fame, name and money.

Today’s story begins from the point when Shwetaketu weaponised with the knowledge of vedas and true knowledge from his father about Brahman comes to King Pravahana’s courtroom.

Completely drenched in arrogance about the knowledge of vedas and Brahman, which he used as a means to measure other’s knowledge, asks the guards of the courtroom seeking to see the king.

The guards informed the king about Shwetaketu’s arrival.

Pravahana knew about the deadly pride, which has coiled Shwetaketu completely like a python. He also knew that this will not bring any fame rather will only aid in his downfall. So he decided to teach him a lesson. He asked the guards to bring him in the courtroom.

As Shwetaketu entered boldly, he saw great scholars, wise men and courtmen sitting in the courtroom. They were all looking at him. They were curious to know about what will happen next. Shwetaketu burned with his pride didn’t bother to pay much heed to these great scholars and rather walked up straight to the king.

The king smiled and without showing much respect said -

“Oh boy! Have you been taught by your father?”

King Pravahana being a Kshatriya, addressing a Brahmin in this manner was quite unexpected. This shook Shwetaketu and other brahmins in the court room.

Taken a back, Shwetaketu replied -

“Yes sir!”

“If you have a doubt, please question me!”

The king nodded and smiled and thought for a while. Then he asked the brahmin -

“Do you know how it is that the beings travel over different paths after death? How they would return to this world?

Shwetaketu was not expecting such a question. He had no idea on what he would respond to. So he said -“No sir, I don’t know about it!”

The king asked his next question -

“How is it that the world of the dead is never filled although many die and pass away?”

Before Shwetaketu could answer anything, the king asked his next question -“ How does the water that is offered as oblation rises and speaks with the human voice as it were?”

The king continued his next question - “What is Devayana that is access to the way of the gods and Pitriyana or the access to the way of the manes and how does one gain access to them?”

Then the king continued, we have heard the words of the mantra from the sages -

Dwe suti ashri-na-vam pitrinaa -

Maham devaa-naa-mut matyaarnaam,

Taabhya-midam vishwa-me-jatsameti,

Yadantra Pitram Maatram cha || iti;

Naahamat ekanchan vedeti howach||

Which means - I have heard of two routes for men, leading to the gods and to then manes. Going along with them all this is united. They lie between the father i.e. heaven and the mother i.e earth.

Shwetaketu was completely stumped, he was at the loss of words and could only nod and said “Sir, I dont know them!”

These questions pertained to the secret lore of the Kshatriyas, and had been jealously guarded by them as Raajaguhya or royal secret.

Completely uprooted Shwetaketu stood there in the courtroom not knowing what to do next.

The king invited him to stay. He asked the court ladies to bring water for washing his feet and customary offerings for the respected guests.

Shwetaketu rejected the invite and hurried away from the court room.

Boiling with anger, he came back to his father the Sage Uddalaka Aaruni. He was so angry that he didn’t even greeted his parents. The sage knew something was cooking up.

Shwetaketu asked his father - “Father, how do you say that you have taught me everything, every branch of knowledge?”

Sage asked - “What happened my child? You seemed to be hurt by someone”

Angry Shwetaketu roared - “That wretched Kshatriya King Pravahana asked me questions and I didn’t know the answers to any one of them! See how I am disgraced in the court room filled with scholars and learned men and women. I could not answer even one question asked by that Kshatriya and it is all because of you!”

Then Shwetaketu told his father about the questions which the king had asked!

On hearing these questions, the sage told his son - “My child, believe me, I have taught you everything I knew of. As far as Pravahana’s questions unfortunately I too don’t have complete answers to them. That’s why they weren’t taught to you.”

Let me propose you something my child, let us both go to the king’s court as a seeker of truth and as students.

Shwetaketu was adamant, and refused to go as he thought he was humiliated by the king in the courtroom. He could not bear any single moment in that courtroom. After repeated pleading, the sage failed to convince his son.

Uddalaka decided to go alone. He went to the courtroom of the king and with all humility greeted all the scholars and the king.

The reception that awaited him was entirely different. The king gave him a seat, washed his feet, and made him the reverential offerings of cattle and horses.

With all humility he told the king - “I am grateful to you my king, for all the honour and offer of gifts! But I haven’t come here for the sake of gifts. I have come here to seek the answers to the questions you have asked my son Shwetaketu. Please grant me the treasure of knowledge, which is far superior than any type of treasure or wealth! I approach you as a student my king!

The king was deeply touched by the sage’s humility and hunger for his knowledge. He knew that it is this sincerity which qualifies the seeker to the reception of the knowledge of Brahman.

With folded hands the King told the sage -

“O Sage Uddalaka, please do not take offence with us. This learnings were never shared with the Brahmins in the past. However, your sincerity and humility is pristine as your earnestness is also excellent and which has won my heart, so I shall teach you about it. So please listen to the answers.”

The king continued, but he started responding to the fourth question first as this would bring out the solution to the other questions. He started explaining Panchaagni Vidya that is the knowledge of five fires.

Friends Panchaagni Vidya is also mentioned in Chhandogya Upanishads in Chapter 5 and also in BU. This knowledge or Vidya presents the symbolic Agni or fire is the object of meditation and has 5 important aspects to it and they are three worlds i.e. heaven, earth and intermediate space, man and woman. This knowledge or Vidya is taught in connection with the ‘Doctrine of Transmigration of Souls’ as the ‘Doctrine of decent’. The Panchaagni Vidya or the Knowledge of the 5 fires explains how the body is linked to the universe and why the mind’s true nature is to manifest its will in the universe. The Five Fires, called the Panchaagnis, are not physical fires but meditation techniques. The Fire, here, is symbolic of a sacrifice which one performs through contemplation. The elemental matter gets converted into life or a person gradually by going through five different stages. These five different stages represent five different sacrifices or Paanchaagni.

In CU, it conceives the entire universal activity of creation as a Yagna or Sacrifice, where everything is connected. This sacrifice knowledge is known as Panchaagni Vidya.

Coming back to the story, the king began is Panchaagni Vidya with the first fire i.e, Swargaloka-

“O sage, that Swarga or heaven is a fire and of that fire , the sun is the fuel or Samit or sacrificial stick, the rays of the sun are its smoke, the days its flames, the four quarters its cinder and the intermediate quarters are its sparks. In this fire the gods offer faith and out of that offering King Moon is born.”

Here what is meant is that heaven is the first fire and sun is the fuel to that fire because the sun illuminates the heaven. The rays its smoke because of its similarity of rising from the fuel, for the rays emanate from the sun, and smoke as we know it comes out from the fuel. The day its flame, because both are bright! Due to sun, the day shines brightly so are the flames which shines brightly. The four quarters are its cinder, because both present a pacified state as it is like a space where there is no heat or lustre. The intermediate quarters its sparks, because they are scattered like sparks. In this fire of heaven possess such attributes, the gods i.e. Indra offer faith as oblation. When Agnihotra is performed, the jivas become Soma Raja I,e, King Moon and enter swargaloka or heaven. Thus out of that offering King moon which are king of manes and Brahmins are born.

Then the king continued to explain about the second fire which is Parjanya -

Parjanya the god of rain is a fire, the year is its fuel, the clouds its smoke, lightening its flame, thunder its cinder, and the rumblings its sparks. In this fire the gods offer Soma Raja or the King Moon. Out of that offering rain is produced.”

This means - the second receptacle of the two oblations in the order of their return is Parjanya which is fire. The year is its fuel, for this fire Parjanya is kindled by that as it revolves with its parts commencing with autumn and ending with summer. The clouds its smoke, being produced from smoke, or because of its cloudy appearance. Lightning its flame, since both are luminous. Thunder its cinder, because both represent a pacified state and are hard. The rumblings of the clouds its sparks, because both scatter and are numerous. In this receptacle of the two oblations the gods, those very priests mentioned earlier, offer King Moon, who was produced out of the offering of ‘faith’ in the fire of heaven, he is offered in the second fire, that of Parjanya and out of that offering of the moon, rain is produced.

The King now started explaining about the third fire. -

“This world is a fire, the earth is its fuel, fire its smoke, the night is its flame, the moon its cinder, and stars its sparks. In this fire the gods offer rain. Out of that offerings, food is produced.

In this the king meant is the world where all creatures are born and experience the results of their past deeds, it contains of actions, its factors and its results. This world is the third fire. The earth is the fuel for this fire as it is kindled by the earth which is provided with numerous materials for enjoyment of living beings. Fire is its smoke, as they both rise above from their abode that is the earth. The night is its flame because both are created when they come in contact with the fuel. That means as flame is produced by the contact of fuel with fire, so is the night by the contact of the fuel of the earth, for the earth’s shadow is called the darkness of the night. The moon is the cinder and is created from flames. The cinder produced from the flames and so is the moon in the night because both represents the pacified state. The stars its sparks because both scatter. The food is produced only when there is adequate rain fall so food is produced from rain.

Again the king continued to explain about the fourth fire.

“The Man is the fourth fire, O sage, the open mouth is its fuel. The vital force is its smoke, speech is its flames, the eyes is its cinder and the ears its sparkle. In this fire the gods offer food. Out of that offering seed is produced.”

This verse explains the fourth fire, which is a man. The open mouth of a man is the fuel as through it a man shines in speech, study the scriptures as fire is with fuel. The vital force rises from the mouth, and is the smoke. The speech is the flames as speech signifies an object where as flames reveals things all around. Eyes is its cinders as both represents the pacified state. The forms of vital forces are the gods and they put in the food for man and the outcome of that food is the seed. As a man when is adult and received complete nourishment are ready to have reproductory building blocks such as sperm and an egg which acts as a seed, thus seed is the outcome of the food.

Now the king tells sage Uddalaka Aaruni about the fifth fire.

“Women are the fifth fire. In this fire the gods offer seed and out of that offering a man is born. He lives as long as he is destined to live.”

Here the king explained that the women are the fifth fire and when gods offer seed and a man is born from it. This means that, seeds such as sperm or eggs in the uterus when come together, fuses to give birth to a human being. That man will live as long as he is destined to live.

Just to tie up the explanations of the Panchaagni, we can think of this as a sequential set of occurrences on how a life is born in its mother’s womb. This process starts when the Jiva which has ascended to the heaven by the virtue of good deeds and when those merits are exhausted, descend to the earth to take up another life in form of rains. Then the Self ends a food grain of a growing plant which has grown because of the rains. This food grain when consumed by a man enters the blood stream and eventually turns into sperm. Finally when after sexual intercourse the seminal fluid along with the Jiva enters the woman’s womb and gets embodied. Friends don’t you think our ancient sages and writers of Upanishads were way advanced in all streams of science including gynaecology. They could think of complex scientific phenomenon and explain them through spiritualistic verses. Amazing isn’t it!

The king didn’t stop after this, rather he continued -

“Then when the man dies, his dead body is offered to the fire. As this lifeless body burns in the pyre fire, the smoke from his burning tissues rise above so this fire becomes his fire, the fuel his fuel, the smoke his smoke, the flame his flame, the cinder his cinder and the sparks his sparks. As the dead body completely burns and turns into ashes. In this fire, the gods offer the man and out of that offering the man emerges radiant that means the man burning on the pyre becomes exceedingly bright as his lifeless body ferociously burns out, having been purified by all the rites performed from his birth till his death.

After explaining all the Panchaagni to Uddalakha, the king started explaining further.

As long as the house holders or people who are in Grihastya do not know either the meditation on the five fires or the Satya-brahman, they are born from the fire of woman when the fifth oblation beginning with that of faith has been offered in order and again perform rites like the Agnihotra, with a view to attaining the other world. Through those rites they again go through the world of manes, passing in order the deity of smoke etc. and again return, passing in order the rain-god and so forth. Then they are again born of the fire of the woman, again perform rites and so on rotating constantly like a potter’s wheel by their comings and goings between this world and the next.

But when the householder or Grihastya know the meditation on five fire, they are freed from the rotation and reach the flame, which is the deity identified with flame and called by that name, who is stationed in the northern route. They reach him, for monks have no direct relation to the flame. Since there is no restriction with with regard to the time of death, so day is the deity of the day. Death occurs as soon as the term or contract of life is over. There is no rule that knowner of this meditation can die at daytime or those who must die at night. After deity of the day, they reach the deity of the bright fortnight and then reaches the six months in which the sun travels northwards which is the June Solstice when the sun rises considerably north of due east and sets considerably north of due west. Being conducted by these deities, they reach the deity identified with the world of gods. Then they reach the sun, from sun they reach the deity identified with lightning. As they reach the deity of lightening, a being created from the mind of Hiranyagarbha, a denizen of his world, comes and conducts them to the worlds of Hiranyagarba. Once reaching the worlds of Hiranyagarbha, they do not return to this world. The physical body of the man dissolves into the elements which constituted it. But the destiny of the soul depends on the actions performed and the knowledge acquired.

The King continued his explanation -

“While those who conquer the worlds through sacrifices such as Agnihotra, charity, which is distribution of gifts among poors and needy outside the altar and austerity such as Krcchra and Chandrayana without initiation, outside the altar reach the deity of smoke. All the deities are conductors and help to reach to the next deity in the order. From the deity of the night to the deity of the fortnight in which the moon wanes, to the deities of 6 months in which the sun moves southwards which is the December Solstice when the sun rises considerably south of due east and sets considerably south of due west. From this they reach the deity of the world of manes, and from him the moon. On reaching moon they become food for the gods to enjoy them. As the priests drink in sacrifices the shining soma rasa or juice. Similarly the gods too enjoy the ritualist who have got new bodies in the moon ad have become the materials of their luxury, giving them frequent intervals of rest by rewarding them in accordance to their past work. When their past work, sacrifices, charities and austerities are exhausted they reach the ether or space. Then those ritualist living in the air, are blown hither and thither by the east-wind. Then from air they reach the rain and fall to the earth as rain. The rain aids in growing of the crops and plants which becomes food. The food is eaten by the man and woman and produce seeds such as semen and eggs for reproduction. When they are born again, they perform rites such as Agnihotra with a view to go to other worlds. Then they move repeatedly between the moon and the world, passing in the order as mentioned earlier. The ritualist continuously rotate in this manner as a potters wheel until they know about Brahman, so as to attain the Northern way or immediate liberation.

The ones who do not practice either meditation or rites to attain Northern Way or Southern Way become insects and mothes and other lower creatures such as gnats and mostquitoes. This last transmigratory existence is very painful and is extremely hard for one who has fallen into it and get out of it.

Friends, note the word “Worlds” in plural which means it has two planes, higher and lower. Is it a concept of ‘multi-verse’? The purport of these verses is to try our best to give up natural pursuit of work and knowledge and practise those rites or meditation which are enjoined by the scriptures and are the means of attaining Northern or Southern ways which are the two paths. The first path is the path of light called Devayana and other path is the path of darkness, called Pitriyana or Dhoomayana. They respectively correspond to the day and night and also referred to as Uttarayana and Dakshinayana. The knower of Brahman all seasons and time are same, for to him it is only the home-coming of the spirit. When a person returns to his real home, it hardly matters whether it is day or night or what season of the year it is. The one who has attained the real spiritual knowledge goes by the path of light and does not return to the earthly existence. The one with no knowledge or partial knowledge goes by the path of darkness and falls into the eternal cycle of birth and death and suffers. Thus, some go to the world of Brahman and never return, some go the heaven and remain there for some time and return to the earth to complete their works, and numerous others are caught up in the ever-recurring cycle of birth and death. The land of the deal never fills up because those who travel by Devayana lose their individuality and become one with Brahman, if they are gradually able to realise Brahman by Krama-mukti. The significance of sacrifice is that this Agnihotra which is the process of yagna of casting of various sacrifices into the fire alter, is Adhyatmik, with a spiritual dimension. The sense of Brahman as felt in the human heart is the hotree, the officiating priest of the entire sacrifice. The oblations of water goes up as faith, Shraddha and is offered as nectar or soma rasa to the Shining Ones. That is how it speaks with a human voice as it were, on behalf of one who offers it. The significance of such a cosmic Agnihotra is that it enablesone to meditate on Satya Brahman. Thereby one may attain the abode of Brahman - Brahmaloka where one lives foreover and does not return to this world.

After getting enriched by this knowledge Sage Uddalaka Aaruni profusely thanked the king Pravahna for enlighting him about the great mystery of Brahman. It dissolved all his doubts and got answers to all the questions. Before leaving the courtroom, the Sage salute the king - “Namo Gurubhyo Namo Gurubhyah”

Friends, across Upanishads you may have noticed that True Knowledge is not confined to Brahmins and scholars only. There are numerous accounts and stories in which true knowledge of brahman is actually given by a Kshatriya or someone else. We have seen that in Story of King Janasruti and the cart puller Raiwa. In the story of Satyakama, he was taught about Brahman by non-human entities. So true knowledge can reside in anyone. We are all container of knowledge and it is really upto us how we decide to use it and spread it. There is no castism in true knowledge. The true knowledge is a blue ocean where, we are the aquatic animals and plants, swimming in it. It is really upto us how much we can make use of it just like some fishes stay as a bottom dwellers throughout its lifetime and never gets to see or experience what it is like at the surface of the ocean. Similarly there are many aquatic animals who dwell only at the surface and never goes to the bottom and it always remain a mystery for them. The real king are those fishes which can travel across from surface to the Bottom such as a Shark and can experience the waters everywhere. So let us swim through this ocean of knowledge and let us not be confined only to an area rather swim across and gain as much as knowledge we can. This is what this story of Uddalaka Aaruni and King Pravhana tell us. The sage being a learned and respected brahmin left all his ego and went to the king as a student, seeking knowledge and in the end he honored the king by calling him a Guru or a teacher.

So that was today’s episode from BU and I hope you liked it. Now let me ask today’s questions from the story -

1. What had made Shwetaketu arrogant and proud?
2. What is Devayana and Pitriyana?
3. What are the five fires or Paachaagni?

Please email me your answers to ‘[e-mail]" and I will look out for your responses. Until then….

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New episode "Story of King Pravahan, Sage Uddalakha Aaruni and Shwetaketu" is now available in all major podcast launchers.

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Source content collected from various books on Upanishads such as “Messages of the Upanishads” by Swami Ranganathanada, “The Brhadaaranyaka Upanishad” by Swami Madhavananda, “Eight Upanishads” from Advaita Ashrama, Upanishads.org, “Vedas and Upanishads for Children” by Roopa Pai and several other write-ups and thoughts on Upanishads.

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