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==== पिङ्गला ॥ Pingala (A Courtesan) ====
 
==== पिङ्गला ॥ Pingala (A Courtesan) ====
<blockquote>पिङ्गला नाम वेश्याऽऽसीद् विदेहनगरे पुरा । तस्या मे शिक्षितं किञ्चित् निबोध नृपनन्दन ॥ २२ ॥</blockquote><blockquote>आशा हि परमं दुःखं नैराश्यं परमं सुखम् । यथा सञ्छिद्य कान्ताशां सुखं सुष्वाप पिङ्गला ॥ ४४ ॥ (Bhag. Pura. 11.8.22 and 44)<ref name=":3" /></blockquote>Here the Brahmana relates the story of Pingala (Adhyaya 8 Shlokas 22 to 44), a courtesan, who lived in the city of Videha and the lesson he learnt from her. Pingala was a veshya, who hoped to earn great riches by attracting wealthy paramours who would give her rich fee. So thinking, all adorned she would wait all night hoping rich people to pass by, thereby losing her sleep. When all her hopes got thwarted she understood that: "Complete indifference to worldly objects is like a sword in a man's hand to cut off the cords of desire". Realising her folly and delusion, she came to dwell on the eternally proximate paramour (the Indwelling Atman) capable of giving real delight and who bestows eternal wealth. She thought that in the whole city of Videha, she was the only foolish person who expected to get pleasure from persons other than Achyuta who confers his own self to his devotees. So saying she submitted herself to the most beloved friend, protector and the very Self of all embodied beings. When a person observes that this world is practically devoured by the serpent in the form of Time, he becomes alert and is disgusted with all worldly objects. He realizes that his Atman is the protector of himself. The Brahmana concludes saying that Hope is the greatest misery and freedom from hope is the happiest state; having come to this conclusion, Pingala gave up all hope for a paramour and enjoyed a happy sleep.<ref name=":6" /> The sadhaka learns to '''Give up hope for worldly things''' and rest on the Achyuta as the eternal companion.
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<blockquote>पिङ्गला नाम वेश्याऽऽसीद् विदेहनगरे पुरा । तस्या मे शिक्षितं किञ्चित् निबोध नृपनन्दन ॥ २२ ॥</blockquote><blockquote>आशा हि परमं दुःखं नैराश्यं परमं सुखम् । यथा सञ्छिद्य कान्ताशां सुखं सुष्वाप पिङ्गला ॥ ४४ ॥ (Bhag. Pura. 11.8.22 and 44)<ref name=":3" /></blockquote>Here the Brahmana relates the story of Pingala (Adhyaya 8 Shlokas 22 to 44), a courtesan, who lived in the city of Videha and the lesson he learnt from her. Pingala was a veshya, who hoped to earn great riches by attracting wealthy paramours who would give her rich fee. So thinking, all adorned she would wait all night hoping rich people to pass by, thereby losing her sleep. When all her hopes got thwarted she understood that: "Complete indifference to worldly objects is like a sword in a man's hand to cut off the cords of desire". Realising her folly and delusion, she came to dwell on the eternally proximate paramour (the Indwelling Atman) capable of giving real delight and who bestows eternal wealth. She thought that in the whole city of Videha, she was the only foolish person who expected to get pleasure from persons other than Achyuta who confers his own self to his devotees. So saying she submitted herself to the most beloved friend, protector and the very Self of all embodied beings. When a person observes that this world is practically devoured by the serpent in the form of Time, he becomes alert and is disgusted with all worldly objects. He realizes that his Atman is the protector of himself. The Brahmana concludes saying that Hope is the greatest misery and freedom from hope is the happiest state; having come to this conclusion, Pingala gave up all hope for a paramour and enjoyed a happy sleep.<ref name=":6" /> The sadhaka learns to '''Give up hope for worldly things, be dispassionate''' and rest on the Achyuta as the eternal companion.
    
==== कुररः ॥ Kurara (A Bird) ====
 
==== कुररः ॥ Kurara (A Bird) ====
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<blockquote>परिग्रहो हि दुःखाय यद् यत् प्रियतमं नृणाम् । अनन्तं सुखमाप्नोति तद् विद्वान् यस्त्वकिञ्चनः ॥ १ ॥</blockquote><blockquote>सामिषं कुररं जघ्नुः बलिनो ये निरामिषाः । तदामिषं परित्यज्य स सुखं समविन्दत ॥ २ ॥ (Bhag. Pura. 11.9.1-2)<ref name=":4">Bhagavata Purana ([https://sa.wikisource.org/wiki/%E0%A4%B6%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AD%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%97%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%AA%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A3%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%8D/%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4% Skanda 11 Adhyaya 9])</ref></blockquote>O Raja, acquisition of whatever persons crave to possess is certainly the cause of misery. The wise who overcomes this desire to possess attains infinite happiness. The more powerful birds of prey which longed for the piece of flesh that the Kurara bird (Osprey) acquired, attacked and pecked him until he dropped it and got relief from them.<ref name=":6" /> A sadhaka should learn that possessing things leads to misery and one should '''Overcome propensity for possession'''.
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==== अर्भकः ॥ Arbhaka (A child) ====
 
==== अर्भकः ॥ Arbhaka (A child) ====
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<blockquote>न मे मानापमानौ स्तो न चिन्ता गेहपुत्रिणाम् । आत्मक्रीड आत्मरतिः विचरामीह बालवत् ॥ ३ ॥</blockquote><blockquote>द्वावेव चिन्तया मुक्तौ परमानन्द आप्लुतौ । यो विमुग्धो जडो बालो यो गुणेभ्यः परं गतः ॥ ४ ॥ (Bhag. Pura. 11.9.3-4)<ref name=":4" /></blockquote>A small child roams all over free from anxiety and enjoys delight in his own Self. In the same way the thought that "I am enjoying bliss in my Self, I am not affected by honour or dishonour. I am free from anxiety for house, wife or children" makes one delight in his own Atman just like a child. O Raja, only two (types of) persons are free from anxiety and are immersed in Supreme Bliss - One who is as innocent as child and the other who has transcended the Gunas.<ref name=":6" /> Thus the sadhaka learns to '''Let go of all anxiety''' from a child.
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==== कुमारी ॥ Kumari (A maiden) ====
 
==== कुमारी ॥ Kumari (A maiden) ====
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<blockquote>क्वचित् कुमारी त्वात्मानं वृणानान् गृहमागतान् । स्वयं तान् अर्हयामास क्वापि यातेषु बन्धुषु ॥ ५ ॥</blockquote><blockquote>तेषम् अभ्यवहारार्थं शालीन् रहसि पार्थिव । अवघ्नन्त्याः प्रकोष्ठस्थाः चक्रुः शङ्खाः स्वनं महत् ॥ ६ ॥</blockquote><blockquote>सा तत् जुगुप्सितं मत्वा महती व्रीडिता ततः । बभञ्जैकैकशः शङ्खान् द्वौ द्वौ पाण्योरशेषयत् ॥ ७ ॥</blockquote><blockquote>उभयोरप्यभूद् घोषो ह्यवघ्नन्त्याः स्म शंखयोः । तत्राप्येकं निरभिदद् एकस्मात् नाभवद् ध्वनिः ॥ ८ ॥</blockquote><blockquote>अन्वशिक्षमिमं तस्या उपदेशमरिन्दम । लोकान् अनुचरन् एतान् लोकतत्त्वविवित्सया ॥ ९ ॥</blockquote><blockquote>वासे बहूनां कलहो भवेत् वार्ता द्वयोरपि । एक एव चरेत् तस्मात् कुमार्या इव कङ्कणः ॥ १० ॥ (Bhag. Pura. 11.9.5-10)<ref name=":4" /></blockquote>In a certain place, a maiden herself had to receive the guests who had come to see her (for selecting her as a bride) while her relatives (parents etc.,) had gone out somewhere. To prepare and serve food to the guests she was pounding the paddy alone secretly inside the house. At that time her bangles of shell on her wrists began to make loud jingling sound. The intelligent girl felt it would be a shame to disclose that the bride had to do the work herself (conveyed by the jingling sound of her bangles), broke the bangles one by one till only two of them remained on each of her wrists. Then she continued to pound paddy and realized that even the pair of bangles created a noise, therefore, she broke one bangle each from each pair with the result that no sound was produced from the one bangle.
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The Brahmana continued, "O Vanquisher of enemies! I learnt this lesson from her, while roaming over the world with the desire to know the true nature of the world. If many persons live together there will be quarrels; if two live together there is a talk. Hence a person should wander alone without any companion like the single bangle on the wrist of the girl".<ref name=":6" />
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Thus the bangles of a maiden teach the sadhaka '''not to engage in banter and arguments but to move about alone and engage in the Self'''.
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==== शरकृत् ॥ Sharakrt (An arrow-sharpner) ====
 
==== शरकृत् ॥ Sharakrt (An arrow-sharpner) ====
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==== सर्पः ॥ Sarpa (A Snake) ====
 
==== सर्पः ॥ Sarpa (A Snake) ====
 
==== ऊर्णनाभिः ॥ Urnanabhi ( A Spider) ====
 
==== ऊर्णनाभिः ॥ Urnanabhi ( A Spider) ====

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