The story about a man who decided to write a commentary on Bhagavad Gita

The endeavours to reach God never goes to waste, they always bring a result. It comes quickly to the one, but to the other it may come many-many years later because of the remnants of karma that hinder this result. Some person can obtain the result after several months of practice and he perceives joy and love; he successfully moves on a spiritual way, his life circumstances are bettering. To some people it comes some years later. There sometimes occur quite astonishing instances of persistence in achieving a lofty goal.

In former times there lived a young man. He was rather interested in spiritual knowledge and especially he was fond of Bhagavad-Gita. He clearly saw to what an extent this book is deep and extensive, though it is rather short. So, he was eager to write a commentary on it in order its deep sense was clear to the many.

And before starting he decided to ask a blessing for this labour from his spiritual Teacher.

Having heard of it the Teacher said, “Well, anyhow, for this work you are to possess Knowledge. I will give you spiritual discipline; practicing it properly you will cognize God in some time; thus your wish will come true.

The Teacher gave him that practice and blessed him, then the disciple asked him, “Tell me, please, Guru Ji, how many years should I do my practice?”

Being silent for some time the Teacher answered then, “Twelve years…”

The disciple utterly believed his Teacher and started his practice in seclusion.

Twelve years have passed. The term appointed by the Teacher was over, but the disciple did not see the Light inside himself, there were no God manifestation…

Very much upset he came to his Teacher and asked him with a sigh, “Why did not your word come true, Guru Ji? I did not achieve anything. What to do further?”

The Teacher encouraged him and said endearingly, “Never mind, it’s OK. Don’t worry. You will achieve for sure.”

“How much more have I to practice?”

“As much as you did,” the answer was.

And again with belief and hope, inspired by the Teacher, the disciple began his sadhana.

So, other twelve years passed in persistent practice, and again the disciple saw nothing, did not obtain Knowledge… He got anxious at all; he began to feel doubts in possibility of those achievements; nevertheless he went to the Teacher again and asked what he is to do further on.

The Teacher was very glad to see him, “You are progressing very well. You will achieve, there could be no doubt! But still you need some sadhana more.”

“How many more years should it continue?”

<“Twelve years. Go on, and it will be all right.”

And again having been confirmed in his belief the disciple proceeded sadhana. These twelve years appeared to be very long, and sadhana was rather strenuous. But he did not see the Light again; nobody came to impart him Knowledge… Nobody!

He was sick at heart, his belief in himself was shaken, “Thirty six years I did my practice and achieved nothing!? What a shame to look the Teacher in the face…” And he followed his nose. He called to some village and saw a cobbler who worked in the street. When he was passing by the cobbler suddenly laughed and said, “You see, I know why you are so sad.”

“How do you know it? Can you say?” the disciple was astonished and thought, ‘He is from such a low cast, how may it be that he knows?’

“I can. Your Teacher said that you wanted to write a commentary to Gita and…”

“Yes, I wanted, but where do you know of it from?”

“The Teacher gave you spiritual practice. You performed it for one term, But God did not come. Then you again practiced sadhana, and did not achieve for all that. And after the third term God did not manifest Himself either. Isn’t it so?”

“Yes, it was just as you say… But how did you learn of it? Do you possess complete Knowledge?”

“No, I do not have the full Knowledge. But this I can see.”

“Where from do you have such abilities?”

“I captured one spirit in a subtle world – some dead soul, and forced it to serve me. He tells me all these things. He comes and whispers in my ear.”

The disciple got very much interested in all the said.

“Does he tell you everything?”

“Yes, he gives the whole information, he explains any situation in detail: what and how is going on. He told me everything about you too.”

From all these words the disciple got even more upset. He thought, “If my sadhana for so many years brought me nothing, might it not be better to get the spirit at least.”

And the disciple began to ask the cobbler to tell him what he should do so that to capture such a spirit.

Look, to what extent a man can get anxious. The Teacher wanted that with the help of practice the disciple saw God and obtained Knowledge. But under the influence of tiredness the disciple began to doubt in sadhana and was seduced by some spirit. Anyhow, the Teacher’s strength is always beside the disciple and it will never let him fall.

“Well, I will tell you everything,” the cobbler answered and brought the disciple round the corner of a house to some secluded nook. There he whispered two words in the disciple’s ear and told to chant them; only he must do this not at home, but at the place where the dead bodies of people are cremated.

“Do this practice and everything will come out. You need not many years for this; in some days literally you will possess siddhi. Everything will be all right. You need to practice only a month or a bit more; and you will see the result,” added the cobbler.

The disciple considered for a moment, “Just think of it! One can get everything so quickly! The Teacher told me to practice twelve years, then – twelve more, and then still more… Very long… So hard it is…Thirty six years have passed… And so far I don’t see God and don’t know future either. The cobbler, meanwhile, says that within a month and a half of his practice I will know everything! And he told the things about me quite right…”

The disciple set off to the pointed place and for a month and a half he diligently had been performing his practice.

And again nothing had come out! He did not achieve anything again… He became extremely sad, nearly cries, “I seem not to have even such abilities as this cobbler has; in fact, he is from the low cast at all… But even he had obtained such siddhi, while I am not able, anyway.”

The disciple went to the cobbler and began complaining of his fate, “You told that within a month and a half I will get the result! But even some sort of your ghost did not come to me! I do understand that God is very far, but here is something like spook… Or is it my karma such miserable? I can achieve nothing!”

And the disciple lost his heart at all. The cobbler calms him down, “Oh, don’t get upset. I will go to the ghost now to ask him why he did not come.”

The cobbler turned round the corner and began asking the spirit why it did not present itself. In some time being a bit puzzled he returned to the disciple.

“It will not come to you.”

“How can it be? Why?”

“It told me that you, mister, practiced very high sadhana; and the energy of your Teacher encircles you – the Light of such dazzling strength that low spirits cannot even approach you. They are afraid of you… It only worships you from afar, but cannot come. It also said that there only some months left for you to practice sadhana given by the Teacher and you will achieve your goal – to see God.”

The disciple livened up again, his eyes lit up with hope; again he went to his Teacher, “I beg your pardon, Guru Ji, for that I did not come to you at once after my sadhana was over, but instead was seduced by some ghost. I myself cannot make out how that could come to my mind. I do not understand how I could do such things. Forgive me!” The Teacher’s eyes lit up with joy and love, “Never mind, I have been expecting for you. Everything will be nice, only go on your sadhana. There some months left and you will see…”

With a refreshed energy the disciple started his practice. And at last within six months he saw the dazzling radiance, and the image of Krishna of unspeakable beauty appeared from this radiance.

“You achieved, said Krishna to him, what do you wish?”

“Knowledge. And I also want to write a commentary to Bhagavad-Gita and I ask your blessing for this.”

And Krishna blessed him and imparted him with Knowledge. Then the disciple asked, “Why have you, Krishna, not come for so long?”

“I will give you a vision and you will understand it.”

And the disciple saw the sea of raging flame around him. “What is it?’

“This negative karma of yours is burning under the influence of your sadhana, answered Krishna; it prevented you from seeing me.”

Beaming with joy the disciple came to his Teacher and bowed Him with gratitude. The Teacher was glad very much to see the disciple, He loved him dearly.

“Tell me, Guru Ji, why did not you tell me at the beginning how many years I should practice before God manifests Him?”

“If I at once had told you what term it would have been, the Teacher answered with a smile, you would not have practiced sadhana. Imagine, that at that moment I had told that you would see God in thirty six years! There would have been no sadhana. That is why, I had to tell you by parts in twelve years each and some months more; and thus you achieved uniting, you saw the Light.”

Soon the disciple fulfilled his wish – wrote a book.

Thus, one of the best commentaries to Bhagavad-Gita was created. This book is well-known nowadays too.

The Teacher always says only truth, but does not reveal everything. If the Teacher at the very beginning had told his disciple that he would see the Light in thirty six years, the disciple would have thought, “How can I perform such long sadhana? And in general, how is it possible?” Sadhana must be accepted for the whole life and one should consider it as a part of his life: “The same way as I am breathing, as my heart is beating, as I am doing all the rest, so I will always remember God. In my life there will always be God, there will be spirituality.”

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