The remedies most esteemed are
ointments and plasters. All others are considered to be in great
measure pernicious." Engagement in war was restricted to the KSHATRIYAS
or warrior caste. "Nor would an enemy coming upon a husbandman at
his work on his land, do him any harm, for men of this class being
regarded as public benefactors, are protected from all injury. The
land thus remaining unravaged and producing heavy crops, supplies
the inhabitants with the requisites to make life enjoyable." {FN41-7}
The Emperor Chandragupta who in 305 B.C. had defeated Alexander's
general, Seleucus, decided seven years later to hand over the
reins of India's government to his son. Traveling to South India,
Chandragupta spent the last twelve years of his life as a penniless
ascetic, seeking self-realization in a rocky cave at Sravanabelagola,
now honored as a Mysore shrine. Near-by stands the world's largest
statue, carved out of an immense boulder by the Jains in A.D. 983
to honor the saint Comateswara.
The ubiquitous religious shrines of Mysore are a constant reminder
of the many great saints of South India. One of these masters,
Thayumanavar, has left us the following challenging poem:
You can control a mad elephant;
You can shut the mouth of the bear and the tiger;
You can ride a lion;
You can play with the cobra;
By alchemy you can eke out your livelihood;
You can wander through the universe incognito;
You can make vassals of the gods;
You can be ever youthful;
You can walk on water and live in fire;
But control of the mind is better and more difficult.
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