Indra and Virochana - Learning the Self

Dadi: "Guddu, what do you think "you" really are?"

Guddu: "Um... me? My body? My brain?"

Dadi: "Interesting! A long time ago, two students went to a great teacher to ask exactly that question - and they got very different results because of how they listened."

Guddu: "Who were they?"

Dadi: "Indra, the king of the gods, and Virochana, the leader of the demons. Both heard an announcement from Prajapati, the cosmic teacher: "There is a Self within you that is free from death, free from sadness, free from hunger. Whoever finds this Self gets everything.""

Guddu: "That sounds amazing!"

Dadi: "Both Indra and Virochana thought so! They both traveled to Prajapati and asked to be taught. He said, "Fine. But first, live with me as simple students for thirty-two years.""

Guddu: "Thirty-two YEARS just to start learning?!"

Dadi: "Truth takes patience, beta. They both stayed, practicing discipline. After thirty-two years, Prajapati gave them their first lesson: "Go look at your reflection in water. What you see is the Self.""

Guddu: "Their reflection? Like a mirror?"

Dadi: "Exactly. They looked, saw their faces and bodies, and came back. "We saw ourselves - our hair, our nails, our whole form!""

Prajapati nodded. "Now dress in your finest clothes, decorate yourselves, and look again."

Guddu: "What was the point?"

Dadi: "They saw beautiful, well-dressed reflections. "This," said Prajapati, "is the immortal, fearless Self." Both students thanked him and left."

Guddu: "That's it? That was the teaching?"

Dadi: "Here's where the story splits. Virochana went home completely satisfied. He taught the demons: "Your body IS your self! Take care of it, decorate it, serve it - this is the highest truth!""

Guddu: "That doesn't sound right..."

Dadi: "But Indra, walking back to the gods, started thinking. "Wait. If my body is my true self... then when my body is sick, my self is sick? When my body dies, my self dies?""

Guddu: "He questioned the answer!"

Dadi: "He turned around and went back to Prajapati. "Teacher, this can't be complete. If the reflection is my self, then when the body is destroyed, the self is also destroyed!""

Prajapati smiled. "Good. Stay another thirty-two years, and I'll teach you more."

Guddu: "Another thirty-two years?!"

Dadi: "Indra stayed. Then Prajapati said: "The self that moves freely in dreams - that is your true Self.""

Indra left happy... but on the way home, doubt struck again. "But in dreams, we feel pain and fear too! That can't be the complete truth."

Guddu: "He went back AGAIN?"

Dadi: "Another thirty-two years! This time Prajapati said: "The self in deep sleep, where there are no dreams, peaceful and still - that is the Self.""

Guddu: "That sounds better!"

Dadi: "Indra left... and on the way home, doubt AGAIN. "But in deep sleep, I don't know I exist! It's like being nothing! How can THAT be my true self?""

Guddu: "He went back a FOURTH time?!"

Dadi: "This time just five years. Prajapati was deeply pleased. "After 101 years of study, you're finally ready for the real answer.""

Guddu: "What was it?"

Dadi: ""The true Self is not the body, not the dream-self, not the unconscious sleeper. It is pure consciousness - awareness itself. It uses the body like you use a car, but it's not the car. When you know yourself as this awareness, nothing can hurt you, nothing can die.""

Guddu: "So the body is like... a vehicle?"

Dadi: "*(nodding)* And you - the real you - are the driver. The driver doesn't die when the car breaks down."

Guddu: "What happened to Virochana and the demons?"

Dadi: "They stayed happy with the first answer. They focused only on the body - decorating it, feeding it, protecting it. And because they never questioned deeper, they never found the real Self."

Guddu: "So the difference was that Indra kept asking questions?"

Dadi: "Exactly, beta! Virochana accepted the first answer without thinking. Indra kept questioning, kept coming back, kept pushing for deeper truth. That's why the gods have wisdom and the demons stay confused."

Guddu: "So questioning is good?"

Dadi: "Essential! A teacher can only show you the door. YOU have to walk through it by asking: "Is this complete? Does this answer everything? What am I missing?""

Guddu: "I'll remember that. Don't accept the first answer. Keep asking."

Dadi: "*(hugging him)* And be patient. Some truths take 101 years - or a whole lifetime. But seekers who persist... they find what's really real."