Re: Information requested
From the Bhakti List Archives
• April 6, 2001
Bala Sundaram writes: > Respected Swamis: > > Long ago I read in a book that one child was denied vedic education as he > was not able to give particulars about his father and gothra etc. > Subsequently, I don't remember how, he was given that education. > > Can someone give more particulars about this story and where I can read more > about this. > > Adiyen Ramanuja Dasan > > D Balasundaram Dear Sri Balasundaram, The story to which you refer comes from the chAndogya upanishad (4.4.1-5), and the child's name is satyakAma jAbAla. The story goes as follows: Once there was a boy named satyakAma. He approached his mother jabAla and asked her, "Mother, I desire to live the life of brahmacarya and become a student of sacred knowledge. Of what family am I?" She said to him, "I do not know, my child, of what family you are. In my youth I traveled a great deal as a maid servant and gave birth to you. So I do not know of what family you are. However, I am jabAla by name and you are satyakAma. So you may say that you are satyakAma jAbAla. satyakAma then went to gautama, the son of haridrumat, and said, "I wish to become a student of sacred knowledge. May I become your pupil, venerable sir?" gautama asked the boy, "Of what family are you, my dear?" satyakAma replied, "I do not know of what family I am. I asked my mother, and she replied, 'In my youth I traveled a great deal as a maid-servant and gave birth to you. So I do not know of what family you are. However, I am jabAla by name and you are satyakAma.' So I am satykAma jAbAla, sir." gautama replied, "None but a brAhmaNa is capable of speaking the truth in this manner. Bring the fuel, my dear, I will receive you as a pupil. You have not departed from the truth." What is remarkable about this episode is the unornamented truthfulness of satyakAma, and gautama's willing acceptance of him for this very reason. The teaching is that one's internal qualities are what makes one fit to receive sacred instruction. The actual origin of satyakAma is unknown; but his speaking the truth despite the personal consequences makes him worthy of instruction, makes him worthy of the title "brAhmana". The Upanishad here places emphasis on inner virtue over birth. Incidentally, satyakAma jAbAla becomes a great rishi in his own right and he is mentioned in many other places in the Upanishads. aDiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan, Mani -------------------------------------------------------------- - SrImate rAmAnujAya namaH - To Post a message, send it to: bhakti-list@yahoogroups.com Archives: http://ramanuja.org/sv/bhakti/archives/ Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
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