The King and the Scholar's Delusion
There was once a court scholar who was very intelligent. Although well-versed in the scriptures, he did not lead his life according to the teachings of these holy texts. However, because of his intelligence and experience, the king took his advice on all occasions. Under the patronage of the king, the scholar lived happily with his wife and their only son.
The son, however, hardly stayed at home. He came there only for his meals and spent most of his time in the company of a holy man who lived in a nearby forest. The scholar was so busy trying to please his king that he had no time to inquire about his son’s whereabouts. Influenced by the holy man, the son was drawn towards God and spent most of his time in contemplation.
One day, the king called the scholar and gave him a very strict order. He said, “Raja Parikshit attained salvation when he heard the Bhagavat from Sukhdev. It took him only seven days. I am giving you one month to free me from all bondage so that I can attain salvation. If you cannot do that, I shall forfeit your wealth and sentence you and your family to death.”
This order left the scholar extremely worried. He could neither eat nor sleep, and his tension increased day by day.
One day, by chance, the family sat together for a meal. Usually, the son would have his meals separately and hardly met his father. On this day, he noticed that his father looked very depressed, so he asked the reason.
The scholar was reluctant to reply because he considered his son to be good-for-nothing. The mother, however, told him the whole problem. The son was not perturbed at all and told his father calmly, “Father, do not worry. Ask the king to accept me as his guru and to follow my instructions word by word.”
The father thought that the son was perhaps thinking of some trick to save them, so he went to the king and told him about his son’s proposal. The king agreed, and the next day the scholar went to the court with his son. Eager to be free from all bondage, the king received the scholar’s son as his guru and sat at his feet, waiting for instructions.
The court was crowded, and all eyes were on the king and his guru. To the surprise of everyone, the scholar’s son asked the king to bring a very strong rope. The scholar became agitated, wondering what foolishness his son was up to. He feared his son might tie up the king himself.
Just then, the son gave the order, “Tie up the king. Bind him to the pillar.” The king agreed to be tied up and bound, so he was secured to the pillar.
Next, the son ordered his father to be tied up and bound to another pillar. So the scholar, too, was tied up. Now the scholar became very angry with his son, cursing him under his breath and planning all sorts of severe punishments.
Suddenly, his son instructed him, “Now, father, untie the king.”
The scholar became furious and cried in exasperation, “You fool! Do you not see that I am bound? Can a man who is himself tied up untie the bindings of another man? Don’t you understand that it is an impossible task?”
The king then spoke in a quiet and respectful voice, addressing his young guru:
“I understand, my Master. One who is himself tied up in worldly affairs, bound by ‘maya’, cannot possibly free another man who is similarly tied up. Those who have given up worldliness and gone beyond the world of maya, who have attained freedom—they alone can set another man free. They alone can break the bondage of others.”