Conscious Immortality

by Paul Brunton

story which will be of great help to you in the improvement of your knowledge. In the ancient forest, there lived an elephant, the hugest and loftiest of his kind. Certain mahouts of the forest associated with, and entrapped, this elephant whose tusks were exceedingly long, sharp and strong, and fettered it with strong iron chains. “The elephant was made to go through all kinds of torture and hardships by the mahout. Becoming infuriated with its painful fetters, it shook itself free by the aid of powerful tusks. The mahout, in the howdah above, seeing this, became giddy, and fell to the ground. The tusker, finding him upon the ground, passed by without hurting him. “But the driver, picking himself up with unappeased passion, went again in quest of the elephant, which he found in the midst of the forest. There he dug a trench, covering it up with dry leaves and grass. The elephant, after roaming through the forest, came at length to the place where the trench was, and fell into it. “Instantly the mahout made it fast. Thus again was the elephant subjected to torture. Had this creature, killed his enemy at the time when the mahout lay before it, it would not again have fallen into the trap, nor have been thus again agitated. Likewise, those who make no enquiry concerning the good and evil of the future, will come to grief.” Chudala illustrated Sikhidwaja’s error by this story. He had vairagya even while ruling his kingdom and could have realised the Self if only he had pushed...