To read the previous part of the story of how Shukadeva visited King Janaka’s palace 12 times in search of a master, click here.
So, Shukadeva went to the palace gates. He still did not like the grandeur of the palace. The way people were all well-dressed in silk attire.
The grandeur and lifestyle made him think that the place would not satisfy his spiritual yearnings
But because his father had cautioned him, “There are just two more left. If you lose that, you lose everything,” Shukadeva reluctantly went in.
Shukadeva was eager to learn, but he was also sceptical about the spiritual knowledge “a king living in a palace” could have. When he arrived, a guard greeted him, asking, “Who are you, and what brings you to our city?”
Shukadeva said, “I’m a Brahmin. I’m here to meet King Janaka, as my father instructed. However, I don’t see any reason to meet him. My father mentioned I would encounter someone known as Videha, the one who doesn’t have a body. He’s liberated while living. He is a jivanmukta.”
*Videha (विदेह): Deha means body. [So Videha means bodiless.]
The puzzled guard went in to inform the king about his arrival.
Shukadeva, the son of Veda Vyasa, expected to be welcomed with respect. He thought the king would come to greet him when he arrived. But to his surprise, no one came to meet him.
In the past, masters only initiated their disciples after putting them on rigorous tests.
This time, King Janaka sent the prime minister. The prime minister welcomed Shukdeva ji, invited him to hospitality chambers, and treated him like a royal guest. So he again requested, “I want to meet the king.”
Instead, Shukadeva ji was offered delicious food, massaged by beautiful maidens, bathed in a nice bath, and given fine clothes.
Shukdeva, however, said, “I’m a Brahmin, born from the Divine Fire, with a father like Veda Vyasa and a Guru like Brihaspati. I studied the Vedas all my life, and here they are trying to tempt me with beautiful clothes, a sumptuous feast, and beautiful ladies. I have no such desire whatsoever.”
Finally, Shukadeva was led to where King Janaka was waiting for him. As he went to meet him, he left his clothes and a metal cup in the king’s palace’s courtyard.
King Janaka asked, “Why have you come here?” Shukdeva replied, “My father sent me to learn higher spiritual knowledge from you. Please accept me as your disciple. But I also want to ask. I don’t understand, how can a king living in a palace, surrounded by wealth, with a queen and children, be such a highly recommended Yogi?”
King Janaka smiled and devised a plan to teach a valuable lesson to Shukadeva.
Instead of answering that question, King Janaka made Shukadeva busy with other matters. Now, Shukadeva and King Janaka started conversing. After a while, an attendant approached King Janaka and told him that the cantonment [the army barracks] of that city was on fire. Upon hearing this, King Janaka remained calm and composed. He didn’t react harshly, showing no signs of confusion. Instead, he simply remarked, “It is the Will of God,” and the attendant left.
Shukadeva thought, ‘This person is not fit to be a king because the army is like the heart of the king. He should have gone to rescue the people who were in the fire; he should have done something to save them, but he doesn’t care. So that is why he is not fit to be the king.’
Discover how King Janaka imparted a valuable life lesson to Shukadeva by exploring this section further.