Guru 17. Pingala

6/7/08

Pingala, a prostitute is Dattathreya's next Guru.

 

First we will briefly go over the story of Pingala. Pingala was a prostitute living in the city of Videha or Mithila. Yes, this is the same pious city where our dear Sitadevi  was born and raised by Janaka Maharaja.

 

Every evening Pingala wore beautiful and tempting clothes and stood in front of her house to attract rich customers. She was very proud of her own looks and entertained only rich customers. Her eye was only on the money. One day she waited for a long time and expected each of her rich customers (old and new ones) to stop by her house. When many passed by and did not stop, she became restless and very anxious.  She started walking in and out of her house like a restless tiger walking inside a cage. Until midnight nobody stopped by her house and she was really disappointed and dejected by her fate. She closed the door and went inside. She sat on a chair with a heavy heart and started to think about her wretched life of selling her body for a living.

 

With her "poorvajanma sukrutham" ( results of some good karmaas from the previous life), suddenly she felt a change in her attitude and thoughts. She felt that a small light slowly started shining in her bosom and with that, a feeling of detachment rose in her "chidaakaasham" (in the inner sky). She felt detached to the material world and the pleasures she was seeking. She repented wasting her life serving the most unworthy men, when the Lord himself was residing in her. She called herself a fool for selling her body with "Easwara amsham" ( God's presence) for money and transient pleasures. She started singing loud to herself. Trnaslation of the song in Bhagavatham is given below: ( Unknown translator)

Alas, do look at my delusion immense,
I am but a slave of the organs of sense.
Expecting fulfillment of desires did I cherish,
Men who are transitory and will but perish.
Ignoring my ever proximate eternal lover,
The indwelling soul I never did uncover.
Of true love wealth the One and only giver,
Instead I courted men who couldn't deliver.
Who cannot quench any desire became my lover,
Rather, only misery grief on me did they confer.
Selling myself uselessly afflicting my soul,
To lusty men, contemptible on the whole.
Pillared on crooked bones a shaky frame,
The human body is its famous name.
Stretched over with skin, nails and hair,
It has nine doors, regularly from where,
Pours out impurity stored inside there.
Now will I sell myself only for the price of god,
Sporting with him like Lakshmi and her lord.
Truly with me is happy Vishnu the Lord,
Perhaps of some past merit is this reward,
Inside my heart with vicious hope abroad.
He gave me disenchantment which is the sword,
Which cuts away asunder the attachment cord.

She said to herself, I am the only one leading such a wretched life in the whole of Videha. I neglected Lord Narayana residing in me and went after sense gratification and money. Her guilt and repentance knew no bounds. At that moment she transformed completely into a saintly person abandoning all her desires for worldly matters and surrendering herself at the Lotus feet of Narayana. Tears of guilt and sincere repentance washed off all the negative thoughts from her mind.With the sharp sword of detachment and prayers, she cut off all her attachment and attained perfect peace and happiness.

 

Asha hi paramam dukham,
Nairashyam paramam sukham.

 

(Desire indeed is misery greatest,
Desireless state is utmost bliss) 

 

Avadhoota told King Yadu:

 

1.Respected King! Pingala's life is an excellent example of where lust and greed can lead us. Material desire is undoubtedly the cause of the greatest unhappiness, and freedom from such desire is the cause of the greatest happiness. A spiritual aspirant should not go after the transient material pleasures and should stay away from such unworthy individuals. They should cut off the attachment to those pleasures and search for the eternal light shining inside them. The moment Pingala shut off the corridors to the material pleasures, she started seeing the divine light with in her and attained peace and perfect happiness.

 

2. Pingala's life teaches me one more lesson. If one repents sincerely and surrender completely to Lord, even the greatest sinner becomes eligible for Bhagavaan's kaarnuyam or kindness.

 

( one devotee in Kerala by the name Chelapparambu Nambuthiri wasted most of his life time and at the age of ninety fell prostrate at Guruvayurappan's feet, repented sincerely and said this prayer: Oh Lord, you gave moksham to Prahlaada in six months, Pingala in half a night, Khatolkachan in a few hours. Now I surrender completely at your feet and so why don't you give me also moksham soon?. He never got up from the saashtaanga namaskaaram and got saayujyam (salvation) in Guruvayur temple at Guruvayurappan's feet.)