Chap 29: Bondage - Story of Puranjan

Bondage is the identification of the Self with the not-Self. It is thus just only a misunderstanding of one’s true nature. Bondage is merely mental and not factual. Right thinking dispels bondage; wrong thinking only serves to strengthen it.

This story comes in Bhaagvat Puraan, 5/2 and Amritbindu Upanishad.

Once a man came in an inn and asked for a place to stay. Bhagat Jee permitted him to stay there. he went to tie his camel, but unfortunately he forgot his rope with which he used to make his camel sit. He tried his best but he could not make him sit without the rope. He came to Bhagat Jee and told him the whole story. Bhagat Jee suggested him to play a drama just by hands movement if he could sit by it. The man went back, played the drama, and the camel sat and he tied him. The man got very happy to see this, now he did not need the rope to make him sit. The same thing happened in the morning too. He was asked to do the same and the camel got up.

Thus everybody has some kind of bondage with some thing, but actually that bondage is not with that particular thing, but he is bound to his mind. we all are camels and that rope is this world. This bondage is because of ignorance. But what is this bodage? Whatever is beyond Desh (place) and Kaal (Samaya) - the same is Akhand (indivisible) and A-Seemit (unlimited). Jeev feeling (because Jeev lives in the world) is he cause of bondage. Ignorance knocks the door of the knowledge. Have you heard the story of Puranjan.

There were two people - Avigyaat and Puranjan. Both were very good friends. Once Puranjan saw some girls coming from the opposite side. He liked the queen of those girls very much and and he married her. He started living with her. He had many children. Many years passed and one day the death came and took him away. Because of the Moh in his wife he was born as a daughter of a king. There he got married to a prince. Later that Prince, when got old, died. Now Puranjan started crying for her husband.

At the same time Avigyaat came to her and asked her why she was weeping? She asked him - "Who are you?" Avigyaat said - "Oh, you forgot me? I am your friend. Once you left me in favor of a woman and stayed with her in a palace of 9 gates. What for you are weeping?" Puranjan said - "I am weeping for my husband." Avigyaat asked - "Whose husband? Whose wife? Nobody is nobody's husbad and nobody is nobody's wife. Come with me, I am the only friend of yours." And he took Puranjan with him.