As adopted from the Chandogya Upanishad, circa 8-600 bc.
Once upon a time, and a long time ago it was, there lived a boy named Satyakama. The boy lived with his Mom. (Dad wasn't really in the picture.) As he grew into a young man, he desired nothing more than to live the life of a monk, for he was a spiritual seeker by temperament. So he went to his mom and said, "Mom, I want to live the life of a renunciate, for the religious life calls to me. Therefore, I desire to know the truth of my family tree. What is my true name?"
"Well," said his Mom, "that's sort of a problem. Because when I was younger I was a lowly servant and sort of passed around from one family to another, and various men took advantage of me. I'm not really sure who your father is. Why don't you just call yourself Satykama Jabala? My name is Jabala and I'm your Mom - that's should be good enough, for it's the truth." Satykama said that was okay with him and he went off on his spiritual quest.
The first thing to do was to find a Teacher - and so he approached Gautama and said, I want to lead the spiritual life - will you be my guru. And Gautama said, that depends. Which family are you from? Because you see in that time, it was customary for only Brahmin's with a proven pedigree to become monks. Satygama said, "Well, I don't know who my Father was actually. When my Mom was young she was a servant and various men in power took advantage of her. Her name is Jabala and so I call myself Satyakama Jabala." Gautama said, "None but a true Brahmin would have spoken thus. Go fetch some firewood, we'll build a fire, and I will instruct you. For you have not swerved from the Truth."
Satygama did as he was instructed and was initiated into the spiritual life. As part of his tasks, Gautama gave him 400 sickly cows and bulls to take care of. Welcome to the spiritual life, right. But Satykama was undeterred. He said, "I'm going to turn these 400 sickly cows into 1000 healthy cows." And off he went into the forest. When his 400 sickly cows had become 1000 healthy cows, the head cow turned to him and said, "Satygama, you have completed the first part of your spiritual journey which has to do with caring for your fellow creatures. I will now you the first leg of Brahman, of which there are four. "Thanks," said Satyakama. I'm all ears. And then the cow said, "That which is Brahman, is in the East, and West, and North and South. There isn't a direction in which Brahman does not lie. Fire will tell you the next leg of Brahman."
So Satyakama rounded up all of the cows and headed out to go see Gautama. He and the cows walked all day and when it was night, Satykama set a fire to keep warm. The fire spoke to him and said, "Satykama, you have journeyed far. I will now teach you the second leg of Brahman." "Thanks said Satykama ... but first, do you need any more wood? I wouldn't want you to get low while you're dispensing wisdom." "No," said the fire, "I'll be quick. The second leg of Brahman is this: The earth, the heavens, the air, the water and fills the oceans and streams and lakes and rains from above, all of these elements are Brahman." "How about fire?" "Yeah, me too, fire. Now you can go get me some wood." Satygama fed the fire and thought - and rested and eventually fell asleep but not before the fire said one final thing. "Look out for a Swan. A Swan will relate to you the 3rd leg of Brahman." And Satykama fell asleep, dreaming he was enfolded in white feathery wings.
In the morning he and the cows got up and kept moving. At lunch they stopped by a pond. A swan flew down from the sky and said, "Hey, Satykama. I'm going to tell you the third leg of Brahman," To himself, Satykama thought, "How does a Swan get so beautiful and wise?" But to the swan he just nodded, as if to say, "continue." The Swan said, "I now present to you the third leg of Brahman. The sun above that lights the day, the moon that glows in the night, the stars, lightening and everything that glows at night or illumines the day, that is Brahman."
Satykama thought to himself, and said, "I see now that Brahman is everywhere, is in every thing and all that shines." And he struck out again, because he couldn't wait to tell Gautama what he had learned.
"But wait," said the Swan. Look for a loon, for a loon will tell you the 4th leg of Brahman."
"Well, that's a bit loony" thought Satyakama. But sure enough, the last leg of their journey took them through a swamp, and there was indeed a Loon. The Loon gave Satyakama the fourth leg of Brahman. "Are you ready, Satyakama?" \
"Sure, but how do all you guys know my name?"
"Let's stay focussed, okay? The fourth leg of brahman is that what you see with, what you hear with, your sense of smell, touch, taste and even the mind with which you apprehend - all that is Brahman."
Satyakama thought and said to himself - "Brahman is everywhere, in every direction I look. Brahman is in everything that is made of of all the elements and building blocks of everything in the universe. Brahman is all that shines and the energy in Everything. And finally, Brahman is how I sense all this - Brahman is not only the world I see and feel and attempt to understand, but Brahman is also how I see, and feel and think and take it all in."
Once again, Satyakama set off to see his Teacher, Gautama and to tell him all he had learned. But when he arrived, he didn't need to say a thing. Gautama took one look at him and said, "You're glowing as if illumined from the inside. Who have you learned the Truth from?" Satyakama said, "Oh Gautama, nobody human, oh revered sir. And now I ask that you teach me - for it is said by the wise that no one progresses far on the spiritual path without the knowledge that a the Teacher imparts.
Gautama then invited his loyal disciple to sit and he taught him all and left nothing out.
"Well," said his Mom, "that's sort of a problem. Because when I was younger I was a lowly servant and sort of passed around from one family to another, and various men took advantage of me. I'm not really sure who your father is. Why don't you just call yourself Satykama Jabala? My name is Jabala and I'm your Mom - that's should be good enough, for it's the truth." Satykama said that was okay with him and he went off on his spiritual quest.
The first thing to do was to find a Teacher - and so he approached Gautama and said, I want to lead the spiritual life - will you be my guru. And Gautama said, that depends. Which family are you from? Because you see in that time, it was customary for only Brahmin's with a proven pedigree to become monks. Satygama said, "Well, I don't know who my Father was actually. When my Mom was young she was a servant and various men in power took advantage of her. Her name is Jabala and so I call myself Satyakama Jabala." Gautama said, "None but a true Brahmin would have spoken thus. Go fetch some firewood, we'll build a fire, and I will instruct you. For you have not swerved from the Truth."
Satygama did as he was instructed and was initiated into the spiritual life. As part of his tasks, Gautama gave him 400 sickly cows and bulls to take care of. Welcome to the spiritual life, right. But Satykama was undeterred. He said, "I'm going to turn these 400 sickly cows into 1000 healthy cows." And off he went into the forest. When his 400 sickly cows had become 1000 healthy cows, the head cow turned to him and said, "Satygama, you have completed the first part of your spiritual journey which has to do with caring for your fellow creatures. I will now you the first leg of Brahman, of which there are four. "Thanks," said Satyakama. I'm all ears. And then the cow said, "That which is Brahman, is in the East, and West, and North and South. There isn't a direction in which Brahman does not lie. Fire will tell you the next leg of Brahman."
So Satyakama rounded up all of the cows and headed out to go see Gautama. He and the cows walked all day and when it was night, Satykama set a fire to keep warm. The fire spoke to him and said, "Satykama, you have journeyed far. I will now teach you the second leg of Brahman." "Thanks said Satykama ... but first, do you need any more wood? I wouldn't want you to get low while you're dispensing wisdom." "No," said the fire, "I'll be quick. The second leg of Brahman is this: The earth, the heavens, the air, the water and fills the oceans and streams and lakes and rains from above, all of these elements are Brahman." "How about fire?" "Yeah, me too, fire. Now you can go get me some wood." Satygama fed the fire and thought - and rested and eventually fell asleep but not before the fire said one final thing. "Look out for a Swan. A Swan will relate to you the 3rd leg of Brahman." And Satykama fell asleep, dreaming he was enfolded in white feathery wings.
In the morning he and the cows got up and kept moving. At lunch they stopped by a pond. A swan flew down from the sky and said, "Hey, Satykama. I'm going to tell you the third leg of Brahman," To himself, Satykama thought, "How does a Swan get so beautiful and wise?" But to the swan he just nodded, as if to say, "continue." The Swan said, "I now present to you the third leg of Brahman. The sun above that lights the day, the moon that glows in the night, the stars, lightening and everything that glows at night or illumines the day, that is Brahman."
Satykama thought to himself, and said, "I see now that Brahman is everywhere, is in every thing and all that shines." And he struck out again, because he couldn't wait to tell Gautama what he had learned.
"But wait," said the Swan. Look for a loon, for a loon will tell you the 4th leg of Brahman."
"Well, that's a bit loony" thought Satyakama. But sure enough, the last leg of their journey took them through a swamp, and there was indeed a Loon. The Loon gave Satyakama the fourth leg of Brahman. "Are you ready, Satyakama?" \
"Sure, but how do all you guys know my name?"
"Let's stay focussed, okay? The fourth leg of brahman is that what you see with, what you hear with, your sense of smell, touch, taste and even the mind with which you apprehend - all that is Brahman."
Satyakama thought and said to himself - "Brahman is everywhere, in every direction I look. Brahman is in everything that is made of of all the elements and building blocks of everything in the universe. Brahman is all that shines and the energy in Everything. And finally, Brahman is how I sense all this - Brahman is not only the world I see and feel and attempt to understand, but Brahman is also how I see, and feel and think and take it all in."
Once again, Satyakama set off to see his Teacher, Gautama and to tell him all he had learned. But when he arrived, he didn't need to say a thing. Gautama took one look at him and said, "You're glowing as if illumined from the inside. Who have you learned the Truth from?" Satyakama said, "Oh Gautama, nobody human, oh revered sir. And now I ask that you teach me - for it is said by the wise that no one progresses far on the spiritual path without the knowledge that a the Teacher imparts.
Gautama then invited his loyal disciple to sit and he taught him all and left nothing out.