Teaching on the samadhi of Vitahavya

Sri Rama

1. O sage, how did the great Vitahavya pull his body out of the earth? How did he stay there? What did he do? Please tell me.

Sri Vasista

2. O Rama, after that the infinite Self, bearing the name Vitahavya, knew through the mind of his, the surprising spectacle (created by the elements).

3. -7 When Vitahavya was part of Iswara's troops/tribe, he desired to know all about his previous bodies while he was meditating. He saw all the bodies that got annihilated and those that are still extant. Among the latter he saw his body in the cave buried under the earth. That body was pulled aside by flowing rain waters. The back was smeared with mud. The skin was full of grass.

8. -10 The he started musing about his body with his all wise intelligence. 'This body is pressured by limbs and so there is no movement of vital airs inside. It has no energy to either walk or work. I shall try to know a way of resurrecting this body. For this I shall enter the body of sun. Then 'Pingala', one of Sun's assistants can ressurect my body. Why an I worried about all this? I am a 'jivanmukta.' What is the use for me with this body- sport?

11. -27 . O great Rama, Vitahavya thought so for a while and fell silent for a while. He started to muse again. 'I have no interest like taking up or giving up, or residing in this body. For me all are same. So I shall amuse myself by wandering around in this body till it becomes an atom. As conceived earlier I shall now enter the sun and get the body activated by Pingala. Having decided so, he entered the sun regions with his subtle body. Then the generous and intelligent Sun recognized that Vitahavya had entered his heart. He understood the reason for his entry and his intentions to get his body revived. He saw the mud smeared body of Vitahavya lying in a cave of Vindhya mountain. He then commanded his assistant Pingala and his tribe to do the needful. Then the subtle-bodied Vitahavya, knowing all this, made his obeissance to god Sun. Then Vitahavya thought that he should personally accomplish the work and for that purpose entered the body of Pingala. Then Pingala entered the Vindhya mountain. He scraped the earth over the corporeal body of Vitahavya, with his nails and pulled out the body. Then Vitahavya left Pingala's body and entered that pulled-out body like a bird entering its nest. Then the alive Vitahavya and Pingala greeted each other. Pingala left for his abode in the Sun-regions. Vitahavya then bathed in the lake nearby which is filled with lotuses. He swam for a while and then cleaned his body of all the mud, worshipped Sun god. He then shone in his body as earlier.

28. Then Vitahavya spent a whole day on the mountain sporting around like a 'jivanmukta' whose mind is delivered of all attachments. Like a 'jivanmukta', he was equal, calm and full of compassion.