The Story of Trotyka
Jack, here is another story that exemplifies the power of heart over mind, love over intellect. It is the story of Trotykacharya. Like the previous blog entry, the story of Trotyka also comes from India. I will tell it to you as best I remember it.
A great sage had many disciples. I forget the sage's name but I do remember Trotyka, the name of the sage's lowliest disciple. Trotyka was simple. He washed the sage's clothes and served in menial ways while the other disciples studied and learned all the knowledge. The other disciples rather looked down on Trotyka because he didn't have their great knowledge, for Trotyka had made himself a mere servant and did not look for his own glory or even his own education. They studied hard, and Trotyka swept the floor.
One day Trotyka came back from washing clothes in the river. He was singing a beautiful song. He who had happily served for so many years came back with a basket of laundry, and, innocently, he was now enlightened, and so, he came back singing a most sweet song. The song was a symbol of his enlightenment. In those days, you could tell from the outside when someone had become enlightened.
The learned disciples were upset and wondered how the lowly Trotyka could become enlightened before they who were so wise did. It was unfair.
And I have forgotten the answer the sage gave them! I wasn't successful in finding this story through a Google search, and somehow I have blocked out that part of the story.
Do you have any ideas of what the sage might have said?
In the previous entry, Krishna's second lesson was that we surrender pride of ownership of even knowledge.
Trotyka, who now was called Trotykacharya, which, I imagine, means Trotyka the Enlightened, was happy to serve and hadn't even given a thought to his own enlightenment.
Still, I would like to know how the sage answered his other disciples while Trotyka simply sang his beautiful song and asked no questions.
Comments
Gloria, don't know what your sage replied but there is a story about the disciples of Jesus arguing over which amongst them would have the highest place in God's kingdom.
Jesus scolded them all rather severely and told them that unlike in the world, in the kingdom of God those trying to push into first place would be sent to the end of the line, and those serving others would be given the higher place.
I think of Mother Teresa who not only served the lowest that humanity had to offer, she often had to do it lacking even the comfort of feeling God's presence in her heart. I'm not sure of all the lessons in her story but certainly determination comes to mind.
Even Jesus had to grit his teeth and buckle up at the end, but today I would much prefer to listen to the song of Trotyka.
It was a beautiful song, Charles.
The examples you give are right to the point. "Unlike the world..."
Mother Teresa, whatever her mind said about her faith in God, she served those she served with love. She was not sacrificing -- she wasn't, was she? I imagine it would have been a sacrifice for her to lead a lavish life.
Reading what you wrote, dear one, made me think of the fairy tales where the older brothers considered their youngest brother as something of a simpleton, and yet it is the youngest brother who, in his innocence, finds the treasure and wins the princess!
If you Google it spelled "Trotakacharya" you will get more results.
I don't know what the sage said either, but it's a beautiful story. It does seem that the harder we look for enlightenment, the more it eludes us. And as soon as we stop looking so hard and accepting where we are, BOOM, there it is! LOL
Pam, I think you're so right. Having to have something, straining, excessive focus, pride, ego etc. don't seem to win the day. Not holding on sometimes allows God to work wonders!
Joyce, yes, I did find a little more, thanks to you. Google also gives a link to Totakacharya (without the r) but the link doesn't take you anywhere. Do you have any idea how to find the song Trotykacharya sang?
I’ve abridged here what I found on a couple of the Google sites:
The sage met a boy named Giri,whom he accepted as his disciple. Giri was a hard-working and loyal servant. The boy did not appear bright to the other disciples. One day, Giri was washing the sage's clothes, when the sage sat down to begin a lesson on Vedanta. The sage, however, did not start the lesson. He said he was waiting for Giri to come back from his chores.
At this, one of the students pointed to a wall and said that it would be the same if the sage taught the dumb wall as to teach Giri.
Now, the sage wanted to reward Giri for his loyalty and devotion. Thus he mentally granted Giri the complete knowledge of all the śāstras. The enlightened Giri composed extempore the Totakashtakam, a Sanskrit poem in the toţaka metre. Thus the dumb disciple Giri became Totakacharya.
Another site told how when Giri came back with the laundry, the sage asked Giri to deliver the lesson, and the innocent servant boy did in the most simple profound way to the amazement of all the other students.
In the time to come, Trotyka later became a great sage with students of his own.