Read an excerpt from Deepam Chatterjee’s ‘The Foundation Of A Fulfilling Life: Lessons from Indian Scriptures’
The Foundation Of A Fulfilling Life: Lessons from Indian Scriptures
Deepam Chatterjee
Aleph Books, 264 pages, Rs 899
India’s civilisation is unique in conveying humanity’s deepest wisdom in stories that can be appreciated even by a child. In ‘The Foundation of a Fulfilling Life’, Deepam Chatterjee, a retired captain of the Indian Army, is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy and the Indian Military Academy, has gathered together several luminous stories from our sacred and classical traditions and retold them for the modern reader.
Drawing from stories in the Mahabharata, Ramayana, Upanishads, Puranas, Panchatantra, Hitopadesha, and the Jatakas, the author shows how, in these ancient tales, the answers we seek for modern dilemmas probably already exist.
This book does not preach or instruct. Instead, it encourages us to pause, reflect, and act with greater awareness. Here is an excerpt from the book:
Agastya’s Quest for Righteous Wealth
From the Mahabharata
Sage Agastya, a revered ascetic, was married to Lopamudra, a princess of Vidarbha. After a period of austere living, Lopamudra expressed her desire to lead a life that balanced asceticism with the comforts befitting her royal upbringing.
She requested Agastya to acquire wealth to fulfil their household duties and to enable them to have progeny. Agastya, understanding the importance of his wife’s request and the need to uphold his duties as a householder, decided to seek wealth without compromising his ascetic values. He approached King Shrutarvan, known for his piety and generosity. The king welcomed Agastya with respect and offered him wealth. However, upon evaluating the king’s resources, Agastya realized that accepting wealth from Shrutarvan would strain the kingdom’s resources and potentially harm its subjects.
Continuing his quest, Agastya visited King Vradhnasva and then King Trasadasyu, both of whom were renowned for their wealth and virtue. Each king expressed willingness to assist but, like Shrutarvan, their resources were committed to the welfare of their people. Agastya, adhering to his principle of causing no harm, declined their offers.
The kings then suggested Agastya approach Ilvala, a wealthy Asura known for his immense riches. Ilvala and his younger brother Vatapi were Asuras by birth, dwelling in the region between the Vindhyas and the southern ocean. Ilvala, though immensely wealthy, bore deep hostility towards Brahmins. His grudge was rooted in a refusal by Brahmins to grant him a boon he had once sought—to beget a son like Indra. When the sages denied his request, Ilvala’s heart turned vengeful. Consumed by wrath, he plotted to destroy them one by one.
Ilvala and Vatapi developed a cruel and cunning scheme. Vatapi had the power to change form and reconstitute himself after being consumed. Using this ability, the brothers devised a trick. Ilvala would invite the Brahmins to a feast. Vatapi would transform into a goat, be slain, cooked, and served as a sumptuous dish. Once the guests had eaten, Ilvala would call out, ‘Vatapi, come forth!’
At once, the cooked flesh inside the sages’ stomachs would reassemble. Vatapi would tear through flesh and bone, emerging violently from the belly, killing the sages as they wailed and screamed in terrible agony. Blood would gush, entrails rip open; death would come swift and brutal.
This ritual slaughter had been repeated countless times. The demon brothers’ lair had become a cursed place where the scent of burnt offerings masked the stench of death. No Brahmin who dined there lived to tell the tale. The brothers revelled in the deception, masking murder with hospitality, using food, the sacred gift of a host, as their weapon. The act was not merely a physical murder, but a mockery of the sacred traditions of atithi satkara (guest honour), food offerings, and the trust that Brahmins placed in householders.
When Agastya, seeking righteous wealth, approached Ilvala accompanied by the three kings, the Asura planned to repeat this deadly trick. Unbeknownst to him, he was now facing not an ordinary Brahmin, but one of the mightiest sages born of divine will—Agastya, the subduer of Vindhya and the drinker of oceans.
Ilvala slaughtered Vatapi, prepared the meat, and served it with a show of respect. Agastya consumed it calmly, aware of the Asuras’ plot. As Ilvala prepared to call out his usual fatal incantation, Agastya burped, as he placed his hand on his stomach and uttered the powerful words, ‘Vatapi jeerno bhava! (Vatapi, be digested!)’
The words carried spiritual fire. Vatapi was already dissolved beyond return. Ilvala cried out many times, ‘Vatapi, come forth!’, but this time, there was complete silence. Vatapi, his beloved brother, was gone forever. The cruel cycle had been broken.
Astonished and subdued, Ilvala offered Agastya immense wealth, including gold, silver, and a golden chariot. Agastya accepted the wealth, ensuring it was obtained without causing harm or injustice. He distributed a portion of this wealth to the three kings who had accompanied him, and retained enough to fulfil his household responsibilities.
With the acquired wealth, Agastya returned to Lopamudra. She expressed her satisfaction, and they eventually decided to have a child. Agastya offered her a choice: a thousand ordinary sons, a hundred sons each equal to ten, ten sons each equal to a hundred, or one son equal to a thousand. Lopamudra chose the latter, preferring quality over quantity. Their son, Dridhasyu, was born after seven years and became renowned for his knowledge and virtue.
[The excerpt reproduced with the permission of the publishers.]
