A Unique “Kalpataru”

A Unique “Kalpataru”

A “Kalpataru” is an imaginary wish fulfilling tree. We find a reference of which in our Purana and the epic Mahabharat. While the ocean was being churned by the Gods and the demons, in quest of Amrita, first came out the poison, then an elephant, then a pot of Amrita and finally the Kalpa Vriksha (tree). The striking feature of this tree is, whenever and whatever we wish, sitting under it, it gets fulfilled immediately irrespective of good or bad results. Hence we have to be very cautious while desiring anything from the Kalpataru.

This reminds us of a story which Sri Ramakrishna narrated in the Gospel. A person while walking through a forest felt tired and took shelter under a tree. Unaware that the tree under which he had taken shelter was a Kalpataru (a wish fulfilling tree), he desired for food to appease his hunger, a bed to take rest, someone to massage his body etc., and lo, everything came from nowhere to him in a jiffy. While taking rest after a good meal, a stray thought came in his mind, what if a tiger comes now and pounces on me? The very next moment a tiger jumped on him and he was killed.

Who knows, we may also some day land in a similar situation, may sit under a kalpataru and ask for something unwanted and make our life miserable? Imagine, a child pestering his Mother for a bottle not knowing that it contains poison. Will the Mother hand over the poison filled bottle to the kid? Jokes apart, it’s never going to happen. How can she, being a Mother do such a thing to the very child, she had borne for 9 long months, taking utmost care and vigil, sometimes even ignoring her suffering for the sake of the child? She knows what is good and bad for the kid and hence will act accordingly, which may never harm the child.

Similarly, sitting under a kalpataru if we desire for dharma-artha-kama-moksha, our wishes may get fulfilled accordingly. But alas, we always think in terms of the level of human mindset and fall a pray to its bitter consequences viz. bondage, misery etc. Let’s recall the incident which happened at the garden house of Cossipore on the 1st January 1886. Sri Ramakrishna became Kalpataru on that day and blessed everyone irrespective of the gathering. But here we find Sri Ramakrishna’s greatness and uniqueness as he knew the dangers of keeping the options open for the devotees to ask for something from him. Hence, without giving them an opportunity, he himself blessed them and granted everyone with the highest form of knowledge and illumined their self. The Lord of Death, Yama tells Nachiketa in the Katha Upanishad “My child, this knowledge (Atmatattwa), many of us do not even get to hear, let aside knowing it, in many of our lives. If by any chance one gets to hear about it, the person is unable to understand the deeper imports and subtleties of it. He really is unique and rare, who can understands the deeper imports of that highest knowledge, knowing which one goes beyond the cycle of birth and death, and that is you Nachiketa”.

What is the real meaning behind Sri Ramakrishna’s utterance “Let you all be illumined.” It means Realization of Self or Realization of God. In his own words he explains us that “the goal of human life is God Realization.” The definition of the word "Knowledge" (Jnana) according to him was nothing but, "to know God" and rest everything was ignorance and mundane. To help the human race in this very pursuit, of getting the highest form of knowledge viz. God Realization, he had once again taken a human form as he did in the Dwapar and the Treta Yuga as Lord Rama and Lord Krishna. Sri Ramakrishna never had any worldly desire as He was "Tyagishwara" nor any such motive behind taking a human birth, except the sole purpose of helping the suffering humanity in their pursuit for God realization. Shankaracharya in his Bhashya for the introduction to the Bhagawad Gita says “Swaprayojana Abhave Api Bhutanu Graha Jigrikshaya”, it is absolutely without any ulterior motive that an incarnation takes a human birth. To ameliorate the miseries and sufferings of human race and to pull us out of the cycle of birth and death, was also the very basis of Ramakrishna's life. His character is unique in this respect and hence Swami Vivekananda writes about him as “Avatara Varishtha”, greatest amongst all the incarnations. He stands leagues apart from the rest of the herd compared to all other avataras. His whole life was meant for doing good to the world.