Kolhapur, a famous place of the land was rendered prosperous and glorious by the presence of the Universal Mother, Mahalakshmi, in a beautiful temple there. One day a handsome young prince reached the portals of the temple. He stood facing the idol of the Mother and prayed silently, tears flowing down his cheeks. The compassionate Mother revealed Herself in his mind and said:
"My child! Don't grieve. Tell me what you want."
"O Mother!" said the young man, his voice choked with the joy of having been able to talk to the Mother directly. "I am the son of King Brihadratha. My father had decided to perform an Aswamedha Yaga (horse sacrifice). He had tied the sacrificial horse to a post in the Yagnasala (the Yoopa). The horse has accomplished the feat of going round the various countries and returning victoriously. The preliminary rites of the Yaga had been concluded auspiciously. It was at that time that my father suddenly passed away. In the commotion that followed, someone stole the horse that was tied to the post. Our soldiers searched for it in every nook and corner of the land, but in vain. I have kept the body of my father immersed in medicated oil in a long wooden tub. The priests presiding over the sacrificial rites were disappointed with me and they went away. I am now stamped as an inefficient person, good for nothing. I am really dejected and don't know what to do. Mother, please be gracious enough to bless me!"
"My child!" said the Mother sympathetically. "There is a Sanyasin named Siddha Samadhi at present sitting at the Gopura (entrance) of this temple. He is competent to remove all your distress. Go and meet him. You will be successful."
The young prince prostrated again and again to the Mother, tears and walked towards the Gopura. He met Siddha Samadhi and prostrated to him.
"So you are the prince whom the Mother sent here, eh? Come. Don't be afraid", said Siddha Samadhi, welcoming the young man.
He then sat in meditation for a while, and through his divine vision, he saw that it was lndra, the king of Gods, who had stolen the sacrificial horse.
He took some water in his palm, chanted some mantras and threw it upwards into the sky. Hundreds of Devas came tumbling down from the heavens by the power of his mantras, and they stood in front of him respectfully.
"Indra has stolen the sacrificial horse of King Brihadratha, Please bring it back immediately", commanded Siddha Samadhi.
The Devas vanished and after a few minutes brought the horse and handed it over to the prince. The prince was aghast with, wonderment.
"Young man", said Siddha Samadhi, "restart the Yaga as quickly as possible".
The prince prostrated to the Sanyasin and said with choked with emotion: "Revered Sir, though the sacrificial horse has been regained, it is not possible to restart the Yaga, because as per tradition, no1 auspicious work can be done for one year from the death of my father. Kindly advise how this problem can be overcome", said the prince.
Tell me what you wish me to do," said the Sanyasin.
"May I venture to tell you?" asked the prince and said after pause: "You must bring my father back to life."
The Sanyasin did not speak for some time. He relapsed into serious silence.
Observing the mood of the Sanyasin, the prince said "Revered sir, your silence frightens me!"
The Sanyasin said in a calm and deep tone: "I had already given you refuge. Why are you then afraid?"
"Listen, my boy! Just as we discard old clothes, that Jeeva (the soul of the dead king) must have given up its worn-out body and gone in search of a new one. To call back that Jeeva into the body discarded by it is indeed a torturous job"
"Sir. I have safely kept his body immersed in medicated oil, in a wooden tub. That body has certainly not worn out. Kindly help ne, bless me!"
Siddha Samadhi again relapsed into deep meditative silence. When he woke up from his meditation, he said: "Young man! As per Mothers instructions, I will try my best to bring back your father alive. Come, let us go."
The prince started for the palace along with Siddha Samadhi and the sacrificial horse.
The Sanyasin gently stroked the dead body of the king from head to toe, took a little water in his palm and after chanting some mantras, sprinkled ft on the head of the king.
The king got up rubbing his eyes, as if he had woken up from a long sleep. He stretched his hands and legs and yawned.
At that time the prince was singing a hymn in praise of the Mother.
"Did I sleep for long?" the king asked the prince.
The prince narrated all that had happened. King Brihadratha prostrated at the feet of Siddha Samadhi and asked: "Revered Sir! How did you get the power to bring down the devas, and to bring dead people back to life? What mantra have you mastered?"
The Sanyasin said: "O King ! I chant regularly the twelfth chapter of the Bhagawad Geeta, dealing with Bhakti Yoga. I could accomplish all this by the power and glory of the twelfth chapter of Geeta. Therefore, you too should practise the twelfth chapter of Geeta hereafter. By doing so, you can get liberated even while alive."
So saying, the great Sanyasin, Siddha Samadhi, walked away.
From that day onwards King Brihadratha started practising the
twelfth chapter of the Geeta. The Yaga was restarted and concluded gloriously.
He coronated his son as the king, taught him the twelfth chapter of Geeta, and retired to a lonely place. In due course, he attained liberation.
Those who listen to this story can also attain liberation likewise.
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