Epics of India Storybook

Duryodhana was a selfish and worldly man throughout most of his life. He envied the wealth and popularity his cousins possessed; he was extremely bitter and unhappy. Nothing from Duryodhana’s life demonstrates this more than the time he visited the palace built by Maya.

When Duryodhana first saw the palace, he was in awe of its beauty. But his thoughts quickly turned from awe to jealousy. A servant greeted him, directing him towards his room. When he reached the door, he tried to pass through—but he crashed into a wall! He proceeded down the hallway to the next door, but found it to be another wall. He tried to lean on the wall, but he fell through a doorway!

He did not land on the floor of the room, for there was no floor. He fell and he fell, descending to the underworld. He was afraid, for he knew that rakshasas lived beneath the earth. After falling for a long time, he landed gently before a gate. The gate opened, and Duryodhana walked through it. He saw the servant from the palace, but he was now a strong and kingly man. Next to the man stood a beautiful woman. She took Duryodhana’s right hand and greeted him warmly.

“This is Maya, the god of illusion,” she said, “and I am Devi or Mahamaya, the Great Illusion. We are the ones who built the palace.”

He looked at the goddess and asked, “What have my cousins done to deserve such riches? This great palace should belong to the oldest son of the king, not his nephews.”

“This palace is not a blessing; it’s a curse,” she replied. “Those who have such worldly possessions are enslaved by them. These riches are illusions, not true reality. The soul must be liberated from the illusion of the physical world to find ultimate peace and happiness instead of the passing pleasures your cousins enjoy. You must learn to see the world how it really is, not how it appears.”

“What do you mean?” asked Duryodhana.

“Your cousins believe they know where the ponds and where the marble floors are. But the truth is that everything in the palace is what you make it. They believe that some of the gardens are real while others are mere artwork, without realizing that all of nature is the artwork of the gods. Humans have the power to shape the physical world, to be divine artists painting on the canvas of nature. Liberate your mind from the illusions around you, and you will experience true happiness.”

They taught Duryodhana many things: about the sun and the moon, about plants and animals, about love and regret, about the heights of the heavens and the depths of the earth, about the deserts and glaciers, and so much more. “You must learn to see things this way, as they truly are, with your mind and not your eyes.”

“But how will I know when I am seeing things correctly?” asked Duryodhana.

“To provide you some help along the path,” replied the goddess, “I give you this task. Set your mind on what we have taught you, and you will see that all the marble floors can be ponds. Dive into one of these ponds, and you will find below the surface a field of lotus flowers. Touch them and smell them: they will be more real than anything you have ever experienced.”

“Find the most beautiful flower and pluck it from the ground. Bring it to a mural of a garden in the palace. You will see that there is no difference between a real garden and the painting. Step into the painting. You will find there a peace you have never known and a longing stronger and more desirable than any satisfaction. Plant the flower in the garden, and it will become a permanent part of the painting.”

“I do not understand this task you have given me,” Duryodhana said. “But I accept it.”

After some words of instruction and encouragement, the goddess bid farewell. “Here comes the chariot that will carry you back to the surface of the earth, leaving you at your doorway. Goodbye, Duryodhana son of Dhritarashtra. Hold fast to what you have learned, and your happiness will greatly surpass that of other men.”

Duryodhana returned to the palace. After a few days and many tries, he was able to see the marble floor as a pond and dive in. Those who saw him mocked him: when he failed, they mocked him for thinking the floor was a pond; when he succeeded, for getting wet. He entered the painting and planted the lotus flower, completing the task that the goddess had laid out for him. Those who saw him laughed when he stood at the painting, longingly reaching for that flower: they believed he had mistaken the painting for a real garden.

Even though he knew he saw things correctly, their mockery wore on him as the days passed. Before he left the palace, he rejected all he had learned and sought again the illusions of wealth and fame. His bitterness returned; now he was even more bitter than ever before. I suppose that is natural for one who feels the beauty of reality yet turns his back on it. Some say he realized the error of his ways and rejected his worldly ways at the end of his life, that his soul was liberated from the illusions of this world. But only the gods know whether such reports are true.