Agniveshya Rishi saw his son, who graduated from the Gurukula, not doing any work. The boy argued that since the ultimate realisation of the self is not going to happen anyway because of work, then why work at all?
He started narrating a story and told him to do what he pleases after listening to it. There was a woman called Suruchi. She was from the family of beautiful women called Apsaras. She was revelling in the beautiful Himalayan mountains. She saw a messenger from Lord Indra pass by.
She asked the divine messenger as to where he was coming from and to where he was heading towards. Stating that her question was a very nice one, the messenger said there was a king called Arishtanemi. He gave away his kingdom to his son.
Seized by dispassion, he retired to the forest to do penance. I went to Indra to narrate this story.
He commanded me to go once more to the Gandhamadhana mountains in an aerial car along with Apsaras, Kinnaras, Siddhas, Charanas and Gandharvas, among other celestial beings carrying flutes, lutes, drums and other musical instruments to meet the King Arishtanemi and bring him to Amaravati, the city of gods.
Following the order of Lord Indra, I went to the king’s ashrama. When I conveyed to him what Lord Indra said, he expressed a doubt.
The king said, “I wish to ask you O messenger, what are the merits and demerits of heaven? Knowing the situation in heaven, I would do as I please.”
The messenger said people who go in Swarga would experience the joy that rose out of holy activities that they did during their lifetime. It is out of supreme good deeds that one attained an abode of experience such as Swarga.
People with mediocre good deeds will get a mediocre heaven and those with very little good deeds will get a similar world of experience. In heaven too there is competition, situations which have to be endured with patience. When it comes to people with very little merits, once the results of their good deeds are over, they enter again into the world of mortals.
Hearing this, the King said he did not want such a kind of heaven which had a limited result as described. He resolved to do greater tapasya and then drop the body just as a snake sheds its skin. May my obeisance be to you O messenger of Indira. Please go back to heaven, Arishtanemi asked the messenger.
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