The Search for Enlightenment & Dog Lovers
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In the book, The Hero With a Thousand Faces, American intellectual genius Joseph Campbell showed us that all enduring stories and myths depict similar narratives. He called this the archetypal Hero’s Journey or “monomyth,” uniting world mythology, folk and fairy tales, religious stories, modern fiction, and cinema.
In my book Before Your Future, I have integrated Campbell’s Hero’s Journey template with Vedic and modern mythology (like Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter) to illustrate astrological principles.
In most myths and stories where the hero has a transcendental quality in the end the hero walks away from his story, which Campbell called “Freedom to Live”. From the astrological perspective, this destiny is experienced in the Twelfth House, where the impulse to retreat or walk away from everything we built up in houses One through Eleven is experienced most strongly.
The ancient Vedic epic Mahabharta dates back more than 5000 years and is still very much alive in the hearts and minds of the Indian culture. The longest poem in human history, roughly ten times the length of the Iliad and the Odyssey combined, the Mahabharta is sometimes called the Fifth Veda in the Indian tradition.
Below is one of my favorite stories from the very end of the Mahabharata. In this excerpt from my book, I use this story about an abandoned dog to illustrate how the Vedic culture sees moksha, or enlightenment and transcendence.
I also use this story to illustrate the significance of harmonizing all the Five Elements and as a result all the Planets, Zodiac Signs, and Houses (see guided meditation below).
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Yudhishthira and the Dog
Peace and prosperity followed the end of the great Mahabharata war as the Pandavas ruled their kingdom with impeccable honor and service. However, they were resolute that once their work of rebuilding their kingdom was done, they would leave all their riches and power behind to seek enlightenment on the summit of Mount Meru.
Many years after the great war the five brothers, Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva, as well as their wife Draupadi, whom they shared between them, set out on this expedition. The journey was long and arduous as the climb was steep and dangerous, but the group was not deterred. Halfway through their journey, they met a mangy stray dog who also became a part of the posse.
All seven of them climbed higher and higher, but just as the summit was within reach, some of them lost their strength and will. The first to fall was their devoted wife, Draupadi. Even though she was married to all five men she favored Arjuna. This was enough to disqualify her from reaching the summit of enlightenment.
Next to fall was Sahadeva, who felt dizzy and collapsed. Even though he was a renowned scholar, he was disqualified because his knowledge had not fully entered his heart and actions.
Bhima collapsed next. It was painful for the remaining brothers to see the strongest and sturdiest of warriors in Hindu mythology lying on the ground and groaning. Bhima was a selfless warrior who had carried the weight of the war on his strong shoulders, but he was disqualified because he was too preoccupied with bodybuilding and ate far more than needed to sustain himself.
Nakula could not bear the sorrow of watching his brothers and wife die. He fell to the ground weeping and eventually passed out. The gentlest and most empathetic of the five brothers who had never hurt anyone could not also finish the journey.
Arjuna, the courageous hero, and warrior of the epic Mahabharata collapsed soon after. Even the most valiant of all protagonists in Hindu mythology was not allowed to reach the summit of Mount Meru.
Yudhishthira and the dog continued to climb the mountain. Yudhishthira was in a great deal of pain and his heart was heavy and wounded. Yudhishthira had lost so many of his family members, mentors, and teachers in the war and now his brothers and wife were gone as well. Only the mangy dog was a source of comfort. Yudhishthira snuggled into him and wept.
Somehow Yudhishthira still had the courage to keep moving and he finally reached the summit of Mount Meru. He saw Lord Indra, the king of svarga or heaven, waiting with open arms in welcome. Lord Indra commended Yudhishthira for his extraordinary courage and integrity. Lord Indra felt that Yudhishthira had more than enough merit to join him in heaven with all the other enlightened souls. Yudhishthira was pleased. He signaled the dog to follow him on Lord Indra’s chariot. Lord Indra reproached him, “No way this diseased, shabby dog is coming along. He has not performed any of the spiritual practices, nor committed any heroic acts. He does not belong with the other enlightened souls.”
Yudhishthira was shocked. He replied, “This dog has been my friend, companion, and confidant on this whole journey. His loyalty has been impeccable. He never asked for anything for himself. Without his support, I would never have made it this far. He gave me the courage to keep going after I lost all my loved ones. It would be the greatest adharma, or unrighteousness, to leave this poor creature, abandoned and discarded. If enlightened beings don’t understand that, then perhaps the enlightenment realm is just not worth it.”
Yudhishthira declined Lord Indra’s extended hand, turned around, and asked the dog to follow him so that they could begin their descent down Mount Meru. At this point Lord Indra called Yudhishthira back, saying, “You are indeed ripe for enlightenment. This dog represented your final test.” The mangy dog transformed himself into the god of dharma, who teaches us about selfless dedication to right action under all circumstances. Yudhishthira, the god of dharma, and Lord Indra flew off together into the heavens in the golden chariot.
Astrological Symbolism
This myth represents the end of the Hero’s Journey (twelfth house), where the hero no longer identifies with any one cause, idea, planet, or element and has achieved unity with the three hundred and sixty degrees of the zodiac. All karma has been exhausted and the hero has attained freedom from his samskara or personal myth. This story shows how challenging it is to attain the state of union, yoga, moksha, or transcendence and freedom from the cycle of birth and death.
Draupadi’s marriage to the five Pandavas symbolizes our relationship to the five elements. She did not make it to the summit because she loved Arjuna the warrior (fire element) more than her other husbands.
Sahadeva had high intellectual acumen (air element) but the knowledge did not reach his heart (water element) or his actions (fire element).
Bhima’s excessive focus on the body (earth element) disqualified him.
Arjuna failed because his overconfidence and bravado showed that some ego still remained (fire element).
Nakula’s humanity and empathy (water element) were known throughout the land but he, too, was disqualified because he had not developed the courage and valor (fire element).
Consciousness is Ether. The five elements are different manifestations of consciousness that originate from Ether. They merge back into Ether when they have been harmonized and fully integrated. Yudhishthira succeeded because he had achieved mastery over all the five elements and had become pure consciousness.
Here is a guided meditation to help you harmonize all the elements, houses, planets, and signs and merge them into the Ether element.