In "Yoga Vasista", a canonical text ascribed to Valmiki & longer than even his Ramayana, occurs the story of Queen Chudala. Incidentally, this is the text which impressed Dara Shikoh, the elder brother of Aurangazeb, so much that he got it translated into Persian. Chudala was the princess of Saurashtra, & married King Shikadhvaja of Malava. After ruling happily for many years, the couple hankered after spiritual knowledge. However, in their spiritual journey, Queen Chudala made faster progress than her husband the King. Then after many incidents, she succeeded in making her husband also attain their common goal.
St. Margaret of Scotland (1045-1093) was an English princess & Scottish queen. She married King Malcolm of Scotland in 1070. Malcolm was not, like Shikadhvaja above, a naturally spiritual man. She civilised him by reading the Bible to him. She instigated religious reform. She served the orphans & the poor everyday before she ate. She rose at midnight every night to attend the liturgy (public ritual worship). She established a monastery. She used a cave as a place of devotion & prayer, now named after her. She spent much time in prayer, devotional reading & ecclesiastical embroidery. Her husband so adored her piety that he had her books decorated in gold & silver.
She was canonised in 1250.
No comments:
Post a Comment