The Honest Prisoner
Once there was a King who was well-known for his perfect administration of justice. One day, he decided to visit the prison house to meet all the criminals there. As he started asking each prisoner the reason they were in jail, he heard a multitude of excuses.
The Excuses
One inmate told him, “Oh! Majesty! Actually, I am not supposed to be here. It was a wrong verdict of the judge.”
Another fellow said, “O King! I am innocent. The judge was bribed, and that is why I am here.”
Yet another claimed it was all a misunderstanding and that he had not committed any crime. In this way, all of them asserted their innocence.
The Honest Confession
When the King approached a very honest-looking person, he got a different response. “Maharaj! I am a criminal. I have committed a crime. That is why I am here.”
The King also found out from the jailor that this man was the only one who was well-behaved in the prison.
The King’s Decision
Impressed by his honesty, the King immediately ordered his release.
Moral of the Story
In the same way, whenever anything goes wrong in our lives, we often say, “It is my parent’s fault. They have brought me up like this,” or “It is the society’s fault,” or “It is my genetics.” We are not prepared to accept responsibility and instead put the blame on so many other factors.
Unless we understand, “I am at fault,” and more importantly, “It is my wrong ideas, my wrong emotions, my wrong attitudes that have led to this situation,” we are completely helpless. Once we accept that we are at fault, we can begin to correct the situation.
The Prison of Material Existence
We will be kept in the prison of material existence as long as we do not accept our defective position. If we just blame the modes of material nature, then just like the King, Lord Krishna will say, “Okay! It is the modes. So you continue your term here.”
Once we understand, “Yes, I am the criminal. I have turned away from Krishna, and that is why I am here,” then just like the King in the story, Krishna will pay attention to our calling, and the material nature will start slackening her hold on us.
A Famous Prayer by Lord Brahma
A famous prayer by Lord Brahma in Srimad Bhagavatam 10.14.8 is:
tat te ‘nukampam su-samikshamano
bhunjana evatma-krtam vipakam
hrd-vag-vapurbhir vidadhan namas te
jiveta yo mukti-pade sa daya-bhak
“My dear Lord, one who earnestly waits for You to bestow Your causeless mercy upon him, all the while patiently suffering the reactions of his past misdeeds and offering You respectful obeisances with his heart, words, and body, is surely eligible for liberation, for it has become his rightful claim.”
Purpose of the Material World
Just as the purpose of the prison house is to rectify the mentality of the criminals, the purpose of this prison house of the material world is to rectify the living entity’s tendency to enjoy without the Lord. Once we recognize our fault of turning away from Krishna, repent, and rectify our fault, release becomes a rightful claim under the orders of The Supreme Lord.
