In the celestial realms, the king of the gods, Indra, was filled with questions. He longed to understand the true nature of the self and sought wisdom that went beyond the powers he wielded as a god. Meanwhile, Virochana, the king of the asuras (beings often in opposition to the gods), shared this desire for truth and wished to understand the nature of the soul as well. Both heard of the great teacher Prajapati, the divine creator, who possessed profound knowledge of the self, and each resolved to approach him.

Indra and Virochana arrived at Prajapati’s ashram and humbly requested to be taught about the true self. Prajapati, wise and perceptive, agreed to teach them, but warned that this knowledge would not come easily. They would need patience, humility, and perseverance to truly understand.

Days turned to years as Indra and Virochana performed rigorous tasks under Prajapati’s guidance. Finally, one day, Prajapati revealed the first part of his teaching: “Look into the still waters, and you will see the self reflected back to you.” Virochana and Indra both gazed into the water and saw their physical reflections. Interpreting this to mean that their physical form was the true self, Virochana was pleased and took this answer back to his people, satisfied that the self was nothing more than the body.

Indra, however, was troubled. As he journeyed back to the heavens, he began to reflect on Prajapati’s teaching. If the body is the self, then what happens when the body is destroyed? he wondered. This question gnawed at him, and he realized he had not yet uncovered the truth he was seeking. Indra returned to Prajapati and humbly asked to continue his lessons, willing to face whatever challenges lay ahead.

Prajapati, seeing Indra’s sincerity, guided him through deeper teachings over many years. Indra came to understand that the self was not the physical body, nor even the mind or senses, but something far subtler and indestructible. After years of meditation and introspection, Indra grasped the essence of the Atman—the pure, eternal self that is beyond death, beyond pain, and beyond all illusions of separation.

At this moment of realization, Indra remembered the words that encapsulated his journey: