SALVATION

He was the most notorious and feared outlaw of the kingdom. Nobody was safe when his bandit gang would begin their raids of plunder. Once his father had refused to pay taxes to the king. So the king killed his father and confiscated his land. Thereafter Ganataka had sworn savage revenge against King Dharmavira. From his vast mountain hideout, Ganataka’s outlaw riders would attack and rob travelers and trade caravans with no fear of being caught. Ganataka had many scars on his chest and face to prove his bravery in battle. On his black stallion, with his sword and arrows, he had no equal match in the kingdom. But his heart was always full of the dark fires of revenge for his father’s unjust murder. Ganataka was invincible as a fighter, but inwardly he had no peace of mind from all the robberies and murders that he had committed. He was a hunted man for whose capture or death the king had offered a huge reward. There was a price on his head and bitterness in his heart. In his mountain hideout, with his outlaw gang, he was free from the law, but inside himself he was a slave to the beast of his violent passions.

King Dharmavira decided that alone he was not strong enough to defeat Ganataka’s bandit gang. So the king wanted an alliance to make himself more powerful. He gave his daughter in a marriage alliance to a neighboring kingdom after long days of careful negotiations. After celebrating the marriage, the armies of both kingdoms united to plan a punishing blow to Ganataka. The armies of both kingdoms approached Ganataka’s mountain hideout late in the night. Then they began their cruel plan of extermination. They poured oil all around the mountain hideout. At the signal of a thunderous drum they set fire to everything around the mountain hideout. Ganataka and his men awoke to see awesome walls of fire swiftly approaching them on every side. There was no hope except to make a suicidal dash for freedom. But on every side the united armies of the two kingdoms sat on their horses waiting to annihilate Ganataka’s men. Ganataka’s men fought savagely to break out of the deadly trap, but the arrows of the two united armies began to take their fierce toll. All around Ganataka his men were being murdered. Ganataka’s black stallion made one final charge. Three arrows caught the brave fighter as he slumped down in the saddle with his arm in a tight grip around his horse's neck. A cry of victory went up from the two armies, as they were confident that they had finally wiped out Ganataka’s fierce gang. Now there was peace in Dharmavira’s kingdom with the annihilation of Ganataka’s outlaw gang.

A black stallion thundered across the plains with a bleeding rider slumped on its back. Mile after mile the horse galloped with some unfulfilled mission yet to be accomplished. At the day’s end, it entered the forest and its speed grew slower and slower. The weight on the horse’s back seemed to grow heavier for the thirsty animal. It approached a stream of running water. There was a man bathing in the water. He was the forest rishi named Sivalaya. He led the life of a peaceful hermit who spent all his time in the worship of Lord Siva. As the black stallion stopped to drink the fresh water, Ganataka’s still body fell to the ground. Sivalaya ran to the fallen body and carried the once great outlaw bandit to his thatched hut. The rishi prayed to God to spare his life. The life as an outlaw for Ganataka had come to an end. Lord Siva reviewed the karma of the outlaw’s past and present lifetimes. The great god who annuls fate looked into the future. There was a great need for a saint to enlighten the people instead of choosing to remain hidden in the forest like Sivalaya.

Ganataka’s soul hovered over the region of death. He saw awful picture images of all the innocent people he had robbed and murdered. He saw the grim fearsome image of the god of death approaching him with a noose to punish him for his sins. Suddenly a small light expanded and vibrated a message of hope. "Turn to Me with all your soul, and I will be in your heart for eternity. I protect all those who surrender to Me. The choice is always for you to make. I am willing to embrace you now." The point of light now became a huge divine person with three eyes, ashes all over his milky body, and a golden trident. Ganataka gazed into the eyes of Lord Siva, and his heart surrendered to the divine will. "Oh Lord I am always yours," cried Ganataka’s now radiant awakened soul. The still body of Ganataka now began to show slight signs of breathing. Sivalaya smiled and knew that the crisis to Ganataka’s life had now passed. The proud former outlaw chief slowly opened his eyes and whispered: "I will give my life for God’s service."

Many weeks later Ganataka’s body had fully healed from its wounds. Now he was ready to leave Sivalaya’s safe forest retreat and enter Dharmavira’s kingdom to give his life for God’s service. Ganataka was a changed man. He began to sing songs in praise of Lord Siva everywhere he went. Ganataka vividly felt Siva’s presence in his heart. Meanwhile Ganataka was all but forgotten in Dharmavira’s peaceful kingdom. After giving birth to a royal son, Dharmavira’s daughter Suseela had become very sick. Both kings offered a reward to anyone who could cure Suseela. All the doctors who had visited her failed. Only the grace of God could save Suseela. So as divine fate would have it, Ganataka found himself singing songs imploring Siva to grant Suseela a new lease on life as was previously done for himself. The music of his soul enthralling hymns seemed to soar up to heaven itself. Lord Siva remembered his devotee Ganataka and willed it for Suseela to fully recover. Dharmavira was also at Suseela’s bedside. He recognized Ganataka by his scars of battle. But upon his daughter’s recovery Dharmavira was so overjoyed that he tightly embraced his once bitter enemy Ganataka. With tears of gratefulness, Dharmavira shouted with joy: "great are the ways of God."