By Swami Harshananda
Jābāli in Mahābhārata[edit]
According to the Mahābhārata, Jābāli was one of the sons of the sage Viśvāmitra but more close to the sage Vaśiśtha.
Jābāli in Rāmāyana[edit]
In the Rāmāyana,[1] Jābāli has been described as one of the eight priests of the king Daśaratha. When Rāma went to the forest, he accompanied Bharata along with Vasiṣṭha, to convince and bring him back. Jābāli intervened when Bharata’s entreaties to Rāma fell on deaf ears. He tried to advise Rāma to take an extremely materialistic view.
Since Daśaratha was a deceased old man lustful by nature and dead, there was no need to take his words (or command) seriously. He advised him not to bother much about the next world but enjoy the good things of life here. He advised him so as he somehow wanted to bring back Rāma to Ayodhyā. He was neither an atheist nor an agnostic.
References[edit]
- ↑ Ayodhyākānda 106
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore