Future Unwritten Upanishads
The Sacred Texts We Haven't Written Yet
What if the sages were alive today? What would they say about presidents tweeting, influencers selling salvation, or a marketplace that consumes our very attention? Future Unwritten Upanishads offers glimpses of those conversations—sometimes serious, sometimes satirical, always pointing toward the eternal behind the absurd. View the collection.
Rājamaya Upanishad
(The Puppet Kings)
Invocation
ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते ।
पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते ॥
Om. That is whole, this is whole. From the Whole, the whole arises.
Taking away the whole from the Whole, the Whole alone remains.
I. The Throne
A king sat upon a throne, his crown glittering.
The people bowed, saying: “Here is power.”
But the throne whispered: “I sit upon him.”
II. The Strings
The king lifted his hand, and the crowd cheered.
But the hand was lifted by strings.
One string was fear, another was desire,
one was gold, another was praise.
The king thought he moved them;
the strings moved him.
III. The Ministers
Around him sat the ministers,
made of straw and paint.
They nodded when he nodded,
they frowned when he frowned.
But behind them, shadows spoke.
The ministers were mouths without breath.
IV. The Counselors
The king asked his counselors:
“What must I do to stay in power?”
They replied: “Feed the Net.
Bow to the market.
Give the people idols, and they will not see the chains.”
And the king obeyed.
V. The Teacher's Voice
Then a voice said:
“O fool, you are not king but captive.
The people you rule are ruled by fear.
The throne you claim sits upon your neck.
The strings you pull tighten your own bonds.
What power is this that makes the mighty servants?”
VI. The Paradox
He who commands others is commanded.
He who rules by fear is ruled by fear.
He who grasps the throne is grasped by it.
Only he who seeks no crown is king.
Only he who serves truth rules all.
VII. The Resolution
The puppet dances until the strings are cut.
The throne crumbles, the crown is dust.
But the Seer remains,
unruled, unbound,
the witness of kings and beggars alike.
Closing Benediction
From the puppet, lead us to the player.
From the throne, to the ground.
From the ruler, to the Seer.
From death, to the Deathless.
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥