Among those who sought instruction from the Blessed One ( Buddha) was Suprabha, the daughter of a prominent citizen of Cravasti. Suprabha was very beautiful. To see her was to fall in love with her, and she was courted by all the distinguished young men of the city. This caused her father no little concern. “To which one shall I give her in marriage?” he would repeatedly ask himself; “those whom I refuse will become my bitter enemies.”
And for hours at a time, he would remain deep in thought.
One day, Suprabha said to him:
“You seem to be troubled, dear father. What is the reason?”
“Daughter,” he replied, “you alone are the cause of my anxiety. There are so many in Cravasti who wish to marry you!”
“You are afraid to make a choice from among my suitors,” said Suprabha. “Poor men! If they but knew my thoughts! Do not be anxious, father! Tell them to assemble, and, according to the ancient custom, I shall go among them, and I myself shall choose a husband from their number.”
“I shall do as you wish, daughter.”
Suprabha’s father went to King Prasenajit and received permission to have a herald proclaim throughout the city:
“That seven days from this day, there will be held an assembly of all the young men who wish to marry Suprabha. The young girl herself will select a husband from among their number.”
On the seventh day, a host of suitors gathered in the magnificent garden belonging to Suprabha’s father. She appeared, riding in a chariot. She was holding a yellow banner on which was painted the picture of the Blessed One. She was singing his
praises. They all looked at her in amazement, and they wondered, “What will she say to us?” She finally addressed the young men.
“I can not love any of you,” said she, “but do not think that I spurn you. Love is not my aim in life; I want to take refuge with the Buddha. I shall go to the park where he dwells, and he will instruct me in the law.”
Mournfully, the young men withdrew, and Suprabha went to Jeta’s park. She heard the Blessed One speak; she was admitted to the community, and she became a most devoted nun.
One day, as she was leaving the sacred gardens, she was recognized by one of her former suitors who happened to be passing with several friends.
“We must carry off this woman,” said he. “I loved her once; I still love her. She shall be mine.”
His friends agreed to help him. Before Suprabha was aware of it, she was surrounded, and they suddenly rushed upon her. But as they were about to seize her, she directed her thought toward the Buddha, and, immediately, she rose in the air. A crowd gathered; Suprabha soared above them for a while, then, flying with the grace and majesty of a swan, she returned to her sacred dwelling.
And their cries followed her:
By meditation we connect the little joy of the soul with the vast joy of the Spirit. Meditation should not be confused with ordinary concentration. Concentration consists in freeing the attention from distractions and in focusing it on any thought in which one may be interested. Meditation is that special form of concentration in which the attention has been liberated from restlessness and is focused on God. Meditation, therefore, is concentration used to know God.
—Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda, Yogoda Satsanga Lessons
