The Ten Prachetas: Princes of Divine Austerity
Continuing his narrative, Maitreya described to Vidura the remarkable story of the ten Pracheta brothers, sons of King Prachinbarhi who had ruled the earth in ancient times. Though born into royalty with all the privileges that a royal household could provide, the ten brothers rejected material enjoyment and dedicated themselves to rigorous spiritual austerities in the depths of the ocean. Their story illustrates the supreme power of determination and renunciation, showing that genuine spiritual progress is possible only when one completely transcends attachment to material comfort and embraces the path of sacrifice and devotion with unwavering resolve. The lives of these ten brothers stand as beacons of inspiration for all those seeking to transcend the illusions of material existence and achieve permanent spiritual realization.
The ten Pracheta brothers received their spiritual education from their father King Prachinbarhi, who understood that material wealth and royal status were ultimately insignificant and fleeting. Rather than encouraging his sons toward political ambition or material accumulation, the king instructed them about the temporary nature of all material possession and pointed them toward the eternal path of devotional service. The brothers accepted these teachings with sincere hearts and decided to renounce the royal palace despite their father's attachment to them. They understood that true manhood does not consist in enjoying material facilities or accumulating power and wealth, but in having the courage to transcend material attachments and pursue the highest spiritual goal. With their father's blessing and their mother's tears, the ten princes departed from the palace.
The brothers traveled to a remote location beneath the vast ocean, where they discovered a place perfectly suited for their spiritual practice—a deep underwater cavern that was completely removed from all material distractions. In this isolated sanctuary, they committed themselves to intense austerities that would test the limits of human endurance. They engaged in rigorous breathing practices, controlled their diet to minimal intake, maintained fixed meditative postures for extended periods, and kept their consciousness fixed on the Supreme Lord through constant remembrance and chanting of His holy names. Years became decades as they remained absorbed in their spiritual practice, their bodies becoming thin and their minds becoming increasingly absorbed in the transcendental realm.
During their intense meditation and austerities, the ten brothers began to perceive the subtle energies that underlie material creation. They experienced visions of celestial beings, they understood the mathematical structure of the universe, and they began to comprehend the nature of their own eternal identity beyond the material body. Most importantly, their hearts became gradually purified of all material desires, leaving them with an intense longing to see the Supreme Lord face to face and enter into His eternal service. The power and intensity of their collective practice created such a tremendous spiritual vibration that it affected the entire ocean and the surrounding cosmic region. The demigods and celestial beings observed in amazement at this unprecedented display of spiritual dedication by young princes who had renounced everything for the sake of God realization.
The Supreme Lord, observing the sincere and sustained efforts of the ten brothers, became pleased with their devotion and resolved to grant them audience and blessings. In a transcendent vision, the Lord appeared before the brothers in His magnificent form, radiating infinite beauty and compassion. The brothers, overwhelmed with emotion after their long austerities finally bore fruit, wept tears of ecstatic joy. Though they had performed such severe practices for many years, the actual moment of perceiving the Lord's form made all their sacrifices seem insignificant. The Lord blessed them with the highest benediction—not material power or celestial pleasures, but the eternal privilege of engaging in His devotional service. The brothers understood that they had achieved the ultimate success, and they resolved to spend their remaining lives and all future lives in the loving service of the Supreme Lord, their consciousness eternally fixed on His transcendental form.
The story of the ten Prachetas teaches a profound lesson about the nature of spiritual achievement. True success consists not in acquiring material possessions, enjoying sensory pleasures, or achieving political power, but in completely transforming one's consciousness from material to spiritual, from selfish to selfless, from temporary to eternal. The brothers' willingness to renounce their royal privileges and endure severe austerities demonstrates that spiritual realization requires complete sincerity and unwavering dedication. Those who want to advance spiritually must be prepared to abandon all material attachments and embrace whatever difficulties may arise on the spiritual path, knowing that the goal—the eternal association and service of the Supreme Lord—is infinitely worth any temporary sacrifice.