About 15 years ago, my father asked me, “What have you earned in your lifetime?” Without hesitation, I replied, “Developing two well-educated and cultured children.” This wasn’t the answer he expected. He had endured difficult times—my grandfather was retrenched, and my father had to start working before he turned 18, beginning in a sports shop in Sialkot. He later found clerical jobs at the ordinance factory and the railways, fighting through the challenges of Partition and rebuilding life in India, strived to upgrade his professional qualifications and proficiency to develop himself into a Cost Accountant-an achievement that I revere.

After much struggle, he managed to educate me as an Engineer, his only child, and build a comfortable home.

In contrast, I had the security of being an only child and started my career as an Associate Lecturer, moving on to a Class I job through UPSC, working in the public sector, with the Danish Development Agency, and finally in the private sector. Despite this security, and despite living with my parents in Delhi for most of the time, I didn’t have significant savings, which prompted his question.

From his perspective, I was someone who spent more than necessary. But in my view, investing in my children’s growth—through travel during holidays and experiences that went beyond formal education—was just as essential as schooling. Naturally, it came at a cost, eating into my savings.

Our perspectives had clashed before as well !  Once, my father asked whether we as a family had truly progressed. I responded that it depends on one’s perception and priorities, and I countered by asking him, “Sure, we could sell what the family has built and generate wealth and multiply it, but show me another family in our colony whose children have cleared tough exams like IIT and JNU, which my son and daughter have.” He didn’t seem fully convinced by my answer, but he chose to remain quiet.

The Concept of Transformation

My background is in engineering, and I’m familiar with mathematical transformations that simplify complex calculations. The first one I learned was the logarithmic transform, which reduces multiplication to addition and division to subtraction. Similarly, transformations in the metaphysical world help simplify the understanding of life’s deeper concepts.

In this context, I’m reminded of the story of King Lavana of Uttarapandya, the grandson of the legendary King Harishchandra. Once, Lavana conducted a Rajasuya (a ritual involving the sacrifice of a horse and defeating anyone who opposed one’s dominance) entirely in his imagination. This story was narrated to Sri Rama by Sage Vasishta, illustrating the truth that man fails to recognize that the universe is an illusion, solely due to his ignorance.

Lavana was the king of the renowned kingdom of Uttarapandya. One day, a magician visited his court and cast a spell on him. Under the spell, Lavana found himself lost in a jungle, abandoned by the horse he had been riding. He experienced the loss of his royal status, was forced to beg for food from an ugly woman, eat forbidden food meant for the lowliest of people, marry this woman, and live as a suffering chandala (outcast). He worked tirelessly to provide for his family, and eventually, during a forest fire, he prepared to sacrifice himself to feed and save his youngest child.

This was the transformation caused by the magician’s spell, compressing the suffering of 12 years into just a few minutes. It serves as a profound metaphor for how one’s perception of reality can be distorted by illusion, much like how mathematical transformations simplify calculations.

Transformation: A Timeless Concept

Transformation is a concept as ancient as human history itself. Cultures, philosophies, and mythologies across the world have always grappled with the idea of change—both physical and metaphysical. One such tale that speaks deeply of transformation is the story of King Lavana, a ruler from ancient Indian lore whose life takes a dramatic turn when he is subject to a magical illusion.

King Lavana, who ruled with justice and wisdom, once encountered a powerful magician who, through a mystical vision, transported the king into an entirely different reality. In this alternate existence, Lavana lived the life of a poor man, devoid of any royal privilege or wealth. Through various hardships, joys, and losses, he experienced the essence of a different kind of life—until he awoke from the illusion. The experience left him with an altered perception of power, control, and identity.

The story of King Lavana illustrates a profound truth: transformation isn’t just about changing external circumstances; it reshapes the very core of our understanding of the self and the world. But what happens to such timeless lessons in a modern world where transformation is often measured in technology, societal shifts, and superficial change?

The Illusion of Modern Transformation

In today’s fast-paced world, transformation is often reduced to externalities. We focus on physical changes—upgrading technology, adopting new lifestyles, or pursuing constant self-improvement. But what is self-improvement, truly?

In the first stage of transformation, we become proficient enough to earn, live comfortably, and save for future generations. This is largely about securing our material existence.

In the second stage, we aim for more than just survival. We strive to live a reasonable life, guided by good values and strong character. This phase reflects a deeper understanding of our responsibilities, both to ourselves and to society.

In the third stage of transformation, we begin to understand spirituality. We recognize that there is more to life than material success, and we seek meaning beyond the physical realm.

Finally, in the ultimate stage, we realize that life in this world is itself an illusion. All the pleasures and joys we experience here are fleeting and temporary. The ultimate goal of every soul is to transcend this illusion and attain a state of perpetual joy—a joy that is not dependent on the external world, but is found in the true understanding of our eternal self.

This progression mirrors the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, where Lord Krishna explains the nature of transformation and the realization of truth. A relevant verse from Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 2, Verse 20) captures the essence of this ultimate stage:

“न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचि-

 नायं भूत्वा भविता वा न भूयः।

अजो नित्यः शाश्वतोऽयं पुराणो

न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे।।”

Translation: “The soul is never born, nor does it die; nor having once existed, does it ever cease to be. The soul is unborn, eternal, everlasting, and ancient. It is not destroyed when the body is destroyed.”

This verse underscores that in the ultimate stage of transformation, one realizes the eternal nature of the soul. The soul is beyond birth and death, beyond the illusions of the material world. In this state, one transcends all temporary joys and sorrows, finding perpetual joy in the true knowledge of self and the universe.

Timeless Transformation: A Deeper Shift

King Lavana’s experience reflects the essence of timeless transformation. His royal status, wealth, and power were stripped away in the illusion, forcing him to confront a different reality. This mirrors the kind of deep transformation that transcends material success—transformations that occur when we are faced with life-altering events like loss, introspection, and personal growth. In these moments, like King Lavana, we awaken to a different understanding of our identity and existence.

As explained above, we should strive to go beyond the outer form of transformation. We live for pursuits that are much beyond a new gadget, a new career, or a societal shift heralded as revolutionary. But if we remain blind to the deeper transformations of the mind and spirit, we risk falling into the same illusion Lavana faced—mistaking the temporary for the permanent, the superficial for the meaningful.

Bridging the Gap: Embracing Transformation in Modern Life

How do we reconcile this timeless lesson with modern life? Perhaps the answer lies in balance. I have tried to do this throughout my life with my limited intellect and means. I realize that modern transformation often revolves around external change, but we must not lose sight of the internal transformations that truly shape our lives. The experiences of loss, love, and reflection in King Lavana’s story remind us that external progress, while important, should be accompanied by internal evolution.

True transformation in the modern world involves recognizing that technological and societal advancements are only part of the equation. The real transformation occurs when we, like King Lavana, are awakened to new realities—not by escaping into illusions but by embracing the full spectrum of life’s experiences—joy and sorrow, triumph and failure, wealth and poverty.

Conclusion: Awakening from Illusion

King Lavana’s tale is not just a fable from ancient India; it is a reminder that transformation, in its truest sense, is both an external and internal journey. In a modern world constantly seeking the next big change, we must remember the lessons of timeless transformation. Only by balancing our external progress with inner growth can we awaken from the illusions that surround us and achieve a transformation that is both deep and enduring.

At the time my father asked me the question, I hadn’t yet delved deeply into the fables in our scriptures that speak of our true purpose in life. However, I understood that my foremost duty was to give my best to my family and to support the growth of my children—even if it came with expenses—as long as I could afford it without incurring debt. According to the Bhagavad Gita, life’s journey is a continuous process of learning, one that spans beyond this lifetime and into the next.

The Bhagavad Gita addresses the soul’s continuous journey from one life to the next and its progressive improvement through successive lives is from Chapter 6, Verse 41:

“प्राप्य पुण्यकृतां लोकानुषित्वा शाश्वतीः समाः।
शुचीनां श्रीमतां गेहे योगभ्रष्टोऽभिजायते।।”

Transliteration: prāpya puṇya-kṛtāṁ lokān uṣitvā śāśvatīḥ samāḥ,
śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo ‘bhijāyate.

Translation: “Having attained the worlds of the righteous and having lived there for many ages, the one who has fallen from yoga is reborn into a family of the pure and prosperous.”

This verse explains that those who have practiced righteousness, or made spiritual progress but have not yet attained complete liberation, continue their journey in successive lifetimes. They are reborn in favourable circumstances, such as in families that promote spiritual growth, allowing them to continue their path toward self-realization and ultimate improvement. Yet the families can just provide a favourable platform-the effort to transform and improve is entirely one’s own. Let’s continue the quest to seek and improve day by day!