Lila for you

I am always facinated by the wisdom of purnaic stories especially those recounted by Sri Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi.This one is the Lila's story from Yoga Vasishta, often quoted by Sri Bhagavan. Though lengthy, its worth reading
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Once there was a king by the name of Padma, who waswealthy and wise. He had a beautiful wife called Lila who wasdevoted to her husband.Once she thought, "My Husband isdearer to me than my life. He is young and prosperous. Howto make him remain forever young and deathless?"
She consulted learned pandits of the court. They advisedher,"All successful accomplishments are attained by religiousausterity, repetition of mantras and self-control, but immortality can not be obtained on any account."
Having heard thus from the learned Brahmins, shereflected, "In case I have to die before my husband, freed fromall agony, I shall happily rest in the Self and in case he precedesme then his soul should not go out of this room. I shall worshipthe Goddess Sarasvati and ask for boons."
Having resolved thus the queen, without telling herhusband, performed severe austerities as laid down in thescriptures.
Goddess Sarasvati was pleased by the queen's austerities.
She appeared and said, "Ask for any boon and it shall begranted,"Overjoyed Lila sang hymns of praise to the Goddess,and asked for two boons," When my husband dies, the soulof my husband, should remain here. Whenever I pray to you,give me your vision." Accordingly, the Goddess granted boththe boons.
After several years Lila's husband passed away. The bereavedqueen placed her husband's corpse in a bed of flowers as instructedby the Goddess. In great distress she asked the Goddess,"Wheredoes my husband reside? What does he do? What is his state atpresent? Lead me to him. I cannot live without him."
The Goddess taught Lila about Brahman (the SupremeSpirit or Ultimate Reality) and narrated the existence of variousplanes penetrating one another and existing quite unperceivedby the inhabitants of other planes. She also taught her the methodof seeing and visiting the various worlds interpenetrating one'sown. Lila abandoned her own body, and the Goddess took herto the world of her husband's in which she saw him in an assemblyof kings. She was surprised to see him sitting on a throne, nowlooking very young. Lila asked the Goddess for an explanation.
She was told about the delusion of creation. The Goddessspoke as follows:
"Once there lived a virtuous Brahmin named Vasishta.
His wife was Arundhati who equaled him in all respects. Once he saw the king passing by with his retinue and thought,`Kingship is indeed delightful, blessed with all good fortune. I wish that I were a king.'
"Vasishtha's death was impending and knowing this, his wife took refuge in me. Like you, she prayed to me, ` May the soul of my dead husband not depart from this place.' I granted her prayer. The poor Brahmin died, his wife, Arundhati, beingunable to bear the pangs of separation from her husband, burnt herself along with the body of her husband." Sarasvati told Lila that all that had happened only a week ago, and that the Brahminpair had been born as herself (Lila) and her husband, King Padma, in the world where he had just died after having lived along life, leaving Lila alone. Lila did not believe this story, becausethe couple had died recently, whereas Lila and Padma were born years before.
Lila asked the Goddess whether one soul can occupy two bodies simultaneously. Saraswati explained that the two frames of reference were different and that a person's strong sankalpa (determination or aspiration) can manifest as humans.
The Goddess then took Lila to that world, and made her verifythe story from a son of the deceased pair. Through meditation,she remembered all her previous births since her origin fromthe Creator. Lila lamented, "Alas! Today I have remembered hundreds of my previous births. Indeed, I have wandered muchin various kinds of wombs."
Both Lila and Sarasvati returned to the present world ofthe king, who was called Viduratha, and found him in his 70th year. His wife was also named Lila (let us call her Lila II). Lila and Saraswati manifested themselves before the king in his private apartment and mysteriously reminded him of his previous existence as Padma. He entertained a desire to be Padma again.
His present wife, Lila II, propitiated Sarasvati to confer a boon upon her to be the wife of Vidurtha even in his next life.
After a short time, there was a war in which King Viduratha was killed. His soul, which was present, throughout, in the roomwhere the corpse of Padma was lying, reentered the dead body.
And lo! The soul rose again as King Padma, who found standingbefore him his two wives, namely, Lila I and Lila II. "Let allsorrows end and let there be endless happiness." So saying the Goddess blessed them and disappeared.
Finally, all three of them- Lila, the second Lila and theKing- were liberated while still alive, and in due course, became one with the Absolute by the grace of the Goddess.