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Sree Guru Charitra
Index
Chapter 10
Namadharaka wished to know what Sree Guru did after sending away
his disciples on pilgrimage. So, Siddha went on: “Oh Namadharaka,
Sree Guru stayed at Vaidyanath for one year. As I already told
you, I stayed away with Him. One day, a Brahmin who was
dull-witted came to him, prostrated in reverence and submitted
thus: ‘I strove hard for spiritual perfection. But I could gain
neither perfection nor even a capable guru. So I now take refuge
in you. Please teach me the way to liberation.’ Hearing these
words, Sree Guru said, ‘Son, first of all tell me, who had taught
you the way to perfection? Else, how could you have ever tried for
it?’ The Brahmin replied, ‘Swami, I first resorted to a guru. But
he was very hard-hearted. He went on extracting my services and
put me in much hardship. So I deserted him.’ Sree Guru was shocked
at his words and berated him: ‘Alas, what have you done! It can
never be for your good. It is a sin even to look at the face like
you, who has deserted his guru. Get away! Indeed, one who is
unwilling to bow before his guru in humility, serve him with love
or wait on him for instruction with patience and implicit
obedience will never win the grace of the guru.’ The visitor felt
miserable and said, ‘Sir how am I to recognize a genuine guru? How
to serve him? I betrayed my guru out of my ignorance. Please save
me!’
Sree Guru was moved at his helpless petition and said, ‘The Guru
is one with Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. He is incomparable. His true
nature cannot be realized by an ignorant one like you. Nor can
those blinded by ignorance like you, ever know what it is to serve
him. I shall recount an ancient legend which will enlighten you:
During the age of Dwapara, there was a sage by name
Dhoumya. He had three disciples with him viz., Baida, Aruni and
Upamanyu. In order to test their devotion, one day, Dhoumya said;
“The rice crop in my farm is withering lack of water. One of you
should go and water it”. At once Aruni rushed to the farm and dug
a canal from a pool for the water to flow into the field, but the
bund would not hold despite all his exertions. He did not despair.
He then resolved to give up his life in his efforts and lay down
in place of the bund and made the water flow into the field. After
some time, Dhoumya arrived on the seen, saw his field watered and
lovingly called out to his disciple. Aruni heard the call, but was
unable to reply. So he made a mild noise. Following the sound,
Dhoumya came to him, raised him up and was touched by his
devotion. Through the power of his blessing, he made his disciple
wise and enlightened like himself. He then declared the term of
Aruni’s discipleship as completed and sent him home, where he
became very famous as a man of wisdom.
Later, one day, Dhoumya said to Baida, “You watch over my field
and when it is ripe, bring it home”. Baida agreed, watched over
the field day and night, harvested it and piled the grain in a
heap on the farm. He then went to his Guru and asked him for a
cart to fetch the grain. Dhoumya gave him a bullock cart. When
Baida was returning with the produce, the cart got stuck up in
soft mud on the way. When the bullocks could not pull the cart
out, he dragged it out with his own mighty effort. Suddenly,
Dhoumya arrived there and, pleased with baida’s devotion, blessed
him too with enlightenment.
Later, the sage ordered the third disciple, Upamanyu, to tend his
cattle. Eating only a spare meal every day, Upamanyu tended the
herd with the utmost care. Dhoumya who usually sent lunch to his
disciple at noon suddenly stopped doing so. Upamanyu had nothing
to eat and he was very hungry. Henceforth, he started begging his
food. Dhoumya noticed this and asked: ‘How could you manage to be
so strong and active?’ Upamanyu submitted that he was sustaining
himself with the food he begged from the houses of Brahmins. Then
Dhoumya demanded that the food thus obtained should be delivered
to him. Henceforth, Upamanyu gave away what he obtained from his
first round of begging to his guru and subsisted on what he got
from a second round of begging. The guru learned of it and
demanded that he be given that also. Upamanyu did so and quenched
his hunger by drinking the milk that was left in the udders of cow
after their calves had drunk their fill. Dhoumya learned of that
and reprimanded him, saying, ‘If you do so you will become blind
as stupid as any of those dumb creatures’.
The poor Upamanyu reflected that the latex of the calotropis
plant is not the left over of any calf and hence a harmless
substitute for milk. He did so and the poisonous oozing at once
made him totally blind. Groping for his way home, the poor youth
fell into a well on the wayside. The cattle returned home but
without their herdsman. Dhoumya went out in search of his disciple
and found him in the deep well. His heart was moved at Upamanyu’s
ungrudging obedience and he told him to chant Vedic mantras in
praise of the Aswini gods. Upamanyu did so and thereby
regained his sight. The sage was pleased with him and blessed him
with all knowledge. Thus Upamanyu realized his goal. Even the
disciples of Upamanyu became as great as he.
Udanka, one of his disciples of Upamanyu, once performed the holy
sacrifice of Sarpayaga (the snake sacrifice) and thereby
caused the destruction of countless serpents. He was able to
summon even the great Indra, the king of the gods, at the behest
of King Janamejaya, the master of the ritual. It was only by
pleasing the guru thus that his grace could be won. Therefore, Oh
Brahmin, serve your former guru himself with all your heart.
Through his grace alone you will be able to attain peace and
liberation’. The Brahmin submitted, ‘Lord! It is possible to weld
a broken metal vessel, but it is not possible to weld a broken
heart. So too, it’s impossible for me to win back the heart of the
former guru, once it has been broken by my stupid conduct. So I
cannot hope to approach him again. I shall pay for my sin by
giving up my life in your very presence!’ Seeing that he was
really repentant, Sree Guru kept his boon-bestowing hand on the
Brahmin’s head in a gesture of blessing and told him to think of
his former guru. When the Brahmin did so, he at once realized that
Sree Guru was not different from his former guru and fell at his
feet. Sree Guru said, ‘Son, you shall work out the fruits of your
previous actions and soon attain perfection. Incessantly meditate
on my true form which I shall show you now and perform all your
ordained acts, surrendering the fruits thereof to me’. So saying,
the Lord blessed the Brahmin with the vision of his divine form.
Later, Sree Guru went to the bank of the river Krishna. There he
restored the tongue of a Brahmin who lost it.”
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