Hindu Samskriti - Guru Disciple Relationship -1

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Guru Disciple Relationship

Eklavya paying guru-dakshina to Dronacharya

Stories

Guru - Disciple Relationship

Stories on Guru - Disciple Relationship

1. THE MOST PERFECT GURU AND MOST

PERFECT DISCIPLE

Once there was a man who searched the whole

world to find a Perfect Guru. But, unfortunately he

could not find one. All were either greedy,

deceivers, fools or madmen. Finally he did find one

who fulfilled all his expectations. A friend of his

asked him, "What made you decide that he was

perfect?" He replied, "Oh, after talking to him, I

came to that conclusion." "And what did he say to

you?" his friend asked. "Well, he told me that I was

the most perfect disciple in the world!"

2. DHAUMYA TESTS UPAMANYU AND

ARUNI

The sage Dhaumya of Mahabharata fame was the

high priest of the Pandavas. He had a big ashram

and many disciples. Many children were sent there

to study. Regular classes were held and most of the

children were asked to attend. But there were two

who were entrusted with other jobs and did not

attend the classes. These were Upamanyu who was

given the charge of the cows and Aruni who

looked after the cultivation. The other boys made

fun at their apparent dull-headedness, thinking that

they were unfit for study, but those two boys were

happy and satisfied with their work. They were

surrendered to their Guru's will.

Years passed and still these two boys

discharged their duties faithfully. The other boys

continued to make fun of them. Dhaumya was

aware of the situation and decided to show their

greatness to the rest of the ashramites. He called

Upamanyu one day and questioned him,

"Upamanyu, what do you eat that you are growing

so fat?" "Sir, I eat only what the ashram Mother

gives me," replied the boy. "Well then, do not eat

anything from the ashram hereafter," said the

Guru. A week passed when the master called the

disciple again. "One week has passed and you still

have not lost any weight. What do you eat now-adays?"

asked Dhaumya. "Swami, when I am very

hungry I go out and beg for my food," replied

Upamanyu. "Don't you know that you are

supposed to give such food to the Guru?

Henceforth, bring it here to me." But Dhaumya

would not give any of the begged food to the boy

to eat. After some days the Guru called the boy

again. "Now what are you eating?" The boy replied,

"When I am very hungry I drink a little milk from

the cows." "Don't do that in future," said the

Guru. Another week passed and the Guru called

the boy. "You are still looking healthy. What are

you eating now-a-days?" "Sir, after the calves have

finished drinking the cow's milk, there will be froth

on their mouth. I lick up that froth and thus satisfy

my hunger," replied the boy. "Do not do that

hereafter," told Dhaumya.

The poor Upamanyu could not find anything

to eat in the forest. His hunger also became

unbearable. He therefore drank the milk of a

poisonous tree but this resulted in his losing his

sight. One evening while bringing in the cows, the

blind boy fell into a dry well. The cows reached the

ashram without him. Seeing him missing, the Guru

went out in search of him calling, "Upamanyu,

where are you?"

Upamanyu was thrilled to hear his master's

voice. "Master, here I am. I cannot see anything

but I can hear your voice." "Son, meditate on the

twin gods Aswini Kumaras and you will become all

right," told the Guru. Upamanyu did as he was told

and immediately the Aswins appeared and restored

his sight. He came out of the well and prostrated at

his Master's feet. Dhaumya's heart overflowed with

affection for his obedient disciple and he said,

"May your knowledge be perfect in all the

Scriptures." In this way, Upamanyu became a

learned scholar without even attending a class. He

is an example of implicit faith in the Guru.

Now what about Aruni? Dhaumya once went

out to inspect the fields and told Aruni that the

water in the fields should not be allowed to escape

at any cost. A few days later there was a heavy rain

and the bund around the field started to give way.

Try as he may, Aruni could not stop the water

from flowing out. Finally, in desperation, he laid

his body down in the mud where the bund was

weak and in this way he plugged up the leak. The

next morning the Guru and his disciples went out

into the fields to search for the missing boy, calling

his name out loud. Finding him buried in the mud,

the Guru pulled him out and hugged him

affectionately. "May all the Scriptures come to you

at your beck and call," was the blessing that the

Guru gave Aruni while holding his hand on the

boy's head. It was this Aruni who later became the

famous Upanishadic sage Uddalaka.

3. SUTIKSHNA BOWS TO GURU BEFORE GOD

There is a devotee in the Ramayana named

Sutikshna, a disciple of Bharadwaja. One day he

was absorbed in meditation when Bharadwaja

appeared at the door with Sri Rama. Sutikshna had

to think for a moment to whom to bow first, God

or Guru. He bowed to his Guru first because it

was his Guru who had showed him God.

4. DISCIPLE REALIZES GOD BY SHOVELLING

COWDUNG

A man went to a Guru desiring instruction. The

Guru said, "Thou art That." "Is that all?" asked the

man. He was not satisfied and went to another

Guru who understood his condition. "Well, you

will have to work very hard before I will instruct

you," said this Guru. The disciple was ready to do

anything. "All right, the only thing you have to do

is shovel cow dung for twelve years," said the Guru

and gave the man a shovel. After twelve years, the

Guru called the man and told him, "Thou art

That." The disciple immediately realized Brahman

as his own Self.

5. EKALAVYA'S DEVOTION TO

DRONACHARYA

Dronacharya refused to instruct Ekalavya in the

science of archery on the grounds that the boy did

not belong to the warrior (kshatriya) caste; he was a

tribal boy from the forest. Ekalavya went back to

his village, made a clay image of Drona and

worshipped it with such concentration and

dedication that he was able to imbibe all of Drona's

skills and teachings, even the most secret.

One day a dog ran through the ashram of

Drona with arrows shot between its teeth. This

wonder was seen by everyone. Drona asked who

had done it. Only an expert like himself could have

done so. Everyone searched the area for the master

archer and finally came across Ekalavya. "Where

did you learn such skillful archery?" asked Drona.

Ekalavya showed Drona the clay image that he had

been worshipping. "Though you rejected me, I did

not reject you and have learned by your grace,"

replied Ekalavya.

6. PURANPOLYA GETS EKNATH'S GRACE

Gauba was an illiterate and voracious boy who

loved a kind of sweet called puranpoli. He used to

nag his poor, widowed mother for the sweets all of

the time. Finally, out of disgust and desperation,

she took him to the house of the great saint

Eknath and requested him to look after the boy

and told him about the boy's craziness for

puranpolis. Eknath saw some dorment spirituality

in the boy and accepted him as a disciple. In

Eknath's house he was able to get puranpolis

everyday and therefore was given the name

Puranpolya. He became extremely devoted to

Eknath and served and worshipped him at all

times.

Eknath had been writing a commentary on

the Ramayana called the Bhavartha Ramayana.

Now he knew that the time for his departure from

this world had arrived, but he had still not finished

the book. Touching Puranpolya's head, Eknath

transmitted his spiritual power to him. After

Eknath's departure, Puranpolya completed the

commentary and his verses were virtually

indistinguishable from those written by his Guru.

7. KABIR SHOWS KAMAL TO BE A PERFECT

DISCIPLE

Some devotees came to Kabir one day and asked

him, "Who is a true disciple?" Kabir called his son

and foremost disciple, Kamal. "I have dropped my

spindle while weaving. Bring me a lamp so that I

can find it." It was broad daylight yet Kamal

brought a lamp without questioning. "Kamal, today

many devotees will be coming here for lunch.

Please prepare some sweets and add a handful of

salt to them," said Kabir. Kamal obeyed implicitly.

Turning to the devotees, Kabir said, "Don't you

think that Kamal knew that my commands were

ridiculous? But the moment you begin to obey the

Guru's command without question, that moment

meditation comes to you spontaneously and the

Lord grants His darshan."

8. NAMDEV HUMBLED AND GETS A GURU

Namdev had been having the vision of the Lord at

Pandharpur since his childhood and therefore had

a bit of self-pride that he was something special.

The Lord decided that it was necessary for

Namdev to have a Guru. A feast for the saints was

arranged at the village of the potter-saint Gora,

whereat the saints were each tested by Gora the

potter. Jnaneswar asked Gora to test each of the

'pots' to see which ones were fully baked in the

Knowledge of Brahman. They were asked to sit in

a line while Gora hit each one of them on the head

with a stick. All of them humbly submitted to this,

but Namdev refused to be hit. All the saints

laughed at him, calling him 'half-baked.' He went

running to the Lord who comforted him and told

him that unless he attained Enlightenment, he

would not understand the significance of the saints'

actions. For that purpose, He asked Namdev to go

to Vishoba Kechara who was staying in a Shiva

temple on the outskirts of some village.

Reaching there, he entered the temple and

saw an old man lying down with his feet resting on

the Shiva Lingam. Indignant at this sacrilege,

Namdev clapped his hands to wake up the old

man. Waking with a start, the old man saw

Namdev and said, "Oh, you are that Namdev who

Vittal has sent, aren't you?" Namdev was shocked

and thought that this man must be a great being.

He said, "You seem to be a great man, but why are

you resting your feet on the Lingam?" "Oh, are

they on the Lingam? Please remove them for me. I

am very tired," said the saint. Namdev lifted the

old man's legs and placed them in various spots,

but wherever he put them, a Shiva Lingam

appeared on the spot. Finally, he put them in his

own lap and himself attained the State of Shiva.

Please note that it was only after he

surrendered himself to the Guru and touched his

feet did Enlightenment come to him. Now

Vishoba Kechara asked him to go. He returned to

his village and spent most of his time in his house.

Noticing that Namdev was not coming to the

temple anymore, Vittal went to his house and

enquired why. "You cannot fool me anymore, O

Lord. Where is it that You are not? And can I exist

in any way apart from You?" It was to learn this

lesson that the Lord sent him to a Guru.

9. IMPORTANCE OF A GURU ACCORDING

TO GURU NANAK

One day Govinda Singh asked his teacher Guru

Nanak about the importance of the Guru. "The

better you become as a disciple, the better you will

understand about the Guru," replied Nanak. He

then gave a jewel to him and asked him to take it to

the market to get it priced by various people and

then bring it back. A flower seller offered Govinda

one rupee; a fruit vendor offered him three apples;

a petty goldsmith offered him a hundred rupees

while another jeweller offered him a thousand

rupees. One of the best jewellers offered him

twenty-thousand rupees while the best jeweller in

the town told him, "This is invaluable. Don't sell it

for any amount."

10. GRACE ON TOTAKACHARYA BY

SANKARACHARYA

Giri was a humble and devoted disciple of

Sankaracharya. One day he was washing the sage's

clothes when the scriptural class began. The other

students made fun of him in front of the Acharya.

Sankara felt compassionate towards Giri and

wanted to teach a lesson to the proud students.

Even as Giri was washing the clothes, the

knowledge of all the scriptures spontaneously

flashed on his mind due to the special transmission

of Grace by his Guru. He came running to the

class reciting beautiful Sanskrit verses composed

extemporaneously in the difficult totaka metre. The

other students were humbled. Giri was later given

the name Totakacharya.

11. GURU ARJAN TESTS BHAI MANJH

Bhai Manjh was a wealthy landlord who owned a

whole village. His form of devotion was to worship

the tomb of a holy man named Sakhi Sarwar. But

one day he heard the Sikh Guru Arjan during a

satsang which made such a profound impression

on him that he decided to seek initiation from the

Guru.

Guru Arjan was an omniscient being yet he

asked him whom he was following at present, to

which he replied the name of the deceased saint. "I

will grant you initiation after you have gone back to

your house and dismantled your puja room," said

the Guru. Manjh ran to his house as fast as he

could and tore down every brick of the room. A

number of people who had gathered to watch him

solemnly warned him, "Bhai, you will have to pay

very heavily for the desecration of this holy room.

We would not like to be in your shoes."

Manjh boldly replied, "I have done it

willingly and am ready to suffer any and all

consequences." When he returned to the Guru, the

Master bestowed initiation on him.

But it was destined that he should be put to

still further tests. Soon his horse died, then some

of his bullocks. Thieves took some of his

possessions. Then the people began to taunt him,

saying, "This is the result of the disrespect shown

to Sakhi Sarwar. You should go and rebuild the

temple in your home." But none of this bothered

Manjh. He said, "I do not care what happens. My

Guru is all-knowing and he knows what is best. Of

that, nothing can shake my belief."

But one misfortune then followed another,

and before long he was not only destitute, but

owed money to many people. All of them

demanded immediate repayment saying, "Either

pay us or leave the village immediately." Many of

his friends pleaded with him saying, "If you would

only rebuild the temple, things would be sure to

take a turn for the better." But Manjh remained

adamant and preferred to leave the village. So he

and his wife and daughter packed up their few

remaining belongings and found shelter in another

village. As he had been a rich landlord, he had

never had to learn a trade. But it was now

necessary for him to earn some money, so he

began to make his livelihood by cutting and selling

grass.

Several months went by in this way, when

one day Guru Arjan sent Manjh a letter which was

delivered by one of his disciples. To the disciple,

the Guru said, "Please be sure to demand twenty

rupees as an offering before you give Bhai Manjh

the letter. If he does not pay you, bring back the

letter." Manjh was delighted to see the letter, but

he had no money to pay the fee. He asked his wife

what to do and she said, "I will take my ornaments

and those of my daughter and sell them to the

goldsmith." The goldsmith offered them exactly

twenty rupees which was given to the disciple.

Manjh received the letter, kissed it and held it to

his heart. At that moment he went into samadhi.

But the Guru wished to test him still further,

and so he told one of his disciples, "Ask Bhai

Manjh to come to my ashram." Manjh and his

family ran to the Guru's ashram and settled down

there. They went to work in the kitchen cleaning

vessels and cutting firewood. After a few days, the

Guru asked, "Where does Bhai Manjh take his

food?" "He eats with all the rest of us, getting his

food from the free kitchen," replied one of the

disciples. "It seems to me," said the Guru, "that he

is not doing real service, for then he would expect

nothing in return for his work. He is charging us

for his wages, which he takes in the form of food."

When Manjh heard this from his wife, he

said, "I want nothing in return for service to the

beloved Guru, who has given me the priceless gem

of my mantra. We will get our food by some other

means." So from that day onwards, he went to the

forest each night to cut wood and sold it in the

bazaar and used the proceeds to buy food. During

the daytime, he and his wife continued to work in

the kitchen.

Some time later, Manjh had gone to the

forest to cut wood when there was a great wind

storm. The wind was so fierce that it blew him and

his bundle of wood into a well. The Guru was

aware of everything and called some of his

disciples and told them to get a board and some

rope and follow him to the forest.

When they reached the forest, the Guru said,

"Bai Manjh is at the bottom of this well. Shout

down to him and tell him that we will lower a

board tied to a rope. Tell him to cling to the board

and we will put him out." He also added some

words privately to one disciple, the one who was to

call into the well.

After shouting into the well, the disciple

added, "Brother, see the wretched condition you

are in. And it is all due to the way the Guru has

treated you. Why don't you forget a Guru who

does such things?" "What? Forget the beloved

Guru? Never!" shouted Bhai Manjh. "And as for

you, ungrateful one, please never again speak so

disrespectfully of the Guru in my presence. It

makes me suffer agony to hear such shameful

words."

Manjh was then asked to catch hold of the

board but he insisted that the wood be pulled out

of the well first. "It is for the Guru's kitchen and I

am afraid that it will get wet and not burn," he said.

Finally he came out of the well and came face to

face with the Satguru who said to him,

"Brother, you have gone through many trials

and have met all of them with courage, faith and

devotion to the Satguru. Please ask for some gift or

boon. You have earned it and it would make me

very happy to give it to you."

At this, Bhai Manjh fell on his knees before

his beloved Master and with tears streaming down

his cheeks, he exclaimed, "What boon could I wish

for but you alone? Nothing else could ever be of

any interest to me."

Upon hearing these words spoken from his

heart, the Guru embraced Bhai Manjh and said,

"Manjh is the darling of his Guru,

And Guru is Manjh's only love.

Manjh now, like the Guru,

Is a ship that carries people safely across

The ocean of life and death."

Kabir prayed, "Give me the gift of devotion,

O my Guru. Nothing else do I desire except Thy

service day and night."

"If ye love me and keep my commandments,

then are ye my disciples indeed," said the Christ.

12. BHAI GURUDAS TESTED BY GURU ARJAN

Bhai Gurudas was the uncle and devoted disciple

of the Sikh Guru Arjan. At one time he composed

the following couplets and read them to the Guru:

If a mother is impious, it is not for her son to

punish her;

If a cow swallows a diamond, her stomach

should not be cut open;

If a husband is unfaithful, the wife should

never imitate him or lose her chastity;

If a high caste lady takes to wine, people

should not take it ill;

If the Guru test his disciple, the disciple's

faith should not waver.

Guru Arjan listened attentively as Gurudas

read. When he finished, the Guru thought, "All

these things are easier said than done. Let me test

his faith." Turning to Gurudas, he said, "Uncle, I

have to buy some horses at Kabul. Will you be able

to do this for me?" "Why not? Certainly," replied

Gurudas.

Accordingly, the Guru filled several bags

with gold sovereigns. Gurudas counted them, and

then sealed the bags and put them into strong

wooden boxes. These were loaded onto the backs

of mules and he along with a number of disciples

started out on the long and arduous journey to

Kabul from Lahore where the Guru was residing.

In due course, after passing through the Khyber

Pass, they reached Kabul amoung the mountains

of Hindu Kush.

In the great horse market of this ancient city,

Gurudas bargained with the horse traders and

finally purchased the best horses that he could

find. These were taken by the other disciples who

were to take them slowly to Lahore. Meanwhile,

Gurudas asked the horse traders to come to his

tent to be paid. Leaving them outside, he entered

the tent to get the gold.

Opening a few of the boxes, he took out the

needed bags but felt that something was wrong. He

opened all of the bags and to his horror he found

that every one of them was filled with pebbles

instead of gold. He was now beside himself with

fear, for he knew the savage nature of the horse

dealers. "There they are waiting outside the tent for

me to pay them, and if I don't, they will cut me to

pieces," he thought. He taxed his brain and finally

decided that the only that he might escape was to

cut the back of the tent and escape through the

hole. He did not even pray to his Guru for help, so

full of terror was he. Jumping through the hole, he

escaped and ran away at full speed. Ashamed to

face his Guru, he passed through Lahore and made

his way all the way to Kashi, hundreds of miles to

the east.

Meanwhile, the other members of his party

entered his tent to find out why he was delaying in

paying the horse dealers. There they found all of

the boxes open and filled with gold, but there was

no sign of Gurudas. They also saw the hole in the

back of the tent. They then paid the horse traders

and made their way back to Lahore where they told

Guru Arjan about all that had happened.

After Gurudas had settled down in Kashi, he

started to expound the great truths of the

scriptures in public places and soon attracted a

large crowd. Finally, even the Governor of Kashi

also came to hear and admire his beautiful

discourses.

After a few months, Guru Arjan sent a letter

to the Governor of Kashi in which he wrote,

"There is a thief of mine in Kashi and I am writing

to ask you kindly to take him prisoner, tie his

hands and send him to me. You will not have to

search hard for this thief. The mere reading of this

letter in places of public assembly and religious

discourses will find him, for the thief will himself

speak out upon hearing the letter read."

In due course, the letter was read where

Gurudas was giving a discourse to a large crowd of

people. But the moment he heard the letter, he

stood up and said, "I am the Guru's thief." His

listeners were stunned. "You could never be a

thief, for you are a holy man. The thief must be

someone else," they said. But Gurudas insisted,

"No, it is I who am the thief. there is no doubt

about it. Please tie my hands so that I do not

escape."

No one came forward to do so, for it was

unthinkable to tie up a holy man like a common

robber. So Gurudas unbound his turban and

cutting it in two, he tied his own hands with it.

Tied like this, he then happily made his way to

Lahore. When he finally reached there and stood

before the Guru, the Guru said,

"Brother, please repeat those couplets you

read to me just before I asked you to go to Kabul."

But Gurudas, having been tested and put

through some bitter experiences to try his love and

faith, fell at the Guru's feet and exclaimed,

"If a mother gives poison to her son,

Who is it that will save him?

If the watchman breaks into the house,

Who can protect it?

If a guide misleads the traveller,

Who can set him on the right path?

If the fence starts to eat the crop, who can

save it?

Even so, if the Guru tests the disciples,

Who can help them to remain steadfast?"

Only the Satguru, through his spiritual power

and grace, can keep the disciple steadfast and filled

with devotion under trying circumstances.

13. SON LEARNS STEALING

Noticing that his father was growing old, the son

of a burglar said, "Father, teach me your trade so

that when you retire I may carry on the family

tradition."

The father did not reply but that night he

took the boy along with him to break into a house.

Once inside, he opened a closet and asked his son

to find out what was inside. No sooner had the lad

stepped in then the father slammed the door shut

and bolted it making such a noise in the process

that the whole house was awakened. Then he

himself slipped quietly away.

Inside the closet the boy was terrified, angry

and puzzled as to how he was going to make his

escape. Then an idea came to him. He began to

make a noise like a cat; whereupon a servant lit a

candle and opened the closet to let the cat out. The

boy jumped out as soon as the closet door opened

and everyone gave chase. Observing a well beside

the road he threw a large stone into it and hid in

the shadows; then stole away while his pursuers

peered into the depths hoping to see the burglar

drown.

Back home again the boy forgot his anger in

his eagerness to tell his story. But his father said.

"Why tell me the tale? You are here. That is

enough. You have learnt the trade."

14. SHIBLI TESTS TWO DISCIPLES, ONE FIT

AND ONE UNFIT

Two men once came to a Mahatma named Shibli

for initiation. The saint saw that one was deserving

and the other was not. He therefore told them to

come to him separately, since each would have to

be dealt with differently.

When the first one came, the swami asked

him to recite a verse in praise of God. "What

would you like me to say?" asked the man. "God is

One; there is none except Him; and Shibli is His

prophet" said Shibli.

"O God, save me from this!" shouted the

man. "Why do you speak like this? What do you

mean? Are you out of your mind?"

The saint said, "Please, friend, why do you

speak like this?"

Without hesitation, the man said, "Why, it is

perfectly plain to see. What are you? Nothing but a

common sadhu. There are hundreds like you,

without any particular greatness. Yet you claim to

be a holy prophet of God Himself. And now, you

imposture, why did you utter such words?"

demanded the man.

"I uttered them because I was almost on the

point of giving away a priceless gift to an

undeserving person. My friend, you should not

have come to me. It would be better if you would

go to some priest in a temple," said the saint with

great kindness.

When the second man came, Shibli asked

him to repeat the same verse. "O, what a great pity!

If you are only a prophet, then I have no need of

you," said the man. "What was it then, that you

were seeking, brother?" asked the saint. "Why, I

was looking for one who is one with God. I have

been told that such God-men exist and that they

can teach their disciples how to become one with

God. I heard that you were one such man, but now

it turns out that you are only a prophet."

Sadly, the man turned to go. Shibli then

touched him on the shoulder and the man

experienced a deep ecstacy. Shibli said to

him,"Brother, you are the deserving one for

initiation. Have no doubts; I will initiate you into

the mysteries of God." Only the Guru who is one

with God deserves to be called a Guru and only

such a one can take us to Him.

15. SUKADEV'S TEST BY JANAKA

Sukhadev was the son of the great rishi Vedavyasa,

and due to his previous samskaras, he was

endowed with True Knowledge even while in the

womb of his mother. As a child, he used to spend

all of his time meditating in the forest near his

father's ashram.

One day while he was meditating, a desire

arose in his mind to go to Vaikuntha to see Lord

Vishnu. However, when he reached there, the

gatekeepers informed Lord Vishnu who came and

told him, "We are very sorry, but you have no

Guru and those without a Guru can never enter

here."

Suka returned to his father and told him what

had happened. He was a bit vain and proud,

thinking that he was the son of a great rishi, that he

had already done so many years of tapas, and so

there was no need of a Guru. However, as Lord

Vishnu Himself had said that a Guru was

necessary, Suka sought his father's advice as to

who he should select as his Guru. His father told

him,

"There is only one Guru for you and that is

King Janaka of Videha."

"Father, have you lost your mind? What is

there in common between a king and a sannyasi?

How can I take him as my Guru?" asked Suka.

"There is nobody else who could be your

Guru," replied the sage.

Twelve times the sage sent the boy to King

Janaka and twelve times he returned even before

reaching there due to his doubts and misgivings.

Once he even reached the palace, but on seeing the

richness of the palace and the great assemblage of

worldly people, he thought that the king must be

one who is given up to sensual pleasure, and so he

was not prepared to accept him as his Master.

The more doubts and suspicions one has

about a Realized Soul, the more one harms oneself.

Suspecting or slandering a Mahatma destroys one's

merits (punyam). When Suka was being sent back

to the king for the thirteenth time, the sage Narada

took pity on him. He disguised himself as an old

brahmin and was carrying a basket of earth on his

head. As he approached a small river which was

flowing nearby, he would throw the earth into it

and it would get washed away. Seeing this, Suka

accosted him and said, "Look here, old man. First

put some sticks across the stream and then some

large lumps of earth on them and then only throw

the earth on that. Otherwise it will be only fruitless

labour if you are trying to build a dam across the

river the way you are doing it."

"I am only losing my day's effort," said

Narada, "but there is a young man who is a bigger

fool than I am, and he is Suka Deva, the son of

Vedavyasa. For he has already lost twelve of the

fourteen merits that he possessed. He has only two

left." When Suka heard this, he fell down in a faint.

When he regained consciousness, he was all alone,

but he remembered the words of the old man and

rushed to the king's palace.

Still having some pride that he was the son of

Vedavyasa, he thought that the king would come

and meet him on the way. But no one came to

meet him. When the king was informed of his

arrival, he gave the orders, "Let him stand right

where he is." Suka just happened to be standing on

the spot where the palace garbage was thrown over

the wall, and as a result, it was not long before he

was buried under the refuse.

Four days passed in this way when the king

enquired, "What happened to Suka who had come

to see me?" "He has been standing in the same

spot, Maharaj," replied the servant."Let him be

extricated from the heap of rubbish, bathed,

dressed and brought here," ordered the king.

King Janaka, knowing that Suka was proud

of his renunciation, created an illusion. Just after

Suka entered the room, a servant came running in

with a report that the entire town was on fire. "It's

all God's Will," said Janaka cooly. After a short

while another report came that all of the king's

courts were reduced to ashes. "God's Will," said

the king. Then the news came that the king's own

palace was on fire. "All God's Will," repeated the

king. Suka was thinking what a fool the king was

not to do anything about the fire. Suka grabbed his

bag and started to run away to save himself from

the approaching fire, but the king caught hold of

his arm.

"Look," said the king, "all of my wealth and

possessions have been burnt to ashes, but I haven't

bothered about them. Now that the fire has

reached the palace, you have taken hold of this

small bundle of your possessions with the intention

of saving them. After all, what are your things

worth? Now, who exactly is the greater renunciate

- you or I?"

Suka realized that the king was a true

renunciate and sought initiation from him but the

king said, "You do not deserve it."

Now the king ordered that a great festival be

held in honour of Suka's visit to the city.

Festivities, dances, plays and various stalls were set

up. All was to entertain Suka. When everything was

ready, the king ask Suka to go through the city and

enjoy everything, "But," said the king, "please carry

this full cup of milk with you wherever you go."

He then bade the soldiers who were to accompany

Suka,

"Take Suka through every part of the city.

Let him see everything and miss nothing. But if he

should spill a single drop of milk from this cup, my

orders are that you should behead him on the

spot."

Suka went out with the soldiers and came

back in the evening. "I am sure that you had a nice

time? How did you enjoy everything?"

"O king, as it turned out, I saw nothing, for

at every moment all of my thoughts were

concentrated on this cup, lest I should spill a drop

and lose my life," said Suka.

"Suka, that is how I live in the midst of all

this luxury and grandeur. I see nothing. For at

every moment my thoughts are centered on the

Lord lest I too should lose my life," said the king.

"Imagine that the cup is death, the milk is your

mind, and the festivities are the ephemeral

pleasures and splendours of the world. I pass

through this world with great caution, so that the

milk of the mind is not spilled, or agitated, and all

attention is concentrated every moment on Him.

For even a moment spent in not thinking of Him

would be death to me."

The king could now see that Suka's mind was

cleansed of pride and was ready, so he initiated

him.

16. GURU AMARDAS HAS DISCIPLES BUILT

MUD PLATFORMS

When the Sikh Guru Amardas was 105 years old,

he wanted to appoint a successor, but as there were

many candidates, he decided to put them all

through a test. He asked each one of them to get

some earth and build a mud platform.

Everyone ran and got a basket of earth and

then built a platform. When all of them were

completed, the Guru said, "I am sorry, but these

platforms are not as good as I expected them to

be. Will you please tear them down and build them

over again?"

This was done and then the Guru said, "This

is not a suitable place for these. Please tear them

down and build them on that piece of land over

there."

When this was done, the Guru came to

inspect them. "Hmm, I don't like this piece of land

either. So why don't you build your platforms over

there?" said the Guru.

Many of the disciples thought that the Guru

had become senile in his old age and was no longer

in full possession of his senses. So much so, many

of them abandoned the work, leaving only a few.

But even when these few built up their platforms,

the Guru continued to reject them again and again.

After some time, there was only one man

left, a middle-aged man named Ramdas. Seeing

him continue to build and tear down platforms, the

other disciples taunted and jeered at him, telling

him how foolish he was to try to please the Guru,

since he did not seem to be in his right mind.

Ramdas stopped his work for a moment and said

to them,

"Brother, the whole world is blind, but if

there is one man who can see, it is the Satguru.

Then, too, the whole world is mad. It is only the

Satguru who is sane." They then told him that both

he and the Guru were no doubt out of their minds.

"You may say whatever you like about my humble

self, but do not utter a single disrespectful word

about my Satguru. Even if I should have to make

platforms for the rest of my life in obedience to his

wishes, by his grace I would continue to do so,"

said Ramdas.

In the end, Ramdas cheerfully made and

remade the platforms seventy times in all. Then

Guru Amardas said to him, "You may stop

building now, Ramdas. I am very pleased with you.

For you alone have given me implicit obedience

and complete surrender to my will and wishes."

Turning to the others, he said, "There was not one

of you who cheerfully obeyed one of the first rules

of being a true disciple - to give the Guru your full

love and devotion, have utter faith in him and obey

his wishes with a cheerful heart." The Guru then

made Ramdas the next Sikh Guru.

The disciple who serves at the Guru's feet,

and patiently obeys the Guru's orders,

And abandons his will to the True Gurusuch

a man's doings shall prosper. (Guru Arjan)

17. KABIR HUMBLES DHARAMDAS, THE

MERCHANT

Dharamdas was a wealthy merchant who had been

a companion of Kabir's in his previous life. Kabir

wanted to grant him Liberation and therefore went

to his house. At that time, Dharamdas and his wife,

Amna, were sitting near a wooden fire. Kabir said,

"You are a very great sinner, my friend, for

you kill jivas."

Amna was annoyed and said, "My husband is

not a sinner; it is you who are the sinner for

accusing my husband like this."

"Please cut open the piece of wood there and

see what you are actually burning," replied Kabir.

He then got up and went away.

Dharamdas then cut open the wood and

found that it was full of ants. Seeing this, he

repented and told his wife that it was her bad

temper that had driven the saint away. If he had

understood Kabir's greatness before, he would

have sought initiation from him and obtained

peace. Amna said,

"Wherever there is anything sweet, there is

no dearth of flies. You are a wealthy man and once

you announce that you are giving a great feast, the

saints will come of themselves and this one (Kabir)

will be among them."

So, at her suggestion, he gave a great feast at

Kashi, where Kabir lived, but Kabir did not come.

The same sort of feast was held in other pilgrimage

places, but Kabir never came to any of them.

Dharamdas grew more and more

downhearted as the years passed, for he could not

find Kabir. Finally he decided to drown himself in

the Ganga. As he was walking along the bank, he

saw Kabir sitting there. Falling at his feet, he asked,

"Why didn't you meet me earlier so that I

could have served you with all the wealth that I

possessed? Now I am a pauper, having spent all of

my wealth in giving feasts to attract you." Kabir

replied,

"That is just why I did not wish to meet you

before this. If you still possessed your great wealth

and were attached to it, you would not be ready for

initiation. Also, if I had met you then, you would

have thought that I was greedy and that the saints,

as your wife told you, are attracted by the wealth of

seekers. Now you are no longer intoxicated by

wealth and your mind is not poisoned by false

ideas. You have been forced to learn humility and

have developed the insatiable longing for a Guru

which arises in the hearts of all true seekers. So

now you are ready to receive initiation."

Dharamdas later rose to such spiritual heights that

Kabir appointed him as his successor.

Though thou art like a guest for the night,

Who must part betimes in the morning,

Thou makest thyself busy with the world's affairs.

Remember, this is a garden of flowers that must

fade. (Guru Arjan)

18. TWO FARMERS MISS THE GURU'S

DARSHAN

Two farmers were both steeped in the love of their

Guru. They would never start their daily duties

until they had sat in meditation for some hours and

had witnessed the form of their Master.

Such sincere seekers are always and invariably

put through tests of faith by the Guru. During the

growing season, these two farmers were sitting in

meditation. It was the day that the reservoir would

release water for the farmers' cultivation. But on

that day, in spite of the fact that they sat for a long

time, they did not get the darshan of their Guru.

One said to the other,

"I am not seeing the Master within today."

"I too have failed," said the other. "But if we

don't go to the fields soon, we will miss our chance

to get the water and our crops will die."

"Let them die, for they belong to the

Satguru," said the other farmer with devotional

fervour.

With this attitude, they both sat down again

for meditation, and lo! the radiant form of their

Master immediately appeared before them.

Just as metal is pruified by melting it in fire,

So does a true lover of God become transmuted

into gold by successfully passing through a trial.

(Kabir)

Om Tat Sat

(Continued...)

(My humble salutations to Sadguru Sri Sivaya Subramuniyaswami ji, Hinduism Today dot com for the collection)

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Thursday, June 13, 2013