Do Good in a Proper way! – Story!
Once, there lived a sage named Devasarma.
His wife’s name was Ruchi. Her beauty captivated not only the inhabitants of the earthly realm but also the celestials in the heavens.
Indra, the King of Gods, desired to possess her.
However, Devasarma, a sage of immense spiritual power, guarded his wife to ensure Indra could not approach her.
On one occasion, Devasarma had to travel elsewhere to perform a ritual sacrifice.
He pondered how to protect his wife in his absence and summoned his disciple, Vipula, who also possessed great spiritual strength.
“You must protect my wife,” he said. “Indra desires her and is desperate to possess her. He might assume any illusory form—he could appear as a gentle ascetic or a lowly outcast; he might hiss like a tiger, take the form of a cat, or roam as a bird. No one knows what shape he might take. You must use your ingenuity to protect her at all costs.”
Upon hearing this, Vipula worried about how he would manage to guard her.
He ensured that no one could come near her.
Yet, he remained apprehensive.
Indra was capable of slipping through the tiniest crack in the door, even in the form of the wind.
“There is only one way to thwart him, given his mastery over illusion: I must protect her through the power of my own penance.”
He resolved to channel his spiritual energy into her body through the connection of their gazes, thereby rendering her immovable and secure.
He succeeded in locking his gaze with hers, channeling his power into her body, and effectively preventing Indra from reaching her.
Thus, Vipula guarded his guru’s wife until his master returned.
While the disciple was guarding his guru’s wife in this manner, Indra arrived at the ashram one day, appearing in a form of extraordinary beauty.
Enraptured by ‘Ruchi’s’ beauty, he spoke sweet words.
He urged her to come to him.
Bound by the power of Vipula’s penance, the Guru’s wife lay immobilized.
She could neither move from where she stood nor find the words to speak.
Indra was filled with fear upon witnessing this act and the power of Vipula’s penance. “Have you forgotten the humiliation you suffered earlier due to your lust for Ahalya?
‘Leave before my Guru arrives and curses you’—as this thunderous voice reached Indra’s ears, he recognized it as Vipula’s.
He vanished from the spot.
Devasharma completed his ritual and returned to the hermitage.
Vipula bowed to him, handed over the Guru’s wife whom he had protected, and informed him of Indra’s visit.
However, he did not reveal the details of how he had protected her from him.
Devasharma was delighted to learn that his wife was safe.
He praised Vipula and asked him to choose a boon.
Vipula asked for and received the boon of never deviating from the path of righteousness.
Having received the boon from his Guru, Vipula went to the forest to perform penance.
He undertook severe penance.
His penance bore fruit.
He began to travel freely, filled with joy.
One day, a celestial maiden was flying through the sky above Devasharma’s hermitage.
A fragrant flower she wore fell near the hermitage.
The Guru’s wife told Devasharma that she desired such a flower.
He ordered his disciple: “Vipula, to go and find such a flower.”
Obeying his Guru’s command, Vipula went to the forest and, after great effort, obtained that rare, fragrant flower.
As he was returning to the hermitage with it, he saw two people playing a game, spinning around while holding each other’s hands like the spokes of a wheel.
While playing, they made a vow.
They swore that the loser of the game would suffer the same hellish fate that awaited Vipula for having told a lie.
Hearing this, Vipula trembled and felt disheartened.
Then, even more than that. He witnessed a shocking scene.
Six individuals were gambling.
As they gambled, they declared, “Those among us who are driven by greed and speak falsehoods shall end up in the very hell reserved for Vibula.”
Hearing this, he was overcome with anguish, feeling as though he had been seared by fire.
He pondered deeply, asking himself, “What wrong have I committed?”
He wondered if the cause might be that he had not revealed to his Guru how he had saved the Guru’s wife—by locking eyes with her and channeling his energy into her body to protect her.
Disturbed by these thoughts, he returned to the ashram, offered flowers to his Guru, and paid his respects.
He then recounted what he had witnessed.
He expressed his inner turmoil: “Who were those two? Who were the other six? What transgression did I commit? Why did they utter such a curse? Please, I beg you to explain.”
“Disciple! I understand your confusion. You committed only one offense. You concealed the truth about how you saved my wife. You must realize that concealing the truth is, in itself, a form of falsehood. Yet, some became aware of the secret act you performed. If only one person knows a thing, it remains a secret. If two know it, it becomes public knowledge. The two you mentioned are “Day” and “Night”.
The six are the Seasons. Day, Night, and the Seasons—nothing remains hidden from them. It was out of the fear—’Was what I did right?’—that you concealed the fact that you saved my wife by locking eyes with her.
There is a proper way to go about doing good. You acted in that manner with an improper thought…”
MORAL:
One should do even good in a proper way.
(Talent is related to Persons, not tools – Story! READ HERE!)