Sages & Sense Control – Story
Sense Control is difficult even for the sages. This Post gives the interesting & brief stories of three such sages. Read:
(1)
There was once a sage who had certain specifications in mind, when it came to who he would marry.
As a result, he was unable to find a suitable spouse.
But he did not give up, hoping that things would work out.
Once, as he travelled through a forest, he saw many pious men, hanging upside down.
He wondered why they were subject to such torture, and they replied that their descendant was not married.
Unless he married and had progeny, the debt to his ancestors could not be fulfilled, and as long as that was not fulfilled, they would have to suffer such agony.
The man they had in mind was none other than the sage who had laid down a stringent condition for his marriage.
Realising his folly, the sage set out to fulfil his obligation to his ancestors.
(2)
There was another sage, whose story shows how easy it is to fall prey to one’s senses.
This sage married a woman and had his head on her lap.
One day, he suddenly jumped up and said he had forgotten to observe his evening rituals.
Thereupon his wife replied that he had not forgotten only that evening, but he had forgotten his evening rituals for the last several years.
The two of them had been married for many years, and all those years, the sage had had no thought of any thing else but his wife!
(3)
Another sage, who had done penance under water for many years, decided that he too should have a family of his own.
He approached a king and asked him to give him one of his daughters in marriage.
The king said he would, if any of his daughters chose to marry the sage.
The sage, using his powers, appeared as a young man before them, and all of them chose him as their husband!
The king reluctantly agreed to give his daughters in marriage to the sage.
The sage housed the fifty princesses in separate mansions and kept each of them happy.
MORAL:
Thus even a sage who had subjected himself to severe hardships could not resist worldly temptations.
Then, how they differ from ordinary people?
But sages would correct themselves and make amends for their conduct.
The lesson for us is that since even sages can be tempted, and can fall prey to temptation, we should be very careful in controlling our senses.
(GREATNESS OF VEDAS – STORY! READ HERE!)