Home > 2006 Issues > December 10, 2006

Kids? Org Nagarjun and the thief By M.V. Kolhatkar There was a recluse (sanyasi) byname Nagarjun. He wore a saffron robe and always had a kamandal (an earthern or wooden water pot used by ascetics and devout persons) in his hand. He used wooden sandals and had an easy smile glowing on his face. Secondly, he could have an instant and quiet sleep always under his command. These were some of his rare possessions. Nargarjun was a roving type of sadhu. One day Nagarjun was out in the city of Pataliputra for noontime holy alms. The queen of the capital city rushed for the darshan of the sadhu. She paid obeisance to Nagarjun and offered him a valuable diamond by way of alms. It was the practice with Nagarjun to accept quietly whatever was offered to him by way of alms. So he had no alternative than to accept the valuable diamond. A robber who was passing by the road noticed that Nagarjun had placed the diamond in the fold of his jholi (the loose portion of a garment held out to receive something). So the robber started following Nagarjun sneakingly. Nagarjun then went to the bank of a river. He kept the diamond aside. He then dipped the jholi containing alms in the river and then offered a certain portion of the alms to the crows moving around and some portion to the cows. Nagarjun ate the left back alms with joy considering the alms as a gift from the God after uttering the words, ?Let the persons on the earth ever remain happy?. Nagarjun then cleaned his jholi, dried it up over the sand, lifted the diamond and started walking. Soon he entered a dilapidated and deserted structure outside the city. Before entering therein, he threw away the diamond as easily as a stone. He spread his body over the floor and soon went into a deep sleep. The robber who was following Nagarjun quickly lifted the thrown diamond. The robber then lingered there for a while. He felt like looking at the slept sadhu?s face glimmering with unusual luster. The robber did not feel like leaving the place. Soon Nagarjun awoke and started singing the devotional song. The robber moved ahead, saluted Nagarjun and in all humility he asked Nagarjun, ?How is it that you so easily parted with the diamond?? Nagarjun smiled and said, ?It was a useless thing for me. It could not alleviate my hunger.? The robber then asked Nagarjun whether he would teach him meditation. The robber further added that he had approached various sadhus before with such requests. However, the sadhus had advised him to discard robbery to qualify himself for lessons in meditation. The condition was obviously unacceptable to the robber. Nagarjun smiled and said, ?Alright, I will teach you meditation. You need not discontinue robbery. However, I will impart you a simple lesson which you will have to follow steadfastly?. ?I promise you to do so Sir,? said the robber. ?The lesson is simple and straight. Before performing any action, big or small, you will ask yourself two questions viz., What is it that I will do now? How shall I do it? You ask yourself the question; You make yourself hear the answer and then undertake the action.? Nagarjun further said, ?This is meditation. Nothing more, nothing less.? The robber promised to follow the lesson in letter and spirit. He then left the scene. After some days the robber approached Nagarjun. The robber was visibly upset. The robber said, ?Sir I am following your lesson meticulously. However, this process of prior self-questioning and self-answering make me falter while committing robbery. In fact my confidence is shaking, my skill is diminishing.? Nagarjun said, ?That means you are practicing meditation on correct lines. Please go ahead in all seriousness with the lesson. It is your own enlightened mind, which will show you the path further.? The robber continued the practice of self questioning and self-answering in all sincerity. He soon renounced robbery and started earning his bread and butter working as a labourer on housing projects. Earlier he was engaged in breaking the houses. Now he was happy in construction thereof.

Previous Page (19/39) - Next Page (21/39)