His little elder brother
In a village there lived an indigent widow with a child of five years. The man of the house had left for God's abode when the child was just one year and what he left behind was only a thatched house, a little land and a few cattle. The lady was, through her dint of hard work, tilling the soil, rearing the cattle and eking out an income to keep the child and herself away from hunger. She would have preferred t have forty eight hours for a day to do all her chores. The child Ram was now ready to go to a gurukul to learn his first letters. The boy was enthusiastic but the gurukul was some seven miles away with a stretch of thick forest spanning three miles intervening. The boy could not travel the distance, especially the forest track for fear of the obvious dangers. The mother had no time to accompany the child lest they would starve.
So she told little Ram, " My child you can go to school from tomorrow.. Remember that you have a little elder brother who lives in the forest, rearing his own cows and happily singing on his flute. When you reach the forest area, you just call your elder brother, and he will look after you. But mind you he is a very shy boy. If you ask anything about him he will simply leave you and go away. So simply obey him and follow him."
The child had absolute faith in what his mother said. He set out to school the next morning. When he reached the precincts of the forest the child was terrified. He did not know how to proceed. He called out, "My Anna, I do not know how to go ahead, come and take me through the fores"
True to the mother's words, there appeared a dark little boy slightly older than Ram. He was surrounded by some cows and calves and he had a rustic flute which he had tucked to his hip-garment. " Young brother, I knew you will come. Now walk along with me. I will lead you through the forest path." The elder brother entertained the younger one with music, snacks and nice stories, and the child did not know the tiredness of walking so long a distance. While leaving him, the Anna said, " when you are coming back, you just call out to me, and we can happily walk back."
This happy routine continued for days. The mother was happy. Ram was a bright boy and the guru was also pleased. The class consisted of many princes and other rich students but the Guru was always kind to our little Ram.
One day it was announced that the Guru's daughter was getting married. The students were all invited for the happy function. It was the duty of the disciples to offer presents to the Guru's daughter on such occasion. Ram asked his mother what he could do. She has nothing to give. She said, "Ask your Anna"
That morning Ram unburdened his woes to his Anna. The elder brother was cheerful. " Do not worry. I shall arrange for a present."
He just filled a coconut shell with the milk from a cow he was rearing and told the young boy to give this shell with milk as the present.
The innocent Ram was happy. He carried the small coconut shell with little milk in it with great gusto and offered it as present to the marital couple. The affluent classmates around him were laughing at him. The Guru's servant openly quipped "what is to be done with this little milk in a dirty coconut shell?" The guru was kind. He instructed the servant to pour the milk into a cistern. But when the milk was poured , the flow never stopped. The cistern, and all other utensils in the house were filled with milk, but still milk was flowing.. that milk of divine aroma and taste.. The teacher was wonder-stuck. " From where did you get this cup of milk?" He asked.
The innocent boy that Ram was recounted all his story about his daily travel with his Anna, and how the elder brother had secured the present for the young child.
"What is the name of your elder brother?" Asked the Guru. The child replied that his mother had instructed him not to ask any personal questions to the Anna and so he did not know.
But the Guru knew. " That Anna of your is none other than Govinda himself. Come to the forest, let us all have a darshan of Him" The guru, his family and his sishyas all made a beeline to the forest, with Ram in the lead. As usual, Ram called out his Anna. There was no response. He repeated the address a few more times and when there was no result, Ram started crying.
Then a voice came from the forest, " My younger brother Ram , you are innocent and you did not know who I was. So I was visible to you and I played and sang with you. But now you know who I am, and all these people also know that. I cannot appear before you in person any more. But I love you so much.. Whenever you call me with love I will fulfill your wants.. But you cannot see me again."
In a village there lived an indigent widow with a child of five years. The man of the house had left for God's abode when the child was just one year and what he left behind was only a thatched house, a little land and a few cattle. The lady was, through her dint of hard work, tilling the soil, rearing the cattle and eking out an income to keep the child and herself away from hunger. She would have preferred t have forty eight hours for a day to do all her chores. The child Ram was now ready to go to a gurukul to learn his first letters. The boy was enthusiastic but the gurukul was some seven miles away with a stretch of thick forest spanning three miles intervening. The boy could not travel the distance, especially the forest track for fear of the obvious dangers. The mother had no time to accompany the child lest they would starve.
So she told little Ram, " My child you can go to school from tomorrow.. Remember that you have a little elder brother who lives in the forest, rearing his own cows and happily singing on his flute. When you reach the forest area, you just call your elder brother, and he will look after you. But mind you he is a very shy boy. If you ask anything about him he will simply leave you and go away. So simply obey him and follow him."
The child had absolute faith in what his mother said. He set out to school the next morning. When he reached the precincts of the forest the child was terrified. He did not know how to proceed. He called out, "My Anna, I do not know how to go ahead, come and take me through the fores"
True to the mother's words, there appeared a dark little boy slightly older than Ram. He was surrounded by some cows and calves and he had a rustic flute which he had tucked to his hip-garment. " Young brother, I knew you will come. Now walk along with me. I will lead you through the forest path." The elder brother entertained the younger one with music, snacks and nice stories, and the child did not know the tiredness of walking so long a distance. While leaving him, the Anna said, " when you are coming back, you just call out to me, and we can happily walk back."
This happy routine continued for days. The mother was happy. Ram was a bright boy and the guru was also pleased. The class consisted of many princes and other rich students but the Guru was always kind to our little Ram.
One day it was announced that the Guru's daughter was getting married. The students were all invited for the happy function. It was the duty of the disciples to offer presents to the Guru's daughter on such occasion. Ram asked his mother what he could do. She has nothing to give. She said, "Ask your Anna"
That morning Ram unburdened his woes to his Anna. The elder brother was cheerful. " Do not worry. I shall arrange for a present."
He just filled a coconut shell with the milk from a cow he was rearing and told the young boy to give this shell with milk as the present.
The innocent Ram was happy. He carried the small coconut shell with little milk in it with great gusto and offered it as present to the marital couple. The affluent classmates around him were laughing at him. The Guru's servant openly quipped "what is to be done with this little milk in a dirty coconut shell?" The guru was kind. He instructed the servant to pour the milk into a cistern. But when the milk was poured , the flow never stopped. The cistern, and all other utensils in the house were filled with milk, but still milk was flowing.. that milk of divine aroma and taste.. The teacher was wonder-stuck. " From where did you get this cup of milk?" He asked.
The innocent boy that Ram was recounted all his story about his daily travel with his Anna, and how the elder brother had secured the present for the young child.
"What is the name of your elder brother?" Asked the Guru. The child replied that his mother had instructed him not to ask any personal questions to the Anna and so he did not know.
But the Guru knew. " That Anna of your is none other than Govinda himself. Come to the forest, let us all have a darshan of Him" The guru, his family and his sishyas all made a beeline to the forest, with Ram in the lead. As usual, Ram called out his Anna. There was no response. He repeated the address a few more times and when there was no result, Ram started crying.
Then a voice came from the forest, " My younger brother Ram , you are innocent and you did not know who I was. So I was visible to you and I played and sang with you. But now you know who I am, and all these people also know that. I cannot appear before you in person any more. But I love you so much.. Whenever you call me with love I will fulfill your wants.. But you cannot see me again."
--
।श्रीकृष्णो रक्षतु।
|śrīkṛṣṇo rakṣatu|
Have a nice and happy day
with profound respect and warm regards
K V Ananthanarayanan
blog http://kanfusion.blogspot.com/
त्यजन्तु बान्धवाः सर्वे निन्दन्तु गुरवो जनाःI
तदापि परमानन्दो गोविन्दो मम जीवनंII
let all my relatives abandon me, let the great people insult me, still I am in supreme bliss since my life is GOVINDA alone.
Iकृष्णात् परं किमपि तत्वं अहं न जाने"I
लोकाः समस्ताः सुखिनो भवन्तु।
lokāḥ samastāḥ sukhino bhavantu|
|śrīkṛṣṇo rakṣatu|
Have a nice and happy day
with profound respect and warm regards
K V Ananthanarayanan
blog http://kanfusion.blogspot.com/
त्यजन्तु बान्धवाः सर्वे निन्दन्तु गुरवो जनाःI
तदापि परमानन्दो गोविन्दो मम जीवनंII
let all my relatives abandon me, let the great people insult me, still I am in supreme bliss since my life is GOVINDA alone.
Iकृष्णात् परं किमपि तत्वं अहं न जाने"I
लोकाः समस्ताः सुखिनो भवन्तु।
lokāḥ samastāḥ sukhino bhavantu|
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