True Learning
A long time ago, there was a
dormitory of Maharshi Satyik at the base of a hill. A few students lived
there. It was no a big building, but many small huts. The students learned
general knowledge and religious knowledge. They gave importance to moral
values. They lived on milk and whatever they grew in the farm. They were not
dependent on anyone but themselves.
One day, King Vikram, his
queen and some servants were passing by this area. They stooped at the river
bank near the dormitory. After a while, when they sat down to eat some
students from this dormitory were passing by. The king saw them and offered
them food. The students with respect said, "We can not take anything." The
king was very pleased with them for not showing any temptation.
After sometime, the king,
queen, and everybody left for their city. After a while, some students were
passing through there again. They noticed a shiny golden necklace. They
brought it to their teacher and asked him, "What should they do with the
necklace? " The teacher calmly said, "Hang it on the nail outside. Whoever
it belongs to can take it from there." They put the necklace on the nail,
and everybody went back to their activities.
Meanwhile, on the way home
the queen noticed that her necklace was missing. She was afraid that she may
have lost it while they were resting at the river. She told the king, and
the king went back to the river to look for it. He also got worried because
he could not find the valuable necklace. He went to the dormitory to ask
them.
The teacher saw the king
coming, and he received him with kind words.
The king asked him, "Have any
of your students seen the queen's golden necklace?"

The teacher said, "If we find
anything that does not belong to us, then we put it on the nail outside. So
go and look over there."
The king went to the nail and
found the necklace hanging there.
He started thinking to
himself, "These people do not have much, yet they live like if they have
everything." He realized that these people were living a simple and peaceful
life, while he had everything but no peace in his life. He was living a life
of temptations, while these people were content with what they had.
Questions:
1) What were the students learning at
dormitory?
2) What did the students do when the king
offered them food?
3) Why didn't the students hide the necklace?
4) What did King think about his life
compared to the life of the students? |