SWARAJYA, August 11, 1973

,The gods granted his prayer. was born. These crooks eamed him the name of

, • which means "Eight-crooks". 'Lomasa narrated this story to Yudhishthira at a place near Raibhya's hermitage and said: "0 Pan­ Kagola, one ill-fated day, provoked a polemical davas, bathe here'and wash off your passions in this contest with Vandi, the court scholar of , and, holy", river." ',',' , having been defeated, was made to drown himself. j , Arvavasu and Paravasu were both sons of a Meanwhile Ashtavakra grew up to be a tower­ great scholar. Both of them learnt at his feet and ing scholar even in his boyhood, and at the age of became eminent scholars themselves. But learning twelve he had already completed his study of the is one thing and virtue is quite another. It is true and the Vedanta. that otle should know the difference between good and evil, if one is t!;>, seek good and shun evil, but this knowledge should soak into eveIY thought and , One day, Ashtavakra learnt that , the king influence every act in one's life. Then indeed know­ of Mithila, was performing a great sacrifice in the ledge becomes virtue. The knowledge, that is course of which the assembled scholars would, as merely so much, undigested information crammed IIsual, debate on the sastras. Ashtavakra set out into the mind, cannot instil virtue. It is just an for Mithila, accompanied by his uncle Swetaketu. outward show, like our clothes and is nO real part , of us. On their way to the place of sacrifice at Mithila, they came across the king and his retinue. The attendants of the king marched in front shouting: "Move away. Make way for the King." Ashta­ CHAPTER XXXV vakra instead of moving out of the way said to the ASHTAVAKRA retainers: "0 royal attendants, even the king, if he is I WHILE THE Pandavas were wandering among holy righteous, has to move and make way for the blind, ,•, , places in the, forest, they came one day to tp.e the deformed, the fair sex, persons bearing loads and 1, hermitage of the personages ,immortalized in the brahmanas learned in the Vedas. This is the rule , ,• . Lomasa told Yudhishthira the story of enjoined by the scriptures.~' • that, place. - The king, surprised at these wise words of the • Uddalaka, a great sage and teacher of Vedanta, brahmana boy, accepted the justness of the rebuke I had a disciple named Kagola, who was virtuous and made way, observing to, his attendants: "What ,• and devoted but had no great learning. So, the this a stripling says is true. Fire is fire other disciples used to laugh and mock at him. whether it is tiny or big and it has the power to , Uddalaka, however, attached no great weight to his b urn. " , disciple's lack of erudition but really appreciated his virtues, devotion, and good conduct and gave his Ashtavakra and Swetaketu entered the sacn-• daughter Sujata in marriage to him. ficial hall.

The couple were blessed with a son. A child The gate-keeper stopped them and said: "Boys generally inherits the characteristics of both the cannot ,go in. Only old men learned in the Vedas parents, but fortunately the grandson of Uddalaka may go into the sacrificial hall." took after his grandf.ather rather than his father and • knew the Vedas even while he was in his mother's Ashtavakra replied : "We are not mere boys. 1 womb. When Kagola made mistakes, as he often We have observed the necessary vows and have • did in reciting the Vedas, the child in the womb learnt the Vedas. Those who have mastered the would twist his body with pain, and so' it came to truths of the Vedanta' will not judge another on pass that he had eight crooks in his body when he mere considerations of age or appearance."

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