(70) The Devotion!

Long ago, there was an ashram in the village of Silbaripuram. Five disciples lived there, all of them leading lives of strict obedience to their Guru.

Among them, the fifth disciple, Shankhu, was a very simple-minded and innocent soul. While the other four were quite capable and smart, Shankhu could not do a single thing without seeking his Guru’s advice or permission. Because of this, the other four often teased him and considered him a fool.

Years passed, and the Guru grew too old to manage the ashram. He told them, "All five of you must return to your homes. I am closing this ashram."

Shankhu was the most distressed by this news. He asked, "Guruji, once I am home, how will I clear my doubts about the things I do?"

The other four disciples burst out laughing. However, the Guru said to Shankhu, "There is a solution. Here is a clay statue of me made by a former disciple. Take it home and place it on your veranda. Whatever happens, ask the statue for guidance as you used to ask me, and then take the right decision. By the time this statue is destroyed, your devotion to your Guru will bring you great prosperity!"

Hearing this strange advice, the others told Shankhu, "The Guru has fooled a fool like you!"

But Shankhu didn't mind their words and took the statue home. Soon, he got married and had two children. One day, the family prepared for a pilgrimage to an ancient temple in the neighbouring kingdom of Kosalapuram.

Shankhu told his wife, "What if I need to ask Guruji something on the way? I will carry the statue on my shoulders."

His wife and children were shocked. "How can you carry this heavy thing all the way there and back?" they asked. Shankhu was worried, but after praying before the statue, he decided to take it along.

After traveling for many days, they reached the temple and started their journey back. By then, their food supplies had run out. Shankhu said, "If we take the main road to the tea shop, it will be night by the time we reach, and the shop will be closed. It is better to take the forest shortcut."

They started walking along the narrow trail but soon lost their way. Even as dusk fell, they couldn't see any signs of a town. The children were starving. Luckily, they found a bunch of bananas with four ripe ones left and plucked them.

The children said, "Let’s sit on that big rock and eat. Even if the tea shop is closed, we cannot walk another step without resting."

Unbeknownst to them, inside a cave right under that rock, four thieves were busy dividing sacks of stolen gold and jewellery. They had chosen that spot because it was said to be haunted by forest ghosts and spirits, so no one ever ventured there. Moreover, the thick trees made it very dark.

Suddenly, the thieves heard voices from above and froze. One of the children was throwing a tantrum, demanding two bananas instead of one. Shankhu got angry and shouted, **"No! We are four, and we shall eat one each!"**

Hearing this inside the dark cave, the thieves started trembling. One of them whispered, "There are so many ghosts! They are talking about eating the four of us!"

At that exact moment, as the child struggled for the banana, his hand hit the clay statue. The Guru’s statue rolled off the rock and crashed right into the mouth of the cave!

Terrified by the sudden "ghostly" crash, the four thieves bolted into the deep forest, leaving everything behind! Shankhu and his family went down and found the bags of jewellery. The Guru’s prophecy—that Shankhu would find prosperity when the statue was destroyed—had come true!

The Moral: Gurutwam (devotion to the Guru) is a noble virtue. In today's times, both the Guru who imparts wisdom and the disciple who receives it must cherish this sacred bond with sincerity.