Guru Seva

Long ago, there lived a great scholar called Ayodh Daumya. Daumya was a great teacher and had many accomplished students. One of his students was Aruni.

Aruni was not a good student but served his Guru in the maintenance of the the ashram.

One day, it rained heavily in the area. Guru Daumya asked Aruni to ensure that the the fields do not get flooded. Aruni went and saw that the banks between the farms were crumbling. O Lord! If the banks break, the water will flood the field and the crops would be destroyed..

Aruni tried to make a bank with some firewood but it did not work. He tried again and again and even tried to make the banks stronger by plastering it with mud but it still did not work...The rains kept washing the mud away. The water threatened to enter into the fields...

O Lord what should I do....Aruni thought...

Early morning in the Gurukul, Guru Daumya needed Aruni's help as usual and looked for him. 'Where is Aruni?' He asked his students.

The students looked at each other and said - Gurudev! The last we saw him was when you sent him to to check the field banks!

Daumya and his students immediately set out looking for Aruni in the cold rain.

Everyone shouted - Aruni, Aruni, where are you?

'Aruni!' Daumya shouted in the cold night. He strained his ears as he heard a faint reply, 'Gurudev.....the bank..the crops...'

Daumya ran towards the sound. He saw Aruni lying on the crumbling bank. Aruni was acting as the bank preventing the water from entering the field.. 

Aruni looked faint from hunger and cold. He was constantly muttering, 'Bank breaking...crops washed away...' Daumya carried back Aruni to the ashram while his other students mended the bank.

Daumya was extremely happy with Aruni's selfless service. 

He said to him - Son! I am proud of you...You have done a great service to the ashrama....

Guru Daumya blessed him and as soon as he kept his hand on Aruni's head - All the Gyan

that Aruni could not capture entered his brain. 

Guru Daumya said - Henceforth you will be known as Uddalaka [In sanskrit, Uddalaka means, the one who was raised from the boundary].

True to the teacher's words, Uddalaka Aruni after completing his studies became a guru and became a great teacher...Uddalaka was the grandfather of Ashtavakra...A great scholar, who was the teacher of King Janaka, the father of Sita in the Ramayana.

Moral Of The Story

A true saint or a Guru is a Divine personality who knows God and how to attain Him. A Guru has the same powers as God and can give us the Divine Spiritual Knowledge as His Grace in no time.

This story teaches us that Seva (service) is one Sadhan (means) by which we can please our Sadguru and hence get His Grace.