Episode 12

Uttanka and the three Bramhacharis- The nuances of Traditional Guru Kulas[i]

(This is a story that narrates the Gurukul traditions of ancient India. Are students served like slaves doing errand jobs in the hermitages? What is the importance given to discipline? Can anyone attain Atma Jnana without the grace of the Guru? The story dispels many misconceptions of Gurukul systems of Ancient Indian society. Read and reflect)

Once upon a time there lived a Guru (a Rishi well versed in Sastras) by name Dhaumya in a forest. He had three sishyas (disciples)- Vupamanyu, Aruni and Veda. One day he asked Aruni to go to the field and put an obstruction and prevent water from spilling out from the field. Aruni tried his best by putting mud but in vain. So he slept over the sludge as a barricade.

As he did not come back even by evening, the Guru hurried to the spot and called him aloud. Aruni came out of the mud and narrated as to how he prevented the slippage of water. Dhaumya was pleased by the devotion of his sishya and blessed him that he would attain the wisdom of all Vedas and sastras by design. Since he came out of the mud he was christened with the title, ‘Uddhhalakaa’.

The Guru ordered his second sishya, Vupamanyu to graze all his cows every day. He was doing his duties dutifully but Guru could observe that he was stout and strong even after grazing the cows from morning to evening. He asked the secret. Vupamanyu was truthful enough to tell that he had been eating the biksha (alms collected from houses) everyday. ‘The duty of sishya is to give it first to the Guru and then take the remaining food’, Dhaumya told. Sishya started giving the alms first to the Guru but the Guru was taking everything without leaving anything to sishya. Still the sishya was stout and strong and on inquiry by the Guru, he told, ‘Guru ji, I am going out to beg alms for the second time’.

‘But how can you go out for the second time for alms? You are, in a way, competing and preventing other sishyas on alms from getting food. In the process you are becoming greedy[ii]Further getting alms for second time on the same day is not permitted’, Dhaumya told. Sishya agreed to follow the instructions.

Even after this the Guru could observe that the sishya had in no way emaciated. What was the reason? The sishya had started drinking the milk of the cows in the forest. ‘But, have I given permission to you to drink the milk of the cows? How can you drink without my permission?’, Dhauma admonished. Sishya stopped drinking milk and still he was stout and strong. On enquiry, he revealed the secret. ‘I have been consuming the froth blown out of wind from the udders of the cows when the little calves drink from the cows’.

Guru told, ‘The calves are pitiable at you and allowing the froth to float into air. I don’t permit you to take it. You are taking their food’. Sishya obeyed. He was quite hungry and there was nothing to eat. Unable to sustain hunger, he ate the leaves of swallowwort, a poisonous plant and lost his eyesight. Unable to see the path he fell into a dilapidated well.

In the evening the Guru was anxious as his sishya had not returned back. He hurried to the spot and started crying ‘Vupamanyu’, ‘Vupamanyu’ and at last he heard the voice of his disciple from the well. Since he lost his eyesight, the Guru suggested that he should invoke the celestial physicians- Aswin gods.

Vupamanyu, with the blessings of his Guru, invoked the Aswin gods with twelve famous Riks[iii]. The blessings of the Guru was the panacea and the gods are pleased by his powerful invocation. They gave him a celestial prasadam (eatable sweet) and asked him to eat. Vupamanyu wanted that it should be given first to the Guru. The gods were pleased by his selfless devotion towards the Guru and blessed him not only with eyesight but also with wisdom of all sastras. Vupamanyu touched the feet of Guru and the Guru was thrilled at the way Aswin gods bestowed all wisdom to his disciple.

The third sishya, Veda was doing all errand works of the Guru in the house. Sometimes he was asked to carry heavy weights like an ox. He took all the works with equanimity and earned the blessings of the Guru. He got all wisdom by the grace of Guru. Veda later on became Grihasta upon the consent of his Guru and got married. He established his own Gurukul (abode for dwelling as well as for teaching) and he had three disciples. Since he had seen the difficulties of Gurukul, he refrained from giving any odd work to all his disciples. He was even refusing to take Guru Dakshina (a form of gift that the sishya gives out of gratitude to the Guru) also from his student disciples.

One day Veda had to go out of his place and asked one of his sishya’s Uttanka to take care of the hermitage until he comes back. A few days passed by and one day a few ladies of the hermitage approached Uttanka and told, ‘Guru patni (wife of Veda, the Guru) wants a favor from you and she is quite agitated (agitation is for performing a ritual- Punyaka vratam in the period of ritu kala of a woman) and you may please help her. But Uttanka refused since he was not asked by Guru to perform whatever that is asked by the ladies of the hermitage[iv].

After a few days, the Guru came back and learnt about the episode. He appreciated his sishya for his righteous behavior and permitted him to go to his parents’ place.

Points to ponder

1.    What is the importance of discipline in the learning process of Gurukul system?

2.   ‘Gurus are the great facilitators and they were helping sishyas in attaining jnana on their own merit’ – Do you agree?

3.   How could Vupamanyu sang impromptu the Riks of Rig Veda on the advice of his Guru?

4.   ‘The Atma Jnana, which was the ultimate knowledge of knowing the Self cannot be taught but can be experienced with the grace of Guru’. Is Gurukul system of learning successful in this noble mission and also in preserving the culture of Sanatana Dharma?[v]

5.   What is the rigor in the educational process? Is the rigor warranted in student life?

6.   Do you believe that in Gurukuls the sishyas were suffocated and lived like slaves behaving like errand boys to all and sundry in the hermitage?

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[i] This Story is from Adi Parva of Maha Bharata written by sage Ved Vyasa.

[ii] तमुपाध्यायः प्रत्युवाच नैषा न्याय्या

गुरुवृत्ति:अन्येषामपि भैक्षोपजीविनाम् वृत्त्युप

रोधं करोषि इत्येवं वर्तमानो लुब्धोsसीति - Adi Parva 3.42

tamupādhyāyaḥ pratyuvāca naiṣā nyāyyā

guruvṛtti:anyeṣāmapi bhaikṣopajīvinām vṛttyupa

rodhaṃ karoṣi ityevaṃ vartamāno lubdhossīti

[iii] These twelve Riks (Adi Parva 3.57 -68) are very famous with vedantic insights and also traditionally believed to have the power to protect the eyesight of people.

[iv] एवमुक्तस्ताः स्त्रिय: प्रत्युवाच न मया

स्त्रीणां वचनात् इदमकार्यं करणीयं

नह्यहमुपाध्यायेन संदिष्ट:

अकार्यमपि त्वया कार्यमिति - Adi Parva 3.87

evamuktastāḥ striya: pratyuvāca na mayā

strīṇāṃ vacanāt idamakāryaṃ karaṇīyaṃ

nahyahamupādhyāyena saṃdiṣṭa:

akāryamapi tvayā kāryamiti

[v] For understanding the nuances of Gurukul and the necessity of Guru’s grace, one should read some other stories like Satyakama Jabali, Krishna-Sudama in Sandipani Ashram etc along with this story.

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