Rishi Ayoda-Dhaumya Tests his Pupil Veda
Note: In the last three posts, we saw how Ayoda-Dhaumya tested two of three pupils: Aruni and Upamanyu. In this short post, we’ll see how he tested his third pupil, Veda.
Ayoda-Dhaumya called Veda and said to him, “Veda, my child, spend some time in my house and serve your teacher.”
Veda did as his teacher said and stayed for a long time in Ayoda-Dhaumya’s house with his family and served them. Just like an ox, he bore heat, cold, hunger, and thirst while serving his teacher and the teacher’s family, without complaining even once.
Veda’s trial got over with Ayoda-Dhaumya’s satisfaction, and as a result of serving his teacher to his satisfaction, Veda obtained good fortune and universal knowledge.
Note: You might have noticed that Veda’s trial was the most difficult and lengthy in comparison to Aruni’s trial and Upamanyu’s trial. It also involved Veda spending a large amount of time at Ayoda-Dhaumya’s house. This is because Veda was the most promising pupil. By staying with Ayoda-Dhaumya for such a long time, during his trial, the teacher was able to judge Veda’s resolve and spiritual fitness for receiving all the knowledge he had. Finally, when Ayoda-Dhaumya was satisfied, he taught Veda everything he knew.
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