True Learning

A long time ago, there was a dormitory of Maharshi Satyik at the base of a hill. A few students lived there. It was no a big building, but many small huts. The students learned general knowledge and religious knowledge. They gave importance to moral values. They lived on milk and whatever they grew in the farm. They were not dependent on anyone but themselves.

One day, King Vikram, his queen and some servants were passing by this area. They stooped at the river bank near the dormitory. After a while, when they sat down to eat some students from this dormitory were passing by. The king saw them and offered them food. The students with respect said, “We can not take anything.” The king was very pleased with them for not showing any temptation.

After sometime, the king, queen, and everybody left for their city. After a while, some students were passing through there again. They noticed a shiny golden necklace. They brought it to their teacher and asked him, “What should they do with the necklace? ” The teacher calmly said, “Hang it on the nail outside. Whoever it belongs to can take it from there.” They put the necklace on the nail, and everybody went back to their activities.

Meanwhile, on the way home the queen noticed that her necklace was missing. She was afraid that she may have lost it while they were resting at the river. She told the king, and the king went back to the river to look for it. He also got worried because he could not find the valuable necklace. He went to the dormitory to ask them.

The teacher saw the king coming, and he received him with kind words.

The king asked him, “Have any of your students seen the queen’s golden necklace?”

The teacher said, “If we find anything that does not belong to us, then we put it on the nail outside. So go and look over there.”

The king went to the nail and found the necklace hanging there.

He started thinking to himself, “These people do not have much, yet they live like if they have everything.” He realized that these people were living a simple and peaceful life, while he had everything but no peace in his life. He was living a life of temptations, while these people were content with what they had. 

Questions:

1) What were the students learning at dormitory?

2) What did the students do when the king offered them food?

3) Why didn’t the students hide the necklace?

4) What did King think about his life compared to the life of the students?