Mahashraman Mudit Kumar
The Knowledge of a Modest Person
Once there were two Brahmin students. Having studied in Kashi for twelve years, they set out for home. One of them was modest. The other was immodest. On their way home both saw a footprint. The modest one said, "Tell me brother, whose footprint it is." Thoughtlessly the immodest one replied, "It should be that of a male elephant. The modest one said humbly, "Friend, it should be that of a female elephant who is blind in the right eye and who has just gone to the town carrying the pregnant queen over its back." The immodest one said angrily, "I can never be wrong. The footprint cannot be of a female elephant. It is of a male elephant." Both entered the town debating the issue. The whole town was in a rejoicing mood. Everywhere felicitations were being exchanged. An inquiry revealed that the queen had given birth to a son that day. Both the students went to the palace and inquiries made there confirmed the veracity of every word uttered by the modest one. Both of them had a meal there and then resumed their journey. On the way they rested on the bank of a pond. Both were sitting and talking with each other.
Just then an aged woman happened to come there. On her head was a water pitcher. Seeing a sandal mark on the foreheads of both, of them she said, "O the learned ones you are skilled in astrology. Please tell me when my son would return home. He has been away these past three years." The immodest one could not restrain himself and burbled out, rather haughtily, 'The pitcher has broken and your son too has died." The aged woman could not contain her anger. She began cursing and crying. The modest one trying to comfort her said, "Mother, you need not thus agonize yourself. Please return home and you will find your son there." The woman ran home. The son had just returned from abroad. She told him, "Son, I'll talk with you later. Let me first bring the scholarly pandit here." She went back and with folded hands said to the modest one, "O great scholar, blessed is your knowledge and the science of astrology. Every word you predicted has come true. Please oblige me by accompanying me home, but please don't bring this other one with you." However, both went to her house. The old woman lavished hospitality on the modest one and respectfully donated one hundred and one rupees to him.
The immodest one wondered what had been happening in as much as all that he prophesied turned out to be false and all that the other one prophesied proved, a hundred per cent right. Surely the guru must have been prejudiced against him quarrelling between themselves both went back to the guru and posted him with all the happenings. Having made inquiries from both of them guru said, "Look here, I was not at all partial in imparting knowledge to you. What has happened is the direct result of receiving knowledge either with modesty or with arrogance. It is only the modest person's knowledge which bears fruit.
Every student should learn with modesty. Only moderate people's learning proves fructuous. The knowledge of the immodest in fact turns out to be a burden for him. Hence it is the supreme duty of every individual to show modesty to the teachers.
