The Honest Student!

- J.Rampriya

A long time ago, there was a famous centre of learning in Varanasi which was attended by many students. The teacher of the school, Dharmananda, was a wise and morally upright man. He had a beautiful daughter, who was equally noble, for whom he was seeking a suitable groom. He decided to choose one of his students, but wanted to ensure that the person was worthy of her. So, he decided to test them.

One day, he announced: "My dear pupils, I wish to arrange for my daughter's wedding, but I do not have enough money to buy her nice clothes or jewellery. Can you help me get these things? The one who gets me the most clothes or jewellery will marry my daughter."

The students were surprised to hear that, as none of them had any money. Seeing their puzzled looks, Dharmananda continued, "If you don't have money, you may even steal, but remember that no one should see you stealing." The students listened carefully, and then went on their way.

From that day onwards, the teacher would find some clothes or jewellery outside his hut every day. After a couple of weeks had passed, Dharmananda called all his students, and asked them to identify the things they had given. He also asked them to explain how they got hold of them. Each student picked out the articles he had given, and gave a brief explanation of where they were from. All of the clothes and jewellery were stolen from nearby villages, but the students had covered their tracks well and the villagers did not know who had stolen their belongings.

As the students recounted their stories, a boy named Gunasheela stood silently at the back. He had not given any thing to the teacher, and hence, did not have anything to say. When everyone had finished speaking, Dharmananda called him to come forward, and asked, "Gunasheela, all the students have managed to bring me something without getting caught. Why didn't you bring anything - not even a shred of cloth or a small piece of gold? Couldn't you think of a way to steal such that no one could see you?"

Gunasheela smiled and replied, "Sir, I could have easily stolen something for you, but you had made it clear that no one should see us stealing. Even if there was no one else around, I would have been a witness to my own act and my conscience wouldn't have allowed me to be in peace after that."

Dharmananda was moved to tears by his student's explanation. "Gunasheela, after a long time, I have found a student who has taken my teachings to heart without just learning them by rote! You are the ideal groom for my daughter."

The other students who had been listening felt ashamed of themselves. Dharmananda turned to address them, "This was a test to see if you paid attention to your conscience before indulging in any deed. Make sure you return every scrap you stole. And be sure to apologise to those you duped."

The students did as they were told, and this was a lesson they remembered for all of their lives.