SYNOPSIS- Satyan 4 - Unmatchable Hero

Meanwhile, Vasudev’s son Rishabd continued to take education under the tutelage of Sage Ananya.  As the sage narrated events relating to Vasudev’s life to motivate his students to lead a life of probity and honesty it had a profound impact in the impressionable mind of the young Prince.  He was in awe of his father’s remarkable deeds!  To him his father was the unmatchable hero!  As years rolled by and the Prince became conversant with holy textures, he began to feel that what his father had achieved was far greater than what great Maharishis and famed rulers had attained doing severe penance and meditation.  Gradually this awe catapulted into a very deep feeling of extreme veneration and devotion in the Prince towards his father.  As he was not the kind of person who easily shared his feelings, no one realized this obsession. 

Sage Ananya’s wife who was fondly referred as Gurumata by the ashram inmates, used to narrate moral stories to the children every night.  The Prince would have nothing of this!  He only wanted her to tell him the glories of his father which he cherished immensely before he dozed off.  Gurumata considered this as a respect which Rishabd, as a son, had for his father.  When she told her husband about it, he too agreed with her views.

Whenever the sage asked his students to think about the Almighty and take his name, Rishabd always thought of his father and called out his name in his mind, “Vasudev!” 

One day the sage gave an assignment to his students to draw whatever they had in mind.  He wanted his pupils to express their feelings in a creative way.  After the children had finished, he called out to the students one by one and looked at their drawing.  One of them had drawn the picture of a radiant sun which showed that the world should always shine by the brightness of knowledge and never be shunned by the darkness of ignorance.  Yet another student drew a picture of a huge mountain which obstructed dark clouds from moving ahead.  He wanted to convey the message that power and strength are indispensable to conquer the world. 

An elderly student had drawn a picture of a tree which depicted that human beings, like a tree, should always be ready to shelter the needy. 

A little student had drawn the picture of a boy running away.  He wanted to tell the sage that he was missing his family and thus wanted to run away from the ashram!  The sage and the others had a hearty laugh at the thought of the small child.  And then, the sage took the next drawing in his hand.  It belonged to Rishabd.  The drawing showed a crown followed by a raised palm above that was in a blessing gesture.  “What does this mean?”  The Acharya asked. 

Rishabd found it a little awkward to air his views in public but he had no choice.  Making up his mind, he bowed before the sage.  “Gurudev, I feel that my father is the best example of truthfulness.  He is a King and therefore this crown represents him.  The raised palm is God himself.  I want to give the message that where there is truth there is God.” 

Everyone was very impressed to learn the thoughts of the Prince.  It dawned on them that Rishabd held his father in high esteem.  However, they felt that this was a natural feeling for an obedient and devoted son to have for his great father.   Little were they aware that the extreme affection that was building up in his heart for his father could someday cause distress both to him and his family!

 The sage complimented him and continued with the next drawing.  Later when Vasudev got the fortnight update on his son’s progress in the ashram he was told about this incident.  Although he was impressed at his thought, he did get an impression that Rishabd had placed him in a very high pedestal that he was not worthy of.

Days rolled into weeks, weeks into months and months into years!  Twelve long years passed by!  The Prince completed his education under the aegis of Sage Ananya.  People had lined up on the streets to have the glimpse of the Prince who was to walk all the way to the palace.    Soon he arrived accompanied by the sage who had decided to join him in his return journey.  People observed that their Prince resembled the looks of his parents.  The soft hair, well-lined eyebrows, big eyes and long ears matched with that of his father.  The thin lips, deep chin and a slight dark complexion had similarity to his mother.  He had a reasonable height and a well-built body all of which gave him an elegant look. 

Vasudev and Manorama alongwith some ministers had assembled near the palace gate and eagerly awaited the arrival of their son.  From a distance, the Prince at once recognized his father and stood frozen in the ground.  At last his idol was before him!  How he had longed all these years for this re-union!  Just then he felt a soft hand over his shoulders and looked around to see his guruji smiling at him.  “Come on, O Prince!  Your parents are waiting for you!” 

Regaining his poise, the Prince moved ahead and then stood face to face with his father.  Despite the passage of time, Vasudev had hardly changed except that a minor portion of his hair had greyed.  Barely managing to control his emotions, the Prince touched the feet of his father.  To him it was as if he was getting the privilege to touch the feet of the Lord himself!  Vasudev helped him to his feet and hugged him warmly.  He, too, had moist eyes seeing his son after such a long time.  The feeling was mutual for Manorama who had put on weight slightly over the years and lost some of her long and flowing thick hairs.  When the Prince looked at her, she too offered him her blessings and embraced him.  Everyone cheered to see this reunion of the royal family.

Soon the Prince was led inside where he was asked to do away with his student’s attire that was akin to a hermit and wear apparels that befitted a royal dignitary.