Once, there was a boy named Aruni. He was a student of sage Dhoumya and lived in his ashram. One day, it was raining heavily and Aruni was returning to the ashram after collecting firewood. While he was crossing the field, he saw that at the far end, a barrier had been built to protect the crops by stopping water from entering the fields. But there was a gap in the barrier and water was leaking through it. He became worried and tried to put some mud and straw in the gap. But the pressure of the water was so strong that it washed away the mud. Meanwhile, in the ashram, sage Dhoumya was worried, so he set out to look for Aruni, along with other students. They called Aruni’s name and heard a faint reply. They reached the spot and found Aruni lying against the gap to stop the water leakage. He was shivering with cold. Sage Dhoumya was very happy to see his act of devotion. He took Aruni back to the ashram and made him feel warm and comfortable. He declared that he would be famous far and wide for his act of devotion.
THE DEVOTED STUDENT
