Yavakrida was the son of a Brahmana called Bharadwaja, who had a friend, another Brahmana named Raibhya with two sons Paravasu and Arvavasu. Yavakrida was jealous that people had more respect for Raibhya than for his father. He prayed to Indra to become the most learned man in the world. Again and again, Indra would appear before him, pleased with his prayers and his penance. Each time, Yavakrida made the same request, Indra told him that learning could not be got through penance but only through study. One day, Yavakrida saw an old man near a river, throwing handfuls of sand into the water. On asking him what he was doing, he said that he was building a bridge. Yavakrida laughed at him, saying he was wasting time. The old man changed into Indra and told him his penance was a waste of time too.
Yavakrida’s Learning
