Navarathri Specials : Chapter One: The Hermitage [ The Meeting Point ]

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10-11. He saw there the hermitage of Medhas- the supreme among the

twice-born - inhabited by wild animals which were peaceful, and

graced by the disciples of the sage. Entertained by the sage,

Suratha spent some time moving about in the hermitage of the great

sage.

 

 

Both men were fortunate. Their shared predicament ironically have

brought them together into this Hermitage :- The meeting point.

 

"Suratha was fortunate in spite of his apparent misfortune, because

of the forest he happened to meet a man of God. He saw a hermitage

there. The king seems o have exhausted all his accumulated evil

karmas, for, in the forest he saw not only beast of prey such as the

lion or the tiger, but the hutments of a holy man.... That too of an

exalted personage. The hermitage was of sage Sumedhas. What makes

him noble? Wisdom and austerity. The sage's nobility is enhanced by

wisdom and austerity. So, it is evident that sage Sumedhas was a man

of Tapas, austerity. That is clear by the very sight of the

hermitage. How? The place is crowded with wild animals which are by

nature inimical to one another. Natural enemies such as lions and

elephants, cats and rats rub shoulders in the precints of the

Ashrama like friends giving up their inborn cruel tendencies; all

this is due to the influence of the calm, serene presence of the

sage. That he is the man of learning is also evident from the

surroundings. How? the place was alive with a large member of

disciple. The wise man's fame has brought together a large number of

students from far and near to drink of his wisdom. So it is clear

that Sumedhas was a wise and austere sage"

 

 

Devi Mahatmyam

Swami Siddhinathananda [ Pre monostic name: S Narayanan Nair]

Kerala, Kottayam Distict.