गुरुसेवासे विद्याप्राप्ति

वर्षाके दिन थे, वृष्टि प्रारम्भ हो गयी थी। आयोद धौम्य ऋषिने अपने शिष्य आरुणिको आदेश दिया ‘जाकर धानके खेतकी मेड़ बाँध दो। पानी खेतसे बाहर न जाने पाये।’

आरुणि खेतपर पहुँचे। मेड़ टूट गयी थी और बड़े वेगसे खेतका जल बाहर जा रहा था। बहुत प्रयत्न किया आरुणिने; किंतु वे मेड़ बाँधनेमें सफल न हो सके। जलका वेग इतना था कि वे जो मिट्टी मेड़ बाँधनेको रखते, उसे प्रवाह बहा ले जाता। जब मेड़ बाँधनेका प्रयत्न सफल न हुआ, तब स्वयं आरुणि टूटी मेड़के स्थानपर आड़े होकर लेट गये। उनके शरीरसे पानीका प्रवाह रुक गया।

पानीके भीतर पड़े आरुणिका शरीर अकड़ गया। जोंकें और दूसरे जलजन्तु उन्हें काट रहे थे। परंतु वे स्थिर पड़े रहे। हिलनेका नाम भी उन्होंने नहीं लिया।

पूरी रात्रि वे वैसे ही स्थिर रहे इधर रात्रिमें अँधेरा होनेपर धौम्य ऋषिको चिन्ता हुई। उन्होंने अन्य शिष्योंसे पूछा- ‘आरुणि कहाँ है ? ‘शिष्योंने बताया- ‘आपने उन्हें खेतकी मेड़ बाँधने भेजा, तबसे वे लौटे नहीं।’

पूरी रात्रि ऋषि सो नहीं सके। सबेरा होते ही शिष्योंके साथ खेतके समीप जाकर पुकारने लगे ‘बेटा आरुणि! कहाँ हो तुम ?’

मूर्छितप्राय आरुणिको गुरुदेवका स्वर सुनायी पड़ा। उन्होंने वहींसे उत्तर दिया- ‘भगवन्! मैं यहाँ जलका वेग रोके पड़ा हूँ।’

ऋषि शीघ्रतापूर्वक वहाँ पहुँचे। आरुणिको उन्होंने उठनेका आदेश दिया। जैसे ही आरुणि उठे, ऋषिने उन्हें हृदयसे लगा लिया और बोले-‘वत्स! तुम क्यारीको विदीर्ण करके उठे हो, अतः अबसे तुम्हारा नाम उद्दालक होगा। सब वेद तथा धर्मशास्त्र तुम्हारे अन्तःकरणमें स्वयं प्रकाशित हो जायँगे। लोकमें और परलोकमें भी तुम्हारा मङ्गल होगा।’

गुरुकृपासे आरुणि समस्त शास्त्रोंके विद्वान् हो गये। वे उद्दालक ऋषिके नामसे प्रसिद्ध हैं।

-सु0 सिं0

(महाभारत, आदिपर्व 3)

It was rainy day, it had started raining. Ayodha Dhaumya Rishi ordered his disciple Arun, ‘Go and build a bund in the paddy field. Water should not go out of the field.
Aruni reached the farm. The dam was broken and the water of the field was going out with great speed. Aruni tried a lot; But they could not succeed in building the dam. The velocity of the water was such that the soil they used to build the embankment would have been carried away by the flow. When the attempt to tie the bund was not successful, then Aruni himself lay down in place of the broken bund. The flow of water from his body stopped.
Arunika’s body lying under the water became rigid. Leeches and other water animals were biting them. But they remained still. He did not even mention the name of moving.
They remained stable for the whole night, while the sage Dhaumya was worried when it was getting dark in the night. He asked other disciples – ‘Where is Aruni? ‘The disciples told-‘You sent him to build the fence of the field, since then he did not return.’
The sage could not sleep the whole night. As soon as it was morning, he went near the field with his disciples and started calling ‘Son Aruni! Where are you ?’
Gurudev’s voice was heard in the unconscious Aruniko. He replied from there – ‘ God! I have stopped the flow of water here.’
The sage quickly reached there. He ordered Arun to get up. As soon as Aruni got up, the sage hugged him and said – ‘Vats! You have risen after breaking the bed, hence from now on your name will be Uddalak. All the Vedas and Dharmashastras will be self-published in your inner self. You will be blessed in this world as well as in the hereafter.’
By Guru’s grace, Aruni became a scholar of all the scriptures. He is famous by the name of Uddalak Rishi.
– Su 0 Sin 0
(Mahabharata, Adiparva 3)