ऋषि ‘शब्द’ और ‘लिखित’ दो भाई थे दोनों ही बड़े तपस्वी थे और दोनों ही अलग-अलग आश्रम बनाकर रहते थे। एक बार लिखित शङ्खके आश्रमपर आये। दैववश उस समय शङ्ख बाहर गये हुए थे। लिखितको भूख लगी थी, इसलिये शके आश्रम के वृक्षोंसे फल तोड़कर खाने लगे इतनेमें ही आ गये। उन्होंने उनसे पूछा- ‘भैया! तुम्हें ये फल कैसे मिले ?’ लिखितने हँसते हुए कहा- ‘ये तो इसी सामनेके वृक्षसे हमने तोड़े हैं।’ ‘तब तो तुमने चोरी की’ लिखितने कहा । ‘अतएव अब तुम राजाके पास जाओ और उनसे कहो -‘मुझे वह दण्ड दीजिये जो चोरको दिया जाता है।’
लिखित बड़े भाईके इस आदेशसे बड़े प्रसन्न हुए कि भाईने मुझे एक आदर्शके त्यागरूप पापसे बचा लिया। वे राजा सुद्युम्नके पास गये और कहा – ‘राजन् !मैंने बिना आज्ञा लिये अपने बड़े भाईके फल खा लिये हैं, इसलिये आप मुझे दण्ड दीजिये ।’
सुद्युम्नने कहा – ‘विप्रवर! यदि आप दण्ड देनेमें राजाको प्रमाण मानते हैं, तो उसको क्षमा करनेका भी तो अधिकार है। अतः मैं आपको क्षमा करता हूँ। इसके अतिरिक्त मैं आपकी और क्या सेवा करूँ ?’ पर लिखितने अपना आग्रह बराबर जारी रखा। अन्तमें | राजाने उनके दोनों हाथ कटवा दिये। अब वे पुनः शङ्खके पास आये और क्षमा माँगी।
शङ्खने कहा, ‘भैया! मैं तुमपर बहुत प्रसन्न हूँ । तुम तो धर्मज्ञ हो। यह तो धर्मोल्लङ्घनका दण्ड है। अब तुम इस नदीमें जाकर विधिवत् देवता और पितरोंका तर्पण करो। भविष्यमें कभी अधर्ममें मन मत ले जाना।’ लिखित नदीके जलमें स्नान करके ज्यों ही तर्पण करने लगे, उनकी भुजाओंमेंसे कमलकेसमान दो हाथ प्रकट हो गये। इससे उन्हें बड़ा आश्चर्य । हुआ और उन्होंने आकर भाईको हाथ दिखलाये। शङ्खने कहा- ‘भाई ! शङ्का न करो, मैंने अपने तपके प्रभावसे ये हाथ उत्पन्न कर दिये हैं।’ लिखितने पूछा- ‘यदि आपके तपका ऐसा प्रभाव है तो आपने पहले ही मेरी शुद्धि क्यों नहीं कर दी ?’ शङ्खने कहा- ‘यहठीक है; पर तुम्हें दण्ड देनेका अधिकार मुझे नहीं, राजाको ही था। इससे राजाकी भी शुद्धि हुई और पितरोंके सहित तुम भी पवित्र हो गये।’ लिखितको जहाँ बाहु उत्पन्न हुए थे, उस नदीका उस दिनसे नाम ‘बाहुदा’ हो गया —
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(महा0 शान्ति0 अध्याय 0 47 )
Rishi ‘Shabd’ and ‘Likhit’ were two brothers, both were great ascetics and both lived in separate ashrams. Once he came to the hermitage of Sankha. Miraculously, the conch shells had gone out at that time. Likhit was hungry, so Shaka started plucking fruits from the trees of the ashram and eating them. He asked him – ‘Brother! How did you get these fruits?’ Likhit said laughing- ‘We have plucked these from the tree in front of us.’ ‘Then you have stolen,’ said the writer. ‘So now you go to the king and tell him – ‘Give me the punishment that is given to a thief.’
I was very pleased with the order of my elder brother that he saved me from the sin of sacrificing an ideal. He went to King Sudyumna and said – ‘O king! I have eaten my elder brother’s fruit without permission, so you punish me.’
Sudyumna said – ‘ Vipravar! If you consider the king as the authority in punishing, then he has the right to forgive. So I forgive you. Apart from this, what other service can I do for you?’ But the writer continued his insistence equally. in the end The king got both his hands cut off. Now he again came to Shankha and apologized.
Shankh said, ‘Brother! I am very pleased with you. You are religious. This is the punishment for disobedience. Now you go to this river and worship the gods and ancestors in a proper way. Never in future take your mind to unrighteousness.’ As soon as he started performing tarpan after bathing in the water of the written river, two lotus-like hands appeared from his arms. This surprised them a lot. It happened and he came and showed his hand to his brother. Shankha said – ‘Brother! Do not doubt, I have produced these hands with the effect of my penance.’ The writer asked- ‘If you have such an effect, then why didn’t you purify me earlier?’ Shankha said – ‘It is okay; But I did not have the right to punish you, only the king had it. The king was also purified by this and you also became pure along with the ancestors.’ The name of the river where Bahu was born to Likhti became ‘Bahuda’ from that day.
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(Maha0 Shanti0 Chapter 0 47 )
