चीनसे भारत आनेवाले यात्री ह्यु-एन-साँग केवल घुमक्कड़ यात्री नहीं थे। वे थे धर्मके जिज्ञासु विद्याकी लालसा ही उन्हें दुर्गम हिमालयके इस पार ले आयी थी। भारतके सर्वश्रेष्ठ विश्वविद्यालय नालन्दाने उनका स्वागत किया। ह्यु-एन-साँग नालन्दाके छात्र रहे और अध्ययन करके उसके अध्यापक भी रहे। भारतने विद्याका सम्मान करनेमें कोई भेदभाव सीखा ही नहीं।
ह्युएन-साँग कई वर्ष भारतमें रहकर अपनी जन्मभूमि लौट रहे थे। उन्होंने चीनमें बौद्धधर्मकी व्यवस्थित शिक्षाके प्रचारका निश्चय किया था। बहुत से धर्मग्रन्थ वे अपने साथ ले जा रहे थे। नालन्दाके कुछ | उत्साही भारतीय विद्यार्थी उनके साथ थे। सिंधु नदीके मुहानेतक इस यात्रीदलकी यात्रा निर्विघ्र पूरी हुई; किंतुजब वे नौकासे सिंधु नदी पार करने लगे, तब आँधी आ गयी। मुहानेके पास समुद्रमें आया तूफान अपना प्रभाव दिखलाता ही है। स्थिति ऐसी हो गयी कि ‘नौका अब डूबी, अब डूबी’ लगने लगा।
‘मेरा पूरा परिश्रम व्यर्थ गया ! ह्यु-एन-साँग मस्तकपर हाथ रखकर बैठ गये। परंतु भारतीय विद्यार्थियोंने एक दूसरेकी ओर देखा। एकने अपने साथियोंसे कहा ‘भार कम हो जाय तो वाहन बच सकता है। क्या धर्मग्रन्थोंकी रक्षासे होनेवाले धर्मप्रचारकी अपेक्षा हमारा जीवन अधिक मूल्यवान् है ?”
उस विद्यार्थीको शब्दोंमें उत्तर नहीं मिला। उसके साथी पलक झपकते नदीके अथाह जलमें कूदकर अदृश्य हो गये। सबसे अन्तमें कूदनेवाला वह स्वयं था ।
– सु0 सिं0
Hiu-en-Tsang, the traveler coming from China to India, was not just a wanderer. He was an inquisitor of religion and his longing for knowledge had brought him to this side of the inaccessible Himalayas. India’s best university Nalanda welcomed him. Hiu-en-Tsang was a student of Nalanda and studied there and was also his teacher. India has not learned any discrimination in respect of education.
Hiuen-Tsang was returning to his native land after living in India for many years. He had decided to propagate the systematic education of Buddhism in China. He was carrying many scriptures with him. Some of Nalanda | Enthusiastic Indian students accompanied him. The journey of this group of travelers to the mouth of the Indus River was completed smoothly; But when they started crossing the Indus river by boat, then a storm came. The storm in the sea near the mouth shows its effect. The situation became such that ‘the boat is now sunk, now it is sunk’.
‘All my hard work went in vain! Hiuen-sang sat down with his hand on his head. But the Indian students looked at each other. One said to his companions, ‘If the load is reduced then the vehicle can be saved. Is our life more valuable than the preaching of Dharma through protection of scriptures?
That student could not find the answer in words. His companions disappeared in the blink of an eye by jumping into the bottomless waters of the river. He himself was the last one to jump.
