While searching for another article, I
landed on a site called “Samskruthi” by Kunjunny. It is a blog about the stories of the ancient
legends of India.
In this blog, I read “The story of sage
Agastya,” posted on February 26, 2007. Agastya was a reputed sage. He had earned
a great power by living an ascetic life for years.
One day he sees his ancestors hanging down a tree, begging him to bear children so that they can go to heaven.
But Agastya was unmarried. To fulfill his ancestral duties, Agastya went on to marry a lady named, Lopamudra. Lopamudra was beautiful and wise. She reminded her husband that they needed money before they could bear children.
In this story Kunjunny has
beautifully illustrated the character of a good ruler in only two short
paragraphs that you may like to read for yourself:
But, the sage wanted to get children badly.
So, he set out begging for money. He approached a king and pleaded for help.
The king replied. “Sage, I would have been only too pleased to give you
anything you ask for. But, please look at my books account. See for yourself
that what I collect as taxes are spent fully for the cause of people. Nothing
is saved. If you insist, I will have to collect more taxes”. But, the sage did
not want ordinary people burdened on account of him.
The king suggested another monarch of great
wealth. The two approached the second ruler together. They got the same reply
there. Then, Agastya went to a third king with the other two who was famous for
his charities. But, the condition there was no different.
Note: The last two paragraphs are copied from the blog:
