The Story of Ushasti
Dr. Sampadananda Mishra
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Long ago there happened to be a place in India called Kurudesha. Once it thus happened that because of a great thunderstorm all the crops of the Kurus were destroyed and people of Kurudesha found it difficult to manage their lives. There was one learned sage whose name was Ushasti and he was the son of Chakra. He was poor, but simple and virtuous, and he was highly regarded for his knowledge in Vedic lore. He lived with his wife and a child. The catastrophe brought him a very bad fortune. He lived in a deplorable condition in the village of a man who owned an elephant. Ushasti went to this man and begged him some food. At that time the man was eating some wretched beans. He said to Ushasti that he had nothing but a few beans. Hearing this Ushasti said: "Give me these." The man gave the beans and said: "Here is some water left over from my drinking." But Ushasti refused to receive the water saying: "If I drink this, I will then be drinking what has been left by another." The man said: "Were not those beans also left over and therefore unclean?" Ushasti replied: "I should not have lived if I had not eaten them; but I can get water wherever I like."
Ushasti ate only that much what was needed for that moment to appease the hunger and kept the rest of the beans to offer to his wife. He came home and gave the beans to his wife. But by the time Ushasti reached home she had managed getting some food for her and the child. So she took the beans and kept it at a safe place. Next morning, on awaking, Ushasti said to his wife: "My dear I am very hungry, if I could get even a little to eat, I might be able to go out for earning some money. The king over here is going to perform a sacrifice; he might choose me for all the priestly offices." Immediately his wife brought those beans and gave those to her husband with all love. Ushasti felt happy after eating those and then went to the sacrifice that was about to be performed.
Ushasti, after reaching the place where the sacrifice was taking place, saw the assembled priests and sat near them. When the priests were about to sing he asked each of them whether they knew the deities of their hymns because singing the hymns without the knowledge of the deities invoked would yield no good. All the priests stopped performing their duties and sat in silence. They had no knowledge of the deities of their hymns. Now the king who had arranged this sacrifice came forward and asked Ushasti to reveal his identity and when he came to know from him that he was Ushasti, the son of Chakra, he said to him: "Revered Sir, I looked for you to perform all these priestly offices, but not finding you, I have chosen others. But now, Sir, since you are here please take up all the priestly offices." Ushasti accepted the job of taking care of all the priestly offices.
Thereupon all priests approached him and requested him to explain them the meaning of all that they were meant to do. Ushasti, with all sincerity, explained to the priests all that they needed to know for performing the sacrifice, and then with their help successfully completed the sacrifice.
From Chandogya Upanishad
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Kalpana's Vandemataram
Vivekananda Kendra
Dharmo Rakshati Rakshitah
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