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34.MERE LEARNING IS NOT ENOUGH
Arvavasu repeatedly protested his
innocence. "It is my brother who has
committed the sin and even then it was
through a mistake. I have saved him by
performing expiatory rites."
This made matters worse for him for
nobody believed that the expiation he had
undergone was not for his own crime and
everyone thought that he was adding false
accusation against a blameless brother, to
his other sins.
The virtuous Arvavasu who, besides being
falsely accused of a monstrous crime, was
also slandered as a liar, retreated to the
forest in despair of finding justice in the
world and betook himself to rigorous
austerities.
The gods were gracious and asked him:
"O virtuous soul, what is the boon you
seek?" High thinking and deep meditation
had in the meantime cleansed his heart of
all anger at his brother's conduct; and so,
he only prayed that his father might be
restored to life and that his brother might
be freed from wickedness and the sins that
he had committed.
The gods granted his prayer.
Lomasa narrated this story to
Yudhishthira at a place near Raibhya's
hermitage and said: "O Pandavas, bathe
here and wash off your passions in this
holy river."
Arvavasu and Paravasu were both sons of
a great scholar. Both of them learnt at his
feet and became eminent scholars
themselves.
But learning is one thing and virtue is
quite another. It is true that one should
know the difference between good and
evil, if one is to seek good and shun evil.
But this knowledge should soak into every
thought and influence every act in one's
life.
Then indeed knowledge becomes virtue.
The knowledge that is merely so much
undigested information crammed into the
mind, cannot instill virtue.
It is just an outward show like our clothes
and is no real part of us.
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