Aruni was a dedicated disciple of Sage Dhoumya. He lived in his Guru’s ashram and performed Guru-seva daily.
One day Aruni was taking the firewood he had collected to the ashram. As he was passing by a field owned by his Guru, he noticed a breach in the embankment that was holding water in the field. He realised that the water would seep away due to the breach and the crops in the field would die without the water.
Aruni thought, “What should I do? If I stop to rebuild the embankment, I will be delayed and there is no firewood at the ashram to keep the place warm. I’d better rush to the hermitage with the firewood and then come back to take care of the breach.”
Meanwhile, the Sage and His disciples had assembled for the day’s lessons. Aruni was missing. Soon Aruni rushed in, dropped the firewood in the courtyard, informed the Guru about the break in the embankment and quickly rushed back out. Sage Dhoumya was pleased with the responsible disciple.
Aruni ran all the way back to that field and tried to stop the leakage of water by blocking it with some logs. However, this did not stop the leak. The heavy pressure of the water washed away the temporary dam Aruni had constructed. He felt helpless. It seemed impossible for him to stop the leakage without help, but time was running out! He thought for a while and then had an idea.
As evening fell, everyone at the ashram started worrying about Aruni. The Sage and other disciples set out to look for him. When they reached the field, the Sage called out Aruni’s name. They heard a faint voice, “Here I am, Master!”
Everyone rushed forward. They saw Aruni lying in the breach to prevent the water from leaking out. When nothing else had worked, he had used his own body to stop the flow. The disciples quickly pulled Aruni out of the freezing water. They assured him, “Don’t worry Aruni! We will fix the breach.”
“My son you are more precious than the crop,” said the Guru.
Aruni was covered in a blanket and brought back to the ashram. Sage Dhoumya himself tended to him. The Sage then blessed His disciple, “You shall be renowned forever for your unmatched devotion and obedience to your Guru.”
