Mangoes at Command
In a small village in a hilly area lived an old man who knew a strange hymn. Every day, early in the morning, he would go over to a lonely nook of the valley and stand before a mango tree. Then, touching the tree, he would recite the hymn. Lo and behold, a hundred mangoes would pop up in the tree. As he would look on, the fruits would ripen and fall down. He would collect them in a sack. Back at home, the old man kept a few mangoes for his own family, the rest he distributed among the poor folk of the village. A very few people knew about his miracle. Those who knew did not speak about it to anybody The old man had forbidden them to talk about it. A brahmin young man was passing through the valley. He had been a student of a renowned scholar. But he failed to learn anything. The scholar told him, "My boy, no use wasting time here. Better go back home and help your father in his work." So the young man was returning home.
He had no guide. He strayed into the nook of the valley and passed the night in a cave. In the morning, unknown to the old man, he saw him performing the miracle. The young man sprang out of the cave and fell flat at the old man's feet. The old man was taken aback. He took a step backward and said, "How are you doing such a thing, young man? You seem to be a Brahmin. I am a man of low caste. I would become a sinner if I let you touch my feet!" But the young man wouldn't even lift up his head. He mumbled on, his forehead still touching the ground, "O great man, kindly teach me the hymn that yielded you the instant mangoes!" "I'm no great man, my boy, but a poor illiterate villager. It was through the compassion of a rishi that I learned the hymn. He has not permitted me to teach the hymn to may, but to only one, before my death," explained the old villager. "Let that one be me. Kindly accept me as your disciple," the young man pleaded with the villager. He had got up, but he stood with his hands folded. "Young man, I'm not sure if you are fit enough to learn the hymn. One who would practice it must observe two rules. He must not make any profit out of the fruits. Secondly, he must not utter a lie," said the old villager. "I agree to abide by the rules, O great man, Please do not disappoint me," insisted the young man. The old man was kind-hearted. He still tried to avoid the young man, but the latter fell on the ground again and threatened to clutch at his feet.