Touched Without Touching
There was a small forest near a locality. A hermit lived in the forest. The villagers respected him much and they had built a spacious cottage for him. Two young men, Ananda and Bhairav, out in search of true knowledge, became his disciples. Both took abode with him. The hermit instructed them in the primary code of conduct they were to follow. "Do not touch gold and women," he said. "This discipline will help you stick to the path you have chosen. Hermits that you are, you need not cultivate any particular familiarity with anybody. However, whenever someone is in genuine difficulty and needs your help, give him the help by all means, to the best of your ability." Every day the guru, as well as the disciples, went a-begging. The villagers were generous in giving alms to them and that is why they were not required to wander about for long. The disciples had enough time to discuss problems of philosophy and religion with the guru. One day, out to collect alms, Ananda saw a small boy weeping, standing on the road. "What is the matter with you?" asked Ananda. "My master gave me a gold chain for handing it over to the goldsmith. All of a sudden a fellow snatched it from my hand and ran away. What am I to do? My master may not believe what I say!" said the boy. "Can you recognize the thief?" asked Ananda. "I can," replied the boy. Ananda and the boy took to the road which the thief had taken. They crossed the village and came near a river.
"There is the thief!" shouted the boy pointing at a fellow who stood on the river bank hesitating to enter the water. Ananda ran and captured him. The thief struggled to free himself but did not succeed. Ananda recovered the gold chain and handed it over to the happy boy. In the meanwhile, Bhariva had arrived there. Looking aghast, he exclaimed, "Ananda! What did you do! You touched gold!" Before Ananda had the chance to say anything, a young lady who had just reached the spot, asked them, "Do you know if there is a boat anywhere to cross the river?" Neither Ananda nor Bhairav knew about the boat. The young lady was on the verge of tears. "My father is on his death bed in the village on the other side. I don't know how to cross the river!" "If you don't mind, I can carry you to the other side," proposed Ananda. The anxious young lady had no objection to it. "What are you going to do, Ananda? How are you going to touch a young lady?" Bhairav whispered to Ananda. But Ananda did not seem to hear his friend.
He lifter the young lady and left her on the other side. The young lady thanked him. But he did not seem to hear her either. He went away collecting alms. Bhairav could not apply his mind to anything. The gold and the young lady which his friend had touched despite the guru's warning, haunted him. He returned to their cottage early. "O Guru, my friend Ananda has violated the code of conduct you framed for us," he complained. Upon hearing his report, the guru only smiled and said, "Let us wait and see what Ananda has to say about it!" Ananda was back an hour later. "Ananda! Did anything special happen to you today?" asked the guru. "I found two chances for putting your instruction into practice," said Ananda. "How?" asked the guru. "I helped the two persons in distress," replied Ananda. "Who were they?" asked the guru. "I have not enquired about them. You had asked us not to cultivate any particular familiarity with anybody," replied Ananda.
"Good. Now, go and have your bath," said the guru. After Ananda left the place, the guru told Bhairav, "You see, when I told you not to touch gold and women, what I meant was you must not be attached to them. When Ananda touched the gold chain, he hardly saw gold in it. He was just recovering someone's lost property. When he helped the young lady cross the river, he hardly saw a woman in her, but only saw a human being in distress." After a pause, the guru said again, "My boy, it is you who have been more touched by the gold and the woman although you have not touched them!". Bhairav realized his mistake and asked his guru for forgiveness.
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