Sathya Upanishad - Pt 23 (Contd)

Youth

Q23: Swami!  What is your advice to youth?

A:  Another instance of youthful improprieties - Atmaram and his wife Tulasi, a God fearing and pious but childness couple were blessed with a son after long prayers to God but Tulasi died soon after the child birth.  

In disgust, Atmaram took to renunciation and left for the forest for meditation leaving the boy in the care of the neighbours.  They took care of him.  He developed fascination for the "Tulasi" plant and was thus called "Tulasidas".  He joined a preceptior (guru) and became steeped in learning different disciplines of scriptures.  Impressed by his achievements, his guru offered his daughter, Ratnavali as wife to Tulasidas.  

Then started a new phase in the life of Tulasidas.  Immensely infatuated as he was with his young wife, he gave up daily rituals of reciting Veda.  The customary worship became a "hysteria" and the guru felt bad at this new turn of events caused by the lust which converted this master of senses (before marriage) to a mere "mister" and slave of senses after marriage!

(To be continued)

(From the book "Divine Directions" by Prof. K. Anil Kumar)