GURUBRAHMA GURUVISHNU GURUR DEO MAHESHWARAH
GURUH SAKSHAT PARA BRAHMA TASMAI SHRI GURU VEH NAMAH

Meaning: " The teacher is Brahma, the teacher is Vishnu, the teacher is Mahesh and the teacher is the embodiment of Almighty God. Salutations to the teacher."

The teacher is the most respectable. One should have full faith and devotion in him because he is the one who clears the darkness of ignorance from the mind of his pupil and fills it up with the light of knowledge. Who else can be more kind and a well- wisher than the teacher. Whoever has achieved anything significant and worthwhile in this world is only because of the grace of his teacher.

During the ancient times, there were no schools or colleges like today. The learned sages used to live in the forests by constructing their hermitages. The students desirous of acquiring knowledge had to live with their teachers in the hermitages. The students not only studied but also served the teacher in every way.

The revered sages gave practical training to the students. They used to teach important lessons while doing work and if any student was fortunate enough to have the grace of his teacher, he would become a master of all the subjects.

A sage by the name of 'Ayoddhaumya' had his hermitage in the forest. He had three students Aruni, Upamanyu and Ved. Sage 'Dhaumya' himself was very hard working and taught his students the same. All of his three students were the most obedient and they used to finish their tasks in right earnest.

One day it was raining heavily. Sage Dhaumya ordered Aruni to build a bund in the fields so that the water did not flow out of the field, otherwise the harvest would have suffered. Aruni obeyed the command of his teacher and went to the fields. Since it was raining very heavily, the field was filled up with water. But at one end of the field, a portion of the boundary was washed away by the swift current and the water was gushing out very fast from that place. Aruni tried to stop the water from flowing out by putting soil in that place by the help of a spade. But the swift current washed it away. He tried many times but all his efforts went in vain.

Now, he started worrying because he was not able to obey the command of his teacher. Suddenly, an idea came to his mind and he kept aside the spade and lied down at the place from where the water was gushing out.

After sometime, it stopped raining but he could not get up because the water would have flown outside the field. So, he kept lying in the same position.

Sage Dhaumya called all his students in the evening but Aruni was missing. He asked all of them where Aruni was. The students replied that : " Sir, you yourself had sent him to construct a bund on the field." Sage Dhaumya became worried and he along with the other students went in search of Aruni with a lantern in his hand. But they could not find Aruni anywhere. Sage Dhaumya called his name several times: " Aruni, where are you, we are searching for you."

Aruni heard his teacher's voice and replied in that same position: " Sir, here I am". Sage Dhaumya followed the direction from which Aruni's voice came. When he found Aruni lying in a pool of water, his heart was filled with emotion. He called Aruni and embraced him. He blessed Aruni by saying: " Son, Aruni, I am very pleased by your devotion, you will acquire every kind of knowledge even without studying. You will become famous in this world and will become the supreme devotee of God. From today, onwards you will be known as 'Uddalak'. The same Aruni became famous as sage 'Uddalak'.