| The Brahmin who learnt from a Butcher |
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 Markandeya continued to narrate to Yudhisthira the story of Kausika who was advised to approach Dharma Vyadha of Mithila for his learning.
Kausika proceeded to Mithila. He made enquiries there and had no difficulty in finding his place, as he was very popular there. But he didn't expect that he would be taken to a butcher's shop!
Dharma Vyadha was a butcher by birth. Kausika reached the butchery where deer and buffalo meat were on display. The place was full of puddles of blood, streaming down in all directions, with a strong smell of freshly killed animals, their hides and flesh filling the air. Lot of people have gathered around to buy meat and Dharma Vyadha was busy attending to them. He was informed that Kausika has come to see him.
Kausika, who was not used to this environment, could not stand there. The sight of flesh and blood was not part of his world. He stood there, nonetheless, eager to see Vyadha and also curious about what this butcher could teach him, a Brahmin, who was supposed to know much better. Vyadha came to him, greeting him warmly. 'I am a hunter my lord! What can I do for you? I presume that you have been directed to meet me by the lady of the village over there.'
'That's my surprise number two!' muttered Kausika to himself. The surprise that the village housewife gave him when she very casually told him, 'I am not a stork to be burnt to ashes,' was still fresh in his memory.
 Vyadha then sent Kausika to his house and joined him later after finishing his duties. His house was very clean and his aged parents greeted Kausika. 'My parents are the Gods that I worship,' said Dharma Vyadha. 'Service to them is my puja. A man should render service and satisfy his father, mother, Agni, Self and Guru. These five are the most important in life. These five are his masters. This is the first of duties for a householder,' Vyadha said. 'It is because of this service that I could sense that you were sent here by that housewife and it was because of this that she could get to know what you did to the stork.'
Kausika learnt all that he needed from his sacred master, Dharma
Vyadha.
What Vyadha taught Kausika is the basic teaching of all our books. "The chief (duty of the householder)," says Thiruvalluvar, "is to preserve the five-fold rule (of conduct) towards the manes, the Gods, his guests, his relation and himself." (Kural 43)
Hari Krishnan
Published
on 5th July, 2002
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