A Guru and his Shishya( disciple) were travelling through a dense forest. It was a long journey, so they would meditate at some peaceful place they would find, drink water from any water body they would pass by and take some food and then rest as the night falls. 

One night while they both were fast asleep, a long black color snake came crawling. With his poisonous and forked tongue, he went near the Shishya and as he flicked his tongue to attack him, Guru woke up. 

Guru stopped the snake and asked him why he was poisoning his shishya. Snake in his parseltongue told him, “Your shishya who is sleeping meditatively with you right now, has been my enemy in the past life and in his animosity, he killed me. Now it’s my turn to take revenge and I will kill him today. So don’t stop me, it is his karma only that’s making me do so.” 

Guru joined his hands and in a most compassionate way, he spoke,” Oh! Dear Snake, I can understand your pain and your feelings. But the person who killed you has changed a lot now, along his journey.”

Snake flicked his tongue faster and furiously and said,” That is not material, how much he is changed now ! For me he is the same enemy. Please let me kill him.”

Snake by now neared the Shishya. Guru came before him and now bowed his head and said in the most humblest way,” You look wise to me oh Snake! Snakes are magical creatures you know and you understand the vibes and purpose of the person who crosses you.”

Snake by now crawled back a little and said, ” Yes!”, in a very flamboyant manner keeping his head up in the air.  

” This young man, who was your enemy in the past life, is now my shishya and I’m his Guru. He is in my refuge, so in no way I can let him be killed for his past life mistake. If you want to kill someone,  you can kill me.” Guru neared the snake with joined hands. ” Come kill me with your venom”. 

” But why do you want to save him? What good is he doing to you?”

” To me he does some good or not is not a question. But I know that he is sincerely following the path of truth. If he becomes enlightened, he will show the path to millions others who want to know the truth. What I aimed for in my life, I have achieved. But he is still on the way, if you kill him, it will again take him years to find another Guru and follow the path. So please don’t obstruct the path which can lead to the betterment and evolvement of several other people. Kill me oh dear snake! Kill me! But don’t kill my beloved devotee and a sincere Shishya.”

Snake crawled back and put his arrogant head on the land, as if he bowed down in obeisance. The snake said,” I pay my humblest obeisance to you, you are a true Guru and you love him unconditionally. If there would have been any other person instead  of you , he or she would have allowed me to kill him to save his own life. Please take me in your refuge, I also want to evolve and  be in the meditative state like he is. Your love and radiance has burnt away all my hostility that I have lived with for years. My humble Pranam!” 

This story shows how a Guru protects his shishya. How he loves him, that’s why Rumi says to Shamz Tabriz, his spiritual Guru that 

You are the Sun and I revolve around you to absorb my life energy.

Yes, Guru is just like a sun, he has nothing to take anything in return just like in this story, he didn’t ask for anything in return for his life just for protecting his Shishya.  All he has is love to give, to give, give and give in abundance just like the sun. He glows like the sun in his divine radiance to burn all the bad karmas of his true devotee. 

I always loved this story ever since I heard it, I hope you all would love it too…God bless all…lots of love and laughter ❤💕🤗🌻