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The Tale of Kalikaacharya
Chapter Two of the Yoga Shastra, Verse 60: With the intention of acting freely according to his own desires, he began to serve the king. The king, too, made him the head of his close associates, who were like shadows to him. Just as a poisonous vine, when given even a little support from a tree, continues to grow and spread, so too did Datta. By some means or other, through cunning tactics, he incited the people and caused the king to be exiled. And, "Both the sinner and the pigeon uproot their shelter." Having thus exiled the king, the sinner Datta himself ascended the throne. A lowly person, given even a little support at the foot, gradually climbs to the head. Now Datta, devoid of Dharma-buddhi, began to perform a great sacrifice involving animal slaughter, as if polluting the entire world with the smoke of sin.
Once, Sri Kalikaacharya, the embodiment of restraint and Datta's maternal uncle, arrived in that city while wandering. Datta, blinded by falsehood, had absolutely no desire to go to the Acharya, but under immense pressure from his mother, he reluctantly went to his maternal uncle (Acharya), who was a householder. As soon as he arrived, he spoke arrogantly to the Acharya, like a madman intoxicated with alcohol, "Acharya! If you are a knower, then tell me the fruit of this sacrifice." Hearing this, Sri Kalikaacharya said, "My dear! If you are asking about Dharma, then listen. Not to do to others what is unpleasant to oneself, this is the greatest Dharma." Datta repeated his question, "Sir! I am asking about the fruit of the sacrifice. You are talking about Dharma." To this, the Acharya said, "A sacrifice based on violence is not beneficial for life, but rather it binds one to sinful actions." This should have satisfied him, but with the intention of provoking the Acharya, Datta, with his wicked mind, asked the same question again, "These talks of violence and non-violence are like ways to deceive simple people. Give me a straight answer, what is the fruit of this sacrifice?" The Acharya replied calmly, "The fruit of such a sacrifice is hell." Enraged, Datta said, "How can I believe that the fruit of this sacrifice will be hell?" Then the Acharya, who had the power of foresight, replied with the same love, "My child! You will believe it when, seven days from now, you are cooked in the dog-pot of the Chandala." At this, Datta jumped up in anger, his eyes red, his eyebrows furrowed, and he spoke like a possessed man, "What proof is there of this?" Kalikaacharya replied gently, "The proof is that before you are cooked in the Chandala's pot, you will suddenly have excrement in your mouth." In a fit of rage, Datta arrogantly asked, "Then tell me! How and when will you die?" The Acharya said, "I will not be killed by anyone. I will die naturally in my time; and after death, I will go to heaven." Datta, in a fury, ordered his servants, "Arrest this foolish, wicked Acharya and throw him in prison. Let him rot there!" Upon receiving the order, the servants seized Kalikaacharya and threw him in prison.
Meanwhile, the vassals, angered and distressed by the sinner Datta, decided to call back the former king and hand over the kingdom to him. Datta, filled with fear, like an elephant hiding in the bushes from the roar of a lion, remained hidden in his house. By a stroke of fate, Datta, by mistake, took the eighth day for the seventh day and, out of fear, ordered the Kotwal and others to arrange for guards and watch on the highway, making arrangements for his safety. On the seventh day, the wicked Datta, thinking wickedly, mounted his horse and went out, thinking, "Today I will kill that wicked muni like an animal and enjoy it." On the other hand, before Datta, a gardener was entering the city in the morning, carrying a basket of flowers, when he felt a strong urge to defecate. He did not think it proper to hold it back, so he sat down to defecate in a small alcove by the side of the road, and fearing that a soldier might catch him, he covered it with some flowers and went on. A little later, Datta's horse was running fast when, suddenly, the horse's hoof kicked up the gardener's excrement and it landed in Datta's mouth. Truly, the words of a great ascetic are not false. Like a stone struck, Datta, too, was disheartened and weakened by this unexpected event, and without saying anything to the vassals, he returned to his place. Seeing Datta return, the people thought, "He knows nothing of our secret council. Therefore, according to our pre-determined plan, we will..."