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ASPIRANT'S GUIDE
The people asked, "What work would you give to us?" The sage replied, "It will be a hard labor." The people asked, "Where ? Is it possible here ?"
"Yes, the lake in our village needs to be dug deep. Daily wages will come from the Government. We shall clean the land around the lake and grow the vegetables and fruits. I shall get you the necessary equipments and fertilizer. We will build a school for the children who are now playing in the dust. They should learn to read and write."
Slowly and slowly the villagers got interested in his idea. They started working on lake. They gave up their bad habits of taking opium (drugs) and liquor. The village became normal. However, one robber, Sonia by name, would not yield. The Government had declared a reward for his arrest. The sage learnt that he was hiding in the ravines of the Pushpavati river nearby. One day in the early morning, at four O'clock, the sage decided to go out all alone to meet him.
When Sonia saw a man coming from a distance approaching him, he asked his companion Raghu, "Who is that fellow coming here to meet his death ?"
"Sir, it seems that the sage Ravishankar Maharaj, a follower of Mahatma Gandhi is coming to see you."
“Why ? Does he seek the reward from the Government by revealing my whereabouts ? Let him come, I shall see that he is dead !" The robber and his team became alert and stopped the sage on his way.
The sage said, "Well Sonia, why do you fight a small war with your own people? Why not a big one? Why not fight the British Government for our independence with Mahatma Gandhji ?"
Sonia replied, "Yes sir, I too have heard this".
In this manner, the sage created a interest in the minds of the armed robbers in his talks, and slowly brought them to reform.
A few days later after this event, his companions were planning a big robbery. Sonia was sitting bewildered. He was telling himself, "Only the white foreigners (Britishers) deserve to be looted. The sage and Mahatma Gandhiji are right. Why should I loot and kill my own people ?"
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SADHAK-SATHI
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