Gunanidhi's Conduct

Suta said

Lords among sages, hearing Brahma's words, Narada bowed humbly and questioned him again.

Narada asked

When did Shankara, who is affectionate to his devotees, go to Kailasa? How did he become friends with the great-souled Kubera? What does Hara, wholly auspicious in form, do there? Tell me all this. I am full of great curiosity.

Brahma replied

Narada, listen. I will tell you the conduct of the moon-crested one, how he went to Kailasa and how he became friends with Dhanada. In the city of Kampilya there lived a man named Yajnadatta, born in a line that performed soma sacrifices. He was an initiated sacrificer and skilled in the knowledge of sacrifices, wise, learned in the Vedas and Vedanta, honoured by the king and generous in many ways, and famous. He was devoted to tending the sacred fire and studying the Vedas. He had a son named Gunanidhi, handsome and beautiful in his limbs, with a form like the moon's disc. His father initiated him, and after the sacred thread he gained much knowledge of the eight kinds. But his father did not know that the boy gambled. He took a lot of wealth from his mother and handed it to other gamblers, and made friends with them. He gave up a brahmana's conduct, stopped bathing at the sandhya times, mocked the Vedas and sacred texts, mocked the gods and brahmanas, ignored the conduct laid down in the smritis, and gave himself to singing and instruments. He was bound by love of actors, heretics and mimics. His mother sent him to his father, but he did not go. His father was an initiated sacrificer, and so was she. While she was busy with the household, he would sometimes ask her about their son Gunanidhi: "Fortunate one, I do not see him at home. What is he doing?" Each time she would say, "He has just gone out. He has been bathing and worshipping the gods. He has gone out with two or three friends to study." Though she was initiated herself, since he was her only son, she deceived her husband this way, and her husband knew nothing of it. By sixteen, all his rites up to the haircut had been done. So Yajnadatta initiated his son, and by the rules of the household texts had him married.

Narada, every morning his mother would wake Gunanidhi and, her heart full of affection, sit him down and gently scold him: "Son, your father is great-souled but quick to anger. If he learns of your conduct he will punish both me and you. Every day I hide your wicked deeds from your father. Son, he is honoured by people for his good and virtuous conduct. Good conduct and the company of the virtuous is a brahmana's wealth. How is it that your mind is not gladly drawn to such behaviour? Your ancestors were learned, initiated in soma sacrifices, and so honoured in this world. Give up bad company and keep company with the virtuous. Fix your mind on virtuous learning and follow the conduct worthy of brahmanas. In beauty, fame, noble line and good behaviour, be like your father. Why not give up this wicked conduct you love? You are nineteen now and she is sixteen. Accept her and protect her properly. Be devoted to your father. Your father-in-law has qualities and good conduct, and you must always respect him. Your maternal uncles too are unmatched in learning, conduct and line, and you do not fear them either. Both your lines are pure. Look around our house at the other brahmana boys, and at your father's pupils indoors; they are humble. If the king hears of your wicked conduct, he will stop honouring your father and may even take away his livelihood. Until now people thought all your acts were a child's. But from now on they will stop calling you initiated. All will abuse your father and me. They will say the son has taken after his mother's conduct. Your father is no sinner. He follows the path of the shrutis and smritis. Maheshvara is my witness that my mind has always been fixed on his feet. Since my bath after my season, I have not seen the face of any wicked person. But destiny is powerful, and that is why I bore you." Every moment the mother tried to teach the evil-minded boy, but he did not give up adharma. One addicted to vices cannot easily be made to understand. Hunting, liquor, slander, falsehood, theft, gambling and prostitutes are vices that have ruined many men. Extremely evil-minded, he grabbed whatever he saw in the house, garments, pots and other things, and took them away to gamble.

Once he stole his father's valuable ring set with stones and gave it to a gambler. By chance the sacrificer saw it on a gambler's hand and asked, "Where did you get this ring?" Asked once, the gambler did not answer. Asked again, he said: "Brahmana, why do you accuse me of theft? I got this ring from your son, who gave it to me. Earlier I won his mother's garment from him. He has not given me this ring alone. He has given other gamblers many other things: gems, pots, garments, cosmetic articles and colourful vessels of bronze and copper. Every day gamblers strip him naked and tie him up. There is no gambler on earth as unskilled as he. Your son is the foremost of gamblers. Brahmana, how is it that you did not know till today? He is skilled in unfair means and deceit." Hearing this, he hung his head in shame. He covered his head with his garment and entered his house. The sacrificer Yajnadatta, devoted to the rites of the shrutis, spoke to his wife, who was greatly devoted to him.

Yajnadatta said

Initiated one, where is that cunning son Gunanidhi? Never mind; what do I have to do with him? Where is my auspicious ring? You took it off when you put unguents on my body. Bring that jewelled ring quickly and give it to me.

Brahma continued

Hearing this, the initiated lady was scared. Busy with the rites of her midday bath, she answered: "I am anxiously busy gathering articles for worshipping the gods. You who love guests, the time for attending to guests is passing. I am eager to finish cooking now. While placing things in vessels I have forgotten where I put it." The sacrificer said: "You have always spoken truth, but you are a mother who has borne a false son. Whenever I asked where our son had gone, you said he had just gone out, with two or three friends to study. Wife, where is the red cloth I gave you? After getting it you always kept it in the house. Give up your fear and tell me the truth. Now I do not see the jewelled vase I gave you. Where is the tripod covered with a threaded cloth? I gave you that too. Where is the bronze pot from the south? Where is the copper one from Gouda? Where is the ivory hanger from which curios hung? Where is the statue from the mountain regions, wonderful and bright as the moon, decorated with the image of a lady holding a lamp? Why say more? You were born in a noble family, and anger with you is useless. I will eat only after I have married again. Since the wicked one has defiled the line, I am without offspring now. Get up and bring me water. I will offer him water oblations mixed with sesame. Better for men to have no sons than wicked sons who are the worst of the line. For the sake of the line I will forsake him now. This is eternal sound policy." Following his daily rites, the sacrificer bathed. On that very day he took the hand of a learned brahmana's daughter.