Vyadha Gita - Story

Story

The story has only three characters—a brahmin sannyasin, a housewife and a vyadha (butcher). The story begins with a young sannyasin going to a forest, where he meditates and practices spiritual austerities for a long time. After years of practice, one day while sitting under a tree, dry leaves fall on his head because of a fight between a crow and a crane. The angry sannyasin had developed yogic powers and burnt the birds with his mere look. This incident fills the sannyasin with arrogance. Shortly thereafter, he goes to a house, begging for food. Here the housewife who was nursing her sick husband requests the sannyasin to wait. To this, the sannyasin thinks, "You wretched woman, how dare you make me wait! You do not know my power yet", to which the housewife says that she is neither a crow nor a crane, to be burnt. The sannyasin is amazed and asks her how she came to know about the bird. The housewife says that she did not practice any austerities and by doing her duty with cheerfulness and wholeheartedness, she became illumined and thus could read his thoughts. She redirects him to a dharma-vyadha (meaning, the righteous butcher) in the town of Mithila and says that the dharma-vyadha would answer all his questions on dharma. The sannyasin goes to see the vyadha and overcoming his initial hesitation, listens to his teachings, which is referred to as Vyadha Gita—and even puts them into practice.