Greatness of unwavering devotion in
Sanatana Dharma is explained through numerous stories. One such story is that
of Sutikshna and Lord Ram. Sutikshna was a disciple of Sage Agastya.
When he finished his education under
Sage Agastya, he asked his Guru as to what kind of Guru Dakshina he wanted.
Sage Agastya told his disciple that
he did not want anything from him as teaching such a student in itself was an
honor. Sage Agastya then freed Sutikshna from all debts (Rna) so that he could
walk free without any remorse.
But Sutikshna was adamant and he
wanted Sage Agastya to accept some kind of Guru Dakshina.
Finally, Sage Agastya told Sutikshna
that he should arrange for a meeting between him and Lord Ram. He told
Sutikshna not to go back on his words and not to return to him without
Bhagavan Sri Ram.
When this incident happened Lord Rama
had not appeared on earth. Sage Agastya who could see future knew about the
advent of Lord Rama.
Sutikshna built an ashram in forest
and waited for the arrival of Lord Rama. He started meditating on the holy name
of Ram.
He continued his meditation through the
seasons. Years passed by and now he was lean and thin and people could count
his bones.
The single-minded focus of Sutikshna
baffled people. Some thought he was a fool to wait for someone this long. Many people
attempted to talk him out of his meditation. They pointed out that it was
worthless to waste life in pursuit of meeting a person.
But nothing mattered to Sutikshna.
He continued with his unwavering devotion.
One day, Lord Rama came to the forest
during his exile period in the Ramayana.
The exile period of Lord Rama was to
complete lot of tasks which he could not perform from the palace in Ayodhya.
One of the tasks was to meet Sutikshna, his ardent devotee.
The meeting of Sutikshna and Lord
Ram was unexplainable. Both cried and embraced each other.
Lord Rama told Sutikshna that he
knew that his mind was completely fixed on him. Sutikshna had nothing else in
his mind other than Rama. This is the reason why Lord Rama came to meet him.
Lord Rama told Sutikshna that he
could demand anything from him.
Sutikshna then told Lord Rama that
he should meet his Guru Sage Agastya.
And thus Sage Sutikshna fulfilled an
almost impossible promise by arranging for a meeting between Lord Rama and Sage
Agastya.
But what is more important to note her that Sage Agastya in the name of Guru Dakshina gave his disciple the greatest gift - the power of devotion.