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Yavakrida studied the Vedas and became learned. He grew vain with the
thought that he bad acquired the knowledge of the Vedas through the boon of Indra and
not through human tutelage.
Bharadwaja did not like this and feared that his son might ruin himself
by slighting Raibhya. He thought it necessary to warm him. "The gods," he said,
"grant boons to foolish people who persistently practise penances, as intoxicants are
sold to fools for money.
They lead to loss of self-control, and this leads to the warping of the
mind and utter destruction." He illustrated his advice by the ancient tale, which is
given below:
In olden times there was a celebrated sage named Baladhi. He had a son
whose untimely death plunged him into grief. So, be practised rigorous penance to get a
son who would never meet with death.
The gods told the sage that this could never be, for the human race was
necessarily mortal, and there need must be a limit to human life. They asked him to name
his own limit.
Author : Shri C. Raja Gopalachari
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