UJJAIN'S GEMS OF GENIUS

find myself still mentally in thrall to the romance of Ujjain and encouraged by your responses to last week's column, I wonder if you would like to revisit more stories from its unique legacy in Indian culture.

- RENUKA NARAYANAN

The best-known story is from when Sri Krishna was sent to study there with his brother Balarama at Rishi Sandipani's gurukul. Krishna helped all his classmates and grew especially protective of ameek, timid boy called Sudama.

One day, when Krishna and Sudama Were sent to collect firewood from the forest, it suddenly began to rain. “Krishna! T'mafraid,” quavered Sudama, shrinking from the thunderous downpour. “T'll look after you, be brave,” said Krishna. “Let's hide under this big tree. Its leaves will keep us dry. Quick, over here.” After a while, Krishna said, “Sudama, I'm hungry, aren't you? Where's that packet of poha that I saw Guru Ma give you as we were leaving?’ “Oh, Krishna, I'm so sorry. Late itall up myself when you went ahead of me; I was that hungry,” confessed Sudama. “Never mind,” chuckled Krishna. “But see that you give me my share of poha another time, Sudama.” “I will,” promised Sudama fervently. Krishna was so divinely adept that he rapidly learnt not only the warrior’s skill of archery and the fourteen sciences but also ‘the sixty-four arts’ from Guru Sandipani.

When his education was complete, Krishna was lovingly blessed by his guru and his guru’s wife and took leave, though not without rescuing the guru’s long-kidnapped son as guru dakshina, by which Krishna also obtained his warconch, Panchajanya.