Nag Mahashay

Nagamahasaya was the living example of the precept of Ahimsa. “Non-injury is the highest virtue.” He followed this in his life to the very letter.

Nagamahasaya could not bear to see the sufferings of any creature. There was a small tank attached to his house, where a large number of fish came and settled during the floods every year. One day, a certain fisherman caught some fish from the tank and, according to the custom in vogue, came to Nagmahasaya to give him his due share. Nagmahasaya was greatly affected to see those fish struggling hard for their lives in the basket. He at once purchased them all at the price demanded by the man and let them lose in the pond.

Another day, some other fisherman caught some fish from a pond close to his house and came to sell them to him. This time also, he purchased all the fish and let them go into the pond. The fisherman was quite astonished at this strange behaviour and no sooner had he got the price of his fish and the basket back than he ran away from this mad man as fast as his legs could carry him and never again in his life crossed the boundary walls of the abode of Nagmahasaya.

Nagmahasaya was so very strict in following the Ahimsa Dharma that he would not even allow a poisonous snake to be killed. Once, a venomous cobra was seen in the courtyard of the house. This alarmed all persons present there. His wife suggested that it should be killed. Nagmahasaya objected, “It is not the snake of the forest that does any harm, but it is the snake that is in the mind that really kills a man.” Then, with folded palms, he addressed the cobra, saying, “Thou art the visible manifestation of the goddess Manasa. Thy abode is the forest. May it please thee to leave my humble cottage and go to thine own dwelling.” And strange as it may seem, the snake also followed him with its hood bent down as he directed it to the jungle Nagmahasaya often used to say, “The outside world is the projection of your own mind. As you give out to the world, so you receive back from it. It is just like looking into the mirror. The reflection in the mirror exactly shows what faces you make at it.”

Questions:

1. Describe Nagmahasaya’s kindness to all creatures.