One day my preceptor called me and taught me wisdom in every possible way; “The sole reward, my son, of worshipping Lord Ýiva is uninterrupted devotion to Ýr¶ RŒma’s feet. Ýiva Himself as well as BrahmŒ (the Creator), dear son, adore Ýr¶ RŒma; of what account, then, is a vile human being ! Do you hope to attain happiness, O wretched soul, by harbouring ill-will to Him whose feet are loved by BrahmŒ and Ýiva Himself?” When I heard my Guru speak of Lord Hara as a votary of 1062 * ÝR” RMACARITAMNASA* Ýr¶ Hari, my heart, O lord of the feathered kingdom, was all on fire. Vile of descent as I was, the little learning that I had acquired turned my head even as a serpent becomes all the more poisonous when fed on milk. Proud, perverse, wretched and low-born, I meditated mischief to my Guru day and night. My Guru, however, was too tenderhearted to have the least anger in him; on the other hand, he gave me good advice time after time. The first thing a vile fellow does is to kill and destroy the very man who has been instrumental in exalting him. Listen, brother : smoke, which is produced by fire, extinguishes the latter when it attains to the dignity of a cloud. The dust lying on the road is held in contempt and is ever trodden under foot by all (the wayfarers). But when carried aloft by the wind, it first envelopes the air itself and then descends on the eyes or diadems of king. Listen, O lord of the winged creatures: realizing this state of things, the wise shun the company of vile men. Seers and learned men have declared this maxim: it is good neither to quarrel with a wretch nor to make friends with him. One should always remain aloof from him, my master; a wicked fellow should be avoided even as a dog. Vicious as I was with a heart full of falsehood and perversity, the Guru’s admonition did not appeal to me, even though it was wholesome. (1—8)