Raivya and Vasu

Vasu was a king who was descended from Brahma. Vasu once went to pay a visit to Brihaspati, the preceptor of the gods. But on his way to Brihaspati’s house, he encountered a vidyadhara named Chitraratha. (The vidyadharas were divine creatures who were adept at singing and dancing.) Chitraratha told Vasu that Brahma had arranged a huge gathering of the gods and the sages and Brihaspati had also gone to attend this meeting. Vasu therefore went to Brahma’s assembly-hall and waited outside for the meeting to end.

Raivya was a sage and Raivya also arrived there to meet Brihaspati. When the meeting was over, Brihaspati came out and found the two waiting with folded palms.

“What can I do for you?” asked Brihaspati.

“We wish to know whether knowledge is superior to action,” requested Vasu and Raivya. “Or is it the other way round?”

“I will tell you a story,” replied Brihaspati.

There was a disciplined and righteous brahmana named Samyamana. He once went to bathe in the holy river Ganga. There was also a hunter named Nishthuraka. Samyamana discovered Nishthuraka catching birds on the banks of the Ganga.