Aruni of Panchala

(Long ago — way before mobile phones, before TVs, when kids studied under trees and the only homework was wisdom.)

There was a wise guru — Guru Dronacharya. Yes yes, that Drona — the same one who later trained the Pandavas and Kauravas in archery and warcraft.

He ran a gurukul, and many students came to learn from him. But among them, there was one boy — simple, pure-hearted, and full of respect. His name was Aruni.

One day, heavy rains began to pour. It rained and rained so much that the fields began to flood. The boundary — a small mud wall, a medh, which kept the water from destroying crops — had broken.

Guruji called out,
“Aruni, my child, go see if the boundary has broken.”

Aruni replied,
“Right away, Gurudev!”
And without waiting a moment, he ran out into the storm.

When he reached the field — oh my, what a sight! Water was gushing through the broken levee. He tried everything: piling mud, placing stones, even branches — but the water washed it all away.

Then… he had an idea.

He thought,
“Guruji told me to fix the break. If nothing works — then maybe I can.”

And he laid down across the broken wall himself — using his own body to block the rushing water. Just like that. A human dam.

Cold wind, heavy rain, mud all over — but he didn’t move. Not an inch.

Time passed. Guruji began to worry.
“Aruni hasn’t come back… What could have happened?”

So he gathered his students and went looking.

And what did they find?

There — lying in the mud, soaked to the bone, shivering but still strong — was Aruni. Holding the water back.

Guruji rushed to him,
“Aruni! What are you doing, my child? Get up!”

Aruni slowly opened his eyes, smiled weakly, and said,
“You told me to stop the water, Gurudev. So… I stopped it.”

Tears filled Drona’s eyes. He picked Aruni up, hugged him tightly, and said:

“From this day on, you are not just my student — you are like my own son. The world will remember your name as the most obedient disciple — Aruni of Panchala.”