In our school days there was a poem titled “Dara” in our text book. Dara, an ordinary man, rose to a very high eminence and became a confidant of the king of Baghdad. He was an ordinary shepherd. Once the king’s caravan was lost in a desert. He had shown the king the way. Highly pleased with his act, the king took him to Baghdad. He rose to great eminence and so other courtiers became jealous of him. They told the king that whenever Dara was sent out for some royal work, he always carried with him a chest and did not allow anyone to open it. They said they were afraid that he took out wealth from the royal treasury in the chest. The king said, “He is absolutely incorruptible and dependable.” But when the king was told about that again and again, he finally asked Dara. Dara replied, “Yes Your Highness! I do carry with me a chest.” The king ordered to bring the chest and asked Dara to open that. The chest was opened and all were stunned to see the contents – a shepherd’s old clothes which Dara used to wear! Not a single thing other than that. The king asked, “What is this? Why do you always carry these clothes with you?” Dara replied, “I have kept them as a reminder of my old status. I daily see them before going to bed so that I do not become arrogant or proud.” All the courtiers were amazed. Those who tried to scandalize him were all silenced.
           
            Gurudev (Sri Swami Sivananda) was like that. To help the sick, he would approach several people and roam around for several miles. When he rose to eminence, he remained the same old self and lived a very simple austere life in his same old kutir (small residence). “God has given all this. It belongs Him. I am a simple Sannyasin (Sadhu).”-that was the spirit in which he lived all his life.