Swami Dayananda

Swami Dayananda came of a very rich family. At the age of twenty-one he was inspired to leave his house to search for a Guru. As he was leaving, he stood in front of his house and bowed down to his parents and relatives. He said, "I am leaving to become a sannyasin. I am not going to come back again."

Dayananda carried with him two books of Hindu scriptures which he had studied. He carried those scriptures hundreds and hundreds of miles as he went from village to village searching for a Guru. One day a seeker told him where he would find his Guru. Dayananda travelled on foot to the place where the Guru lived.

"What are you carrying with you?" asked the Guru.

"Two books of scriptures," said Dayananda.

"Go and throw them into the river," commanded the Guru.

Dayananda obeyed his Guru and was immediately accepted as a disciple.