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In a village, there lived a saint named Mãrgadarsi. He was a very devout and learned person. One day while he was finishing his puja, his son Rathnakaran came to him fuming with anger. The surprised Mãrgadarsi asked, “Son, why are you so angry?” Rathnakaran replied, “My servant has insulted me in many ways. So, you must punish him and see to it that he doesn’t show his face to me any more.”

On hearing this Mãrgadarsi said,“It is not proper for me to punish someone who has insulted you. You can either punish him appropriately or retaliate by insulting him.” When Rathnakaran, started to the servant’s place in order to punish him, his father added, “You want to punish him because he insulted you. By doing so, you will also prove to be as senseless as he is. Instead of being a fool like him, I would be glad if you act like an intelligent and a righteous person. Give it a thought before you act.” Hearing his father’s words, Rathnakaran, changed his attitude and promised to be patient with the servant.

Happy with the change in his son's mood, Mãrgadarsi added, “Anger, harsh words, doing things without thinking about its nature (whether it is good or bad) or consequences, doing bad deeds (using mind, word or body), unhealthy competition, jealousy and ego (the feeling of me and mine) are not the ornaments of a virtuous person. All these are nothing but acts of folly.”

Taking leave of his father and keeping in mind the advice given by him, Rathnakaran was patient with his servant. He did not show any anger towards him. Instead, he treated him as his own brother. Seeing this change in his master, the servant felt ashamed of himself. He changed his attitude towards his master and served him with all respect. Not only that, he also spread the word about his good master to everyone. Because of this, Rathnakaran became famous. He too became a saint and guided people in the right path.

Thus, by controlling anger and being patient, one can win over the world. This is exemplified by Rathnakaran’s story.

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