Once, there were eight siblings. The eldest, a boy, mastered all the religious books and teachings. He became very famous for his profound knowledge. He renounced the world and became an ascetic. His siblings followed his footsteps. They started dwelling in a forest. The ascetics used to eat lotus stalks for food. They became renowned for their penance and meditation. God, too, heard about them and wanted to test them. So, one day, when their food had been laid out, God stole the food kept for the eldest ascetic. The eldest ascetic, seeing his food missing, went away without saying anything. This kept happening for four days consecutively, but still the eldest ascetic did not utter a word. On the fifth day, the other ascetics noticed that the eldest ascetic had become very weak. They came to know of the reason. Instead of talking ill of the thief, they only prayed for his prosperity. God felt happy to see the attitude of all ascetics and blessed them.
God Tests the Ascetics
