Krishna was sent to the ashram of sage Sandipani for his studies. In the ashram, he attained formal education. He was also taught a sense of duty, cooperation and self-restraint. There was a touch of divinity in the ashram. The life of sage Sandipani was a living example of selflessness to the students. Krishna attained all the virtues of perfect youth. Sage Sandipani was not merely a teacher. He was a genuine preceptor, who led others by examples. When Krishna’s study was over and he was leaving the ashram, he told the sage that he had received a lot from him. So, he asked sage Sandipani for his gurudakshina. Sage Sandipani did not ask for anything but his students asked Krishna to bring back his son who was kidnapped by demon Panchjanya. Krishna went to fight against Panchjanya. He tried a great deal to persuade him to release his guru’s son but the demon did not agree. So, Krishna killed him and Dutta, the son of sage Sandipani, was freed. Panchjanya’s bones were ground into powder out of which a conch was prepared. Krishna named that conch as Panchjanya. From that day onwards, Krishna always carried the conch with him.
KRISHNA IN THE ASHRAM
