To Please the Guru, Just Do This One Thing
One day a young boy came to the Ashrama (monastery) of Sage Gautama and said: "Holy Sire, I want to get the sacred knowledge by serving you. Please accept me as your student."
The sage asked: "Child, What is origin of your family? The boy replied: "Sire, I will ask my mother”. She said: 'Child! I was so busy at the time of your birth that I did not get any time to ask your father about the origin of this family. My name is Jabala and yours Satyakama. So call yourself Satya - kama - Jabala and say that to your Guru.
" On hearing it, the rishi smiled and said: "I admire you, child, for speaking truth. I am sure you hail from a noble family. I shall accept you as my student. Go and get me some samidha (twigs of the sacred peepal tree) for what happened. I shall initiate you in celibacy (brahmacharya)".
It is worth mentioning here that one has to be celibate to study the sacred scriptures and he has to serve his Guru according to Guru's needs and orders.
The boy brought the samidha, and the Guru made him a brahmachari by giving him the sacred thread and the Gayatri Mantra. This mantra says: "O God, give me intelligence!"
Few days later, the rishi gave the boy four hundred lean and ill fed cows and said: "Child, take these to the forest and graze them." The boy said: "Sire, I shall return when these cows multiply into a thousand." Satyakama built an ashrama for himself in the forest and looked after the cows. All the time he carefully practiced the duties of a celibate.
Years went by. The number of cows increased to a thousand.
One day a bull among them spoke to him: "Satyakama! Now the cows are a thousand in number? Take them to your Guru. I shall teach you one-fourth part of the true knowledge of Supreme God (Brahm). His name is Prakasavan. Agni, the God of fire, will teach you more later."
After receiving ¼ knowledge of Supreme God from the bull he proceeded further towards Guru’s Ashram.
Satyakam stopped on the way for the night and lighted a fire to warm himself. God Agni appeared from that fire and said: "Satyakama! I shall teach you the second quarter of the sacred truth about Brahman. He is called Anantavan."
Thus, after attaining second quarter of the true knowledge Jabal drove his cows towards Guru’s Ashram again.
On the following evening Satyakama stayed near a lake along with the cows. At that time a swan came flying from the waters and said, "Satyakama! I shall teach you the third quarter of Brahman. He is called Jyotishman." And he taught him more of the sacred truth.
On the following day, he stayed beneath a peepal tree. In the evening a waterfowl came before him and said: "Satyakama! I shall teach you the fourth and last part of Brahman. And he taught him the fourth part, naming it "Ayatanavan."
When Satyakama reached the Guru's ashram with the thousand cows, the Guru asked: "Child, your face shines with Brahm Gyan or the knowledge of Brahm. Who taught you?"
Satyakama told him about his four teachers and said: "Sire, I now request you to teach me personally Brahm- Gyan. Then only will it be perfect." The rishi said: "Child! Whatever you have learnt is real Brahma Gyana. There is little else that I can add. I bless you!" And His Guru completed his knowledge. By faithfully serving the Guru (guru-nishtha) one gets real spiritual knowledge without any effort