After travelling long through a forest, Kalidasa reached a village. He felt very thirsty and looked around for water, whereupon he saw an old woman drawing water from a well. He went up to her and asked her for water. She agreed to give him water, but asked him to first introduce himself, " Who are you ? Introduce yourself, ( apna parichay do ) Now Kalidasa, who was a renowned and revered scholar of his time, thought that an ordinary and old village woman was not worthy of knowing who great Kalidasa was. So he said, " I am a traveller. " But the old lady replied, " No, you cannot be a traveller. In this world there are only 2 travellers – the Sun and the Moon. Both Rise and Set every day and keep travelling perpetually. " Who are you ? Then thirsty Kalidasa said, " Alright then, treat me as a guest. ". The lady promptly replied, " No you cannot be a guest, son. In this world there are only 2 guests – Youth and Wealth … both are temporary and do not stay even if you plead with them a million times, and hence can only they be called as guests " Who are you Thirsty but now quite intrigued with the profoundness of this old lady, Kalidasa said, " I am a Tolerant person, mata ( sahansheel vyakti ) Now the old lady replied, " You don't quite look tolerant, young man. In this world only 2 truly know the meaning of Tolerance – Bhoomi (Earth) and Tree . How much ever you stamp the earth or throw stones at the tree ( for the fruits ), both continue to nurture us. ". So, who are you ? With unquenched thirst, Kalidasa was increasingly becoming irritable. He said, " Fine then, consider me a stubborn person The lady smiled and said, " No my child, you are not that stubborn. There are only 2 truly stubborn personalities our nails and our hair. We keep cutting them non - stop, but they continue to grow. "Who are you ? Kalidasa had been patient so far, but now in anger he said, " Alright, I am a fool " Now the lady gave a wide smile and said, " There are only 2 kinds of fools in this world a King who rules without having any capability or knowledge & a Minister who is a sycophant to such a King and lavishes praises on such a useless king. ". Who are you ? Kalidasa realised that he had been outsmarted by an old illiterate village woman. In complete awe and humility, he fell at the feet of the lady, saying, " O mother ! How ignorant I was to think that I know myself. I am ashamed of my self Pardon my ignorance. Show mercy, and grant me water, I beg of you. When he touched her feet and then got up, whom did he see ? Mata Saraswati the Goddess of Learning and Wisdom.*
*She said, " Kalidasa, you are wise. But only if you know yourself do you become a true Manushya ( human being ) Your ego has overshadowed your achievements. You are educated, but you are _ also given to arrogance. Hence, I had to come to guide you.*
*The mark of a true human being is not his knowledge, but his humility. Your intellect and education is of no use if it only feeds your ego.*