The kings of yore were the ones who punished the wicked and protected the good. The sages gave them guidance.

These sages lived in hermitages in the forests and were dressed in cloth of red ochre color. This color indicated that they did not want anything for themselves. They observed a routine of bathing, penance, meditation and ritual sacrifices unfailingly. Their food consisted only of fruits and bulbous roots. They would not eat even these when they sat for severe penance. They also ate dry leaves, Sometimes water was their only sustenance. At other times they sat for penance taking in only air.

And wherefore such a rigorous life?

The sages did not want anything for themselves. They and their wives did not want any earthy happiness. The sages always thought of the good of the world. All their penance, meditation and teaching was for the uplift of the people. In the olden days these sages ran residential schools called the Gurukulas where deserving pupils were given free board and lodging, and were educated. They shaped the generation, which would develop the country. Even great kings, whenever problems arose, went to these sages for advice to solve those problems. They saluted them, served them and sought advice. They destroyed the Rakshasas, the demons who obstructed the meditation of the sages. The other subjects were giving one sixth of their income to the king. What about the rishis who themselves had no wealth or property? But even they did give some- thing. The king received a sixth part of the good result of their penance. Of such rishis Vasishtha was one of the greatest. His hermitage was in a forest far from the city of Ayodhya.

The king and the queen were both in great enthusiasm that they were going to see the 
Guru who was the teacher for their whole royal lineage. As the chariot sped along, the trees, plants and creepers on both sides appeared to be racing in the opposite direction. There was a cool breeze carrying the scent of fragrant plants and scattering the pollen of flowers. The plants waved in the blowing breeze. Dileepa was explaining the specialties of the Ashrama to queen Sudakshina. And by the evening they set eyes on the hermitage itself.

Some sages were bringing people twigs for the sacrificial fire. Some others fetched fruits and the Darbha grass. The deer, which were brought up like so many children of the sages and their spouses, were waiting at the doors of the cottages for their food. Water had just then been poured into the tree-beds and birds were drinking water from them. A few of the deer were chewing the cud in the leaf- house. Here was no noise or bustle as in the city. There was no dust or running about or speed. There was calm every where. The king and the queen felt a great peace of mind even as they stepped into the hermitage. They seemed to have entered a New World.