Episode Details

कश्चन महर्षेः पुत्रः उलूकः मन्दमतिः | यद्यपि सः गुरुकुले वसति स्म, तथापि गुरुणा बोधितं किमपि न अवगच्छति स्म | कदाचित् गुरुः अवदत् 'पठने रुचिः नास्ति चेत् गुरुकुलं परित्यज्य गच्छ' इति | विषादेन सः पर्वतशिखरं गत्वा तपः आचरितवान् | वृद्धवेषधारी ईश्वरः आगत्य किञ्चन तत्वं बोधितवान् | तदनन्तरमेव सः अध्ययनं समाप्य ज्ञानी जातः | महर्षिः अपि | तस्य एव नाम कणादः इति यः वैशेषिकदर्शनस्य प्रवर्तकः सन् परमाणुतत्त्वस्य उपस्थापकः जातः |
(“केन्द्रीयसंस्कृतविश्वविद्यालयस्य अष्टादशीयोजनान्तर्गततया एतासां कथानां ध्वनिप्रक्षेपणं क्रियते”)

Uluka was the son of a sage, but he was not very clever. Even though he studied in a gurukula, he could not understand what his teacher taught. One day, the teacher told him to leave if he was not interested in learning. Feeling very sad, Uluka went to a mountain and prayed deeply. God came in the form of an old man and taught him an important lesson. After that, Uluka studied well, became a wise man, and later became a great sage. He was known as Kanada, who started the Vaisheshika school of philosophy and taught about atoms.