The Miracle of Purun Bhagat by Rudyard Kipling. Short summary

5 seconds

Puran Bhagata was a high caste brahmin and the most respected man in the country. But one day he gave up everything and went to the mountains, where he settled in the temple of Kali all alone.

1 minute

Puran Das was the first minister of one of the Indian principalities. He was a brahmin of high caste. Puran Das got along well with the English, the raja listened to his advice, and the people respected and loved him. And after his visit to England, he was elevated to the rank of Knight of the Order of the Indian Empire.

But one day Puran Das took off all awards, put on simple clothes and left the city. Puran Bhagata, as he now called himself, went to the Himalayas, where one day he came across a temple of the goddess Kali. Here he settled down. The people of the village in the valley carried food to the hermit every day. Puran Bhagata became friends with the animals: the deer, the monkeys and the black bear.

Many years passed. One day, during a heavy downpour, frightened animals ran into the hermit’s cave. The mountain was crumbling, and they wanted to warn him. When the old man realized this he ran to the village, woke everyone up and made them climb high up the mountain. After leading the people to safety, the old man died. On that spot the people built a shrine and called the mountain Mount Bhagata.