Only ten months had passed since Nilkanth had left home. As he passed through the dense jungles in the north eastern Himalayas, Nilkanth arrived in the town of Bansi. There was a beautiful garden on the banks of the river which flowed a short distance from the town. Nilkanth decided to rest in the garden. He would bathe in the river every morning and enjoy the peace and quiet of the garden.

There were many beautiful birds that would chirp and sing in the garden. One day, two of the king’s servants came into the garden and did not notice Nilkanth sitting nearby. They pointed their rifles in the air and pulled their triggers. The bullets hit two of them and they crashed to the ground screeching in pain. The birds' eyes met with Nilkanth’s as they both lay dying at his feet.

Nilkanth was shocked at the cruelty of the two men. He blessed the two birds and observed a fast that day. He became very sad. He did not go to the city again but spent the whole day in the garden. His heart was greatly moved with compassion. He could not bear any sort of violence to even the smallest of God’s creatures.

At midnight, Nilkanth suddenly woke up. He was still upset about the day’s event and could not sleep. A thought casually passed through his mind‚ “Let this city be burnt!” And Nilkanth decided to leave the city. But immediately after this‚ he withdrew that thought saying to himself‚ “No‚ a sadhu should be forgiving. He should not even harbour a thought which may cause harm to anyone.”

However, by this time, the city of Bansi had gone up in flames. The god of fire had already set it on fire. The fire, which started from the king’s palace, rapidly spread across the whole city. The king‚ the queen and all the citizens began to flee the city as the fire spread furiously. Seeing all this, Nilkanth realized what had happened due to his first thought. He felt compassion for the citizens. Instantly he plunged into the river and with that the fire was extinguished right away. Only the two servants who had killed the birds were burnt to death. The city was saved from being reduced to ashes.

Nilkanth stood in the water of the river‚ and taking a little water in the palm of his hands‚ uttered a curse on his own speech‚ “If ever again such a thought crosses my mind‚ let it not be fruitful. Let my words‚ on such an occasion fail to have any effect.”

After his bath and meditation‚ Nilkanth continued his journey.