चिकित्सा बधिरतायाः

कदाचित् जन्मना बधिरः कश्चन आचार्यः स्वस्य बधिरतायाः औषधार्थं शान्तिशिवनामकं स्वभावमूढं शिष्यम् आहूय 'वैद्यसमीपं गत्वा मम बधिरत्वस्य औषधम् आनयतु' इति अवदत् । शान्तिशिवः यदा वैद्यस्य गृहं प्राप्तवान् तदा विलम्बेन आगतं पुत्रं दृष्ट्वा क्रुद्धः वैद्यः हस्तपादं रज्ज्वा बद्ध्वा स्तम्भे बन्धनं कृत्वा दण्डेन ताडनम् आरब्धवान् । सर्वं दृष्ट्वा शान्तिशिवः आचार्यम् अपि रज्ज्वा बद्ध्वा ताडनम् आरब्धवान् । द्रष्टुम् आगतैः जनैः कारणे पृष्टे वैद्यस्य गृहे एषा एव चिकित्सा दृष्टा मया इत्युक्तं शान्तिशिवेन । अनन्तरं ज्ञातं यत् वैद्यः अन्यकारणतः पुत्रम् अताडयत् न तु बधिरतायाः कारणतः इति।(“केन्द्रीयसंस्कृतविश्वविद्यालयस्य अष्टादशीयोजनान्तर्गततया एतासां कथानां ध्वनिप्रक्षेपणं क्रियते”)Once, a teacher who was deaf from birth called his simple-minded disciple, Shantishiva, and said: “Go to the physician and bring medicine for my deafness”. When Shantishiva reached the physician’s house, the physician, angry at his son for arriving late, tied his hands and feet with a rope, bound him to a post, and began beating him with a stick. Seeing all this, Shantishiva thought this was the treatment for deafness. He returned to his teacher, tied him up with a rope, and began beating him as well. When people gathered and asked the reason, Shantishiva explained: “This is the treatment I saw at the physician’s house”. Later, it was understood that the physician had punished his son for another reason, not as a cure for deafness.