It is said that when Rama, his wife Sita and his brother Lakshman were going into their long exile in the forest, they came to a place where they had to cross the Ganges. There was a boatman named Guhak there, whose work was to ferry people across the river.

When Guhak saw that Rama was there, he greeted him with happiness, and said, “Lord, what service may I offer you?”

Rama replied, “Guhak, we do not ask any special service. Only please ferry us across the river.” This Guhak did with pleasure.

When they reached the other bank, Rama asked, “Guhak, what shall I give you for taking us across the river?”

The boatman replied, “Lord, does one barber expect to be paid for trimming a fellow barber’s hair?”

“No,” said Rama.

“And if a doctor gives some medicine to a fellow doctor, does he expect to be paid by him?”

“No,” Rama said again.

“Then if one boatman ferries another boatman across the river, how could I charge you for that?”

Rama was surprised. “Guhak, that you are a boatman is very clear, but how do you say that I am a boatman?”

“Lord Rama, just as I ferry people across the river, you ferry people from ignorance to enlightenment. Are you not a boatman of the highest order?”

Hearing these unexpected words of love and devotion, Rama seized Guhak in a firm embrace, and Guhak felt that he had fulfilled the purpose of his life.