---

How Dobrynya Liberated a Town

Dobrynya was riding through the forests and fields, feeling his Heroic power. His heart was burning with the Fire! His arms were filled with power and ready to embrace with love all of Mother-the-Earth!

Dobrynya looked into the distance, trying to understand where the Heroic deed that should be performed by him today was.

He saw a town on a mountain… Shutters were closed, gates were locked… People lived there in bondage, in fear, without knowing freedom…

Dobrynya looked around: no enemies were seen, but everything was closed and locked! There was no danger, but fear lived inside people…

… And all around there was expanse and beauty!… The wind blew freely in the open fields! A river was clean, fast, and full of silvery fish! In a forest, there were giant trunks that held the domes of foliage with their arms-branches!

Fur-bearing animals were free there! Fish were free! Birds were free! But people were unfree… There were no enemies around, but there was fear. There was no yoke, but there was slavery!…

And if those people came out of that locked town — they carried the bondage and death to everything around. They caught birds and put them in cages or even killed them; they caught fish with their nets, trapped and tortured fur-bearing animals… Those people of bondage and fear did not carry good to anyone, and they themselves lived unhappily!…

Dobrynya sat down on the bank of the clean river and started thinking about how he could help.

He took out some bread and began to eat. This was special bread, given by God. If one shared it with others, it did not decrease, no matter how much one gave!…

Birds flew to Dobrynya, small fur-bearing animals ran, fish swam… Dobrynya gave all of them some bread and began to ask their advice:

“Why do you, birds, love freedom, but people in this town don’t?”

The birds replied:

“We meet every morning, seeing the sun, and we want to sing! We see the beautiful blue sky — and we want to fly! Every dad among us sings songs about love, beauty, and freedom — and all our children listen to these songs and remember them…

“People, on the contrary, live in dark rooms, seeing neither the sun nor our blue sky! How can they strive for freedom if they even do not know about it? Fathers who grew up in slavery can teach their children only slavery!…”

Dobrynya thanked the birds.

Then he asked forest fur-bearing animals:

“Why do you love freedom, but people don’t?”

The forest fluffy animals replied:

“We feel how Mother-the-Earth carries us on Itself. If we dig burrows — the Earth will protect us from danger, put us to sleep, warm us in winter, cool us in summer. We feel tracks and trails with our legs; we know the smell of every blade of grass. We are covered every night with the starry veil of the sky. And during daytime we wash ourselves with transparent light. We live on our Earth happily! It is for us like a great Mother: It gives us water to drink; It feeds us and saves us from danger…

“But people… They have forgotten and no longer love Mother-the-Earth! And they do not feel Its warmth, Its help, and Its protection! How can they walk and live on It in happiness?…”

Dobrynya thanked the forest fur-bearing animals.

Then he began to ask the fish why people do not love freedom.

The fish said nothing in reply, but only — with the offence towards people — flashed in the sun with a silvery bend of their backs, submerged into the clean waters of the river and hid in the depths…

Dobrynya bowed to the fish.

Then he started thinking about how he could show to people the Heaven and the Earth, the water and the sun, how to sing to them the song about freedom.

He saw some beggars coming to him with their bags, moaning and groaning, singing their miserable song:

“Give us, good man, some money for food!… We are poor, poor, poor!… The sun burns us; the wind blows cold on us; we sleep on bare ground; our bones hurt… We are poor, poor, poor!…”

Dobrynya broke off some bread and gave it to one of the beggars. He hid it in his pocket, without sharing it with others, without thanking Dobrynya…

The second one started wailing and crying:

“Give me too, give me too!…”

Dobrynya gave him too… He did the same…

Dobrynya began to talk with them about this wonderful bread that did not decrease if one shared it with others… But they did not listen to him, waved their hands, and went away… Everyone ate his piece to the last crumb and remained the same beggar as before…

Dobrynya began asking God-the-Father:

“How can these people be awakened?”

God said:

“The key to Freedom is in the spiritual heart of man! This is the selfless love! Awaken love in those souls! Only then they will ask for Freedom and forget their fears, because love is stronger than all fears!”

“But how can love be awakened?”

“Decide yourself…”

Dobrynya rode to the iron gate and began to knock. No one opened the gate… Then Dobrynya struck with his Heroic power, and the gate rattled; he struck another time, and it began to tremble; he struck the third time, and the gate flew off its hinges and fell to the ground.

Dobrynya started riding through the streets, and it was as if a fresh wind began blowing in the town, as if a ringing song began to flow, and as if the pure power began to stream… The wind opened the shutters of the houses; the sun started shining brighter; the birds flew over Dobrynya, singing their hymns of freedom. People were amazed! The sun lit up their homes, and they saw what were inside: just dust and unnecessary stuff. And the most daring ones rushed to the streets.

Dobrynya sat children on his horse in front of him, told them tales, and sang them songs. A lot of people ran to a square. They all were marveled!

Dobrynya began to tell them that everyone can vanquish a serpent with seven heads inside himself or herself. These heads were hatred, fear, laziness, resentment, anger, jealousy, and sadness. And then, after defeating them, one becomes free — and love begins shining in the soul like the bright sun!

“Do you hear, people, how the heart is beating in the chest of everyone? It’s the heart love in the chest — like a bird in a cage — that thrashes, asking to be released!… Open — as a window can be opened — these closed cages with the arms of the souls! Let the light of love — clean and bright like the morning sun — shine in your chests! Let this light flow and expand in all directions! Smile to each other tenderly! Look how blue, high, transparent, and clear the sky is! Everyone, with the mouth of the heart, can say thanks to the sun for the light, warmth, and life! And then the light of your love, having streamed from your chests, will fill all the space around! The souls, having become free, will spread their gentle and wide wings over the expanse, embracing with love all lives: both Mother-the-Earth and everyone who lives on It!”

People went with Dobrynya to the clean river and bathed in its waters. And Dobrynya showed them even more: the River of the Living Light that flows over the ground and washes everything with Itself. And he spoke about Mother-the-Earth, which nourishes and nurtures everything and everyone with Its love, about God-the-Father, Who creates everything with Love and is ready to speak with each one, helping on the Path of Love.

Dobrynya began to gather the host so that Heroes would not come to an end on the Earth, and there would be those who could tell people about freedom! It was necessary, because locked towns are all around and people-slaves live in them!

… The tales about how Dobrynya vanquished the seven-headed serpent and liberated thousands of people still live in those regions to this day.

… And Dobrynya continued riding through the forests and fields, feeling his Heroic power. His heart was burning with Fire. His arms were filled with power and ready to embrace with love all of Mother-the-Earth!