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The Legend of Peresvet/Chapter Two: The Elder

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Chapter Two:
The Elder

There is Knowledge, hidden from idle eyes.

There is the Wisdom of the Primordial Silence.

And there are those who possess it.

They can share this Preciousness with others.

Peresvet

Peresvet thought about how to tell Yegor about his youth, not just to amuse the adolescent’s curiosity and occupy his time with a conversation, but to fill him with the knowledge gained from his own hard-won life experiences.

And there were many experiences!

There were joys, delights, and the fire of youthful recklessness… There was friendship, courage, readiness to risk one’s life, aspirations to accomplish various deeds, and striving to be true to one’s word… There was pain and despair, and bitter disappointment… All this had long since passed…

… Yes, there were life lessons, both very bright and very hard…

And in order to help Peresvet understand how and what God teaches a person through the many events and meetings of life, an Elder, in Peresvet’s youth, began teaching him these lessons.

* * *

The Elder, or Grandfather, as he was sometimes called, was not at all related to Peresvet, even distantly.

He was a very strange and unusual man.

He lived as a hermit in the forest, but was not an Orthodox monk. No one knew how old he was. Many who had known him for a long time, said that even thirty years ago he was already white-haired and looked exactly the same as now. On the one hand, he was perceived as old, like the divine elders of the tales, but on the other — he was full of strength and not old at all.

The Elder was tall, had a powerful build, never stooped, and even had heroic physical strength, but rarely showed it to people. And his spiritual strength was immeasurable! It was as if it was always hidden in the depths of his stingy words or silent peace.

He was not especially affable or polite. He could choose not to answer idle questions or to tell the whole truth about a person or a situation in a harsh and brief manner.

He did not help everyone, and very few people turned to him for help. People were afraid of him and went to him with requests only in extreme need.

But wild animals approached him without fear and fawned on him, birds ate from his hands. Even feral dogs whimpered wantingly, like puppies, and were ready to rub against his feet with devotion. A huge bear lived near the Elder’s house. And with the Elder himself, the bear was quite obedient, gentle and meek, but strangers could become so afraid of it that they never went into that forest again.

The Elder did not hunt, did not fish, but lived on other gifts of the forest. He had never eaten any food of animal origin, neither in Lent nor outside of Lent.

Although some may have thought so, no one ever called the Elder a warlock, sorcerer, or wizard for fear of what could happen by doing so.

Only with time did Peresvet understand that the Elder called God the One Great All-creating Power, the Only Creator. But the Elder rarely explained in words how he himself understood everything in the world order.

… Peresvet often recalled the Elder.

He often wished that he could ask the Elder now about many important things that he had not considered asking about in his youth…

Now Peresvet was collecting and comprehending bit by bit what he perceived then. Now he was trying diligently to combine the Knowledge introduced by the Elder — with the Teachings of Jesus Christ, which illuminated Peresvet’s life now.

The words of the Elder, as if imprinted in the memory of the soul, sometimes rose from the depths — and a meaningful understanding gradually came: secret things were opened, obvious things were understood… The Knowledge, the Universal Knowledge to which Peresvet so diligently strove in his spiritual discipleship, was slowly being understood.

* * *

Yegor always excitedly waited for Peresvet’s stories. In anticipation of an interesting conversation — it was easy to work! Peresvet chopped wood with measured and strong movements, and Yegor stacked the logs. And he felt so good beside Peresvet as if he plunged into a stream of pure power and unearthly peace!

… When the work was done, they sat together. Yegor, feeling slightly embarrassed, reminded Peresvet that he had promised a story.

“Well, listen!

“At the time, which I’ll tell you about now, I was younger than you— about fourteen years old.

“My friend and sworn brother, Rodion, and I were dreaming of feats, looking for a chance to show off our prowess and strength…

“One day, when our fathers were away, we went to the fair, we fought fist fights, and had all sorts of fun…

“A story happened there. Rodion saved a little girl from under the wheels of a cart, but he broke his right arm. He broke it badly! And the wound healed badly, it festered… The doctor said that if he didn’t cut the arm off above the elbow, he would die of the black fever. Rodion flatly refused: ‘What kind of a warrior would I be without my right hand? It would be better to die!’

“Then an old servant who lived in our house told us that there was an old man who could cure any disease, if he wanted to.

“And Rodion was burning like fire, he was fading in and out from the heat…

“I saddled the horse, put Rodion on it, and sat behind him to support him.

“I did not know how to find that man. The servant only gave a general outline of the way.

“… When we arrived at the Elder’s house, the broad-shouldered old man came out onto the doorstep without my knocking… He took Rodion in his arms and brought him into the upper room.

“He told me briefly:

‘Sit here in the corner and think good thoughts! If you believe in God, pray; if you do not believe, keep quiet and do not interfere!’

“And he began to examine Rodion’s hand.

“I started to look for an icon with my eyes… But there were no icons in the room.

“The Elder, without turning around, said:

‘You should not look for God in icons, but in your spiritual heart!’

“I got goose bumps on my back! I felt that this old man could see even with his back turned, though he leaned over Rodion’s body and guided his hands in a special way over the patient’s arm.

“After a minute or so, the Elder said to me:

‘Get a bucket and fetch some water! The well is in the yard.’

“I took the bucket from the threshold and went out of the hut. And there was a huge bear in the yard, without a chain, without a leash, looking at me intently…

“The Elder, as if he had seen everything himself, said from the hut:

‘Don’t be afraid of the bear: it won’t hurt his own! Bring water quickly!’

“I — under the bear’s rapt attention — crossed the distance to the well and drew water.

“The bear did not move, but just looked at me back and forth.

“The old man took the bucket and dipped Rodion’s hand, which was all black, into it. The water turned black and his hand became a little lighter.

‘Bring more water!’ — the Elder commanded. — ‘And pour this one out so that it does not get on anything living!’

“This repeated several times until Rodion’s hand became normal color with a little pinkish tint…

“After that, the Elder fiddled with the hand for a while more, combining the bones and stitching up the wound.

“Then he told me to take a wide bench out of the chamber and put it by the well. He put Rodion on it, took off all his clothes, and doused him with several buckets of water. Then he wrapped him in a linen and took him back to the room.

“Rodion’s fever seemed to have been washed away by that water.

“The old man bandaged Rodion’s arm, covered Rodion with a blanket and went about his business as if I was not there at all.

“Then he glanced at me:

‘Your brother will live! If you want, you can stay here, or you can leave and come back to get him after three days.’

“I decided to stay.

“I also tried to pay the Elder for the treatment. But he gave me such a look that I almost fell under the ground with shame…

“… The next day Rodion was almost well.

“The Elder was a little nicer to him than he was to me. He told him that his arm would be healthy.

“And then, while Rodion’s hand was healing, we stayed at the Elder’s cottage for two weeks.

“And the Elder began to teach us to do everything with our left hands that we were accustomed to doing with our right hands.

“We laughed at our embarrassment, and the Elder himself showed us how he could do everything with his left hand just as easily as he could do with his right.

“He explained a little more about his miraculous abilities in healing, so that there would be no superstitious fear in us:

‘It is not witchcraft, but ordinary knowledge! But not everyone is able to use it.

‘And there is knowledge about the earthly life and the life of Heaven! If they are known, then mysteries are revealed which are really simple. And in this way, one can acquire useful and important skills. It is not only about how to heal diseases. But this knowledge is about how man on the Earth is commanded by God to live!”

* * *

Yegor listened with bated breath. The scenes told by Peresvet came alive before his inner eyes.

Then the bell rang. It was time for prayer.

“Well, I will tell you the rest at some other time!” — Peresvet said.

And they went to a small temple that was a little bit unfinished and unpainted inside, but it was already consecrated, and services were held in it.

The brethren of the monastery were gathering. The setting sun with its red and golden rays was shining all around.

Peresvet felt warmth in his heart now that God filled his entire life! Now, His Caress was palpable and His Presence was so significant!

This joy merged with the beauty of the sunset and shone in the flame of the candles! It resounded in the space with the chiming of the bells and the singing of the birds in the surrounding groves. Special hymns praising God sounded in the invisible space…

Life with God — is there any greater happiness?!