How Volga Searched for the Heroic Power

Dobrynya was riding along the land and smiling. Everything around pleased Him. Birds were singing Him their songs; fluffy forest animals were running next to Him; flowers wished to give Him their fragrance; bushes wanted to share with Him their ripe berries.

Dobrynya was dressed in a white shirt, and not in military armor. His light-brown curls were caressed by a free wind. His sword hid its great power in sheath, and His shield was strapped to a saddle. It was joyful in the warrior’s heart when peace and calm were around!

Dobrynya was riding and saw how some boys and girls were playing a war game…

Dobrynya rode to them and asked:

“Don’t you have another game?”

“It’s boring to play house-building and baking bread!”

“But can it be fun to play at cutting off each other’s head?”

Children then started thinking if this game was good…

Dobrynya also started thinking and became sad: “While fathers forge and grind swords, while people wage wars against each other — it will be impossible to break children of the habit of playing games in which they try to kill one another more artfully!…”.

… Dobrynya rode further and soon saw a boy riding on a horse and cutting off the heads of grass and flowers with his sword.

Dobrynya asked him:

“Why do you execute the flowers and grass? What do you blame them for?”

The boy fell to thinking and then answered:

“I want to become strong and agile and protect my native land from enemies! I want to become a great hero like Dobrynya!”

The boy did not recognize Him… He thought that He was just a usual traveler.

Dobrynya began to ask the boy:

“What is your name, future hero?”

“Volga is my name. From infancy, I was growing being endowed with strength and intelligence. I said to my mother and father that my destiny would not be to go after a plow but to be a hero! Therefore, now I seek Dobrynya-Hero to learn from Him.”

“Well, if you are endowed with intelligence, think about where the border of your native land, which you want to defend, is. Is it the fence around your house or the outskirts of your village? Or is it where the hand of your prince reaches? Or is it where a nearby prince has power?

“The distance from one neighborhood to another may be either short or long. But wherever you go, the Earth is like a mother for all Its children! And there are no lines on our land that indicate the borders! People themselves draw those lines!

“One neighbor builds a fence to separate himself from another neighbor. Another neighbor, on the contrary, constructs a road to another neighbor! Yet in every house, people live and raise their children. And for all of us Mother-the-Earth is only one!

“Do you want to learn to protect Its children?”

“Yes, I want to!” — Volga answered.

“Then look!” — Dobrynya said and showed His palm with the head of the flower cut off by Volga. — “If you had not cut it, the seeds of this flower would have matured and then sprouted next year, and our land would have been decorated with new flowers!…”

Volga asked the flowers to forgive him…

“Can you return the life to this needlessly killed flower?” — and thanks to the warmth of Dobrynya’s hand, the head of the flower suddenly turned into a capsule with seeds. These seeds ripped and spilt out on Dobrynya’s palm. He sowed them to make them sprout next year and become flowers.

Volga asked Dobrynya:

“But how do we reap grain, grind it and bake bread from it? It also means that we take lives from those ears and grains.”

“Each grain, turned into bread, will rise in human bodies as life power. It will give its power to people instead of dying in vain! And people should thank Mother-the-Earth and God-the-Father for their daily bread and use this power for good deeds.

“If you want, I will give you some bread, and we will continue our conversation while eating.”

Volga agreed, and they sat to eat. The boy became more and more influenced by Dobrynya’s responses and asked new questions:

“How to obtain Heroic power, but at the same time not kill anyone?”

“Before trying to obtain power, it is necessary to cultivate in ourselves the kindness and love for our smaller brothers and sisters: for growing flowers and trees, for birds singing songs, for fur-bearing animals and for all other creatures!” — Dobrynya answered Volga.

He stretched out His hand with bread crumbs, and at once some birds came and confidently sat on His palm and began to eat. Fluffy forest animals came and began to eat too, showing their gratitude and affection for Dobrynya.

Then Volga also stretched out his hand with crumbs, and birds sat on it too and began to eat.

One little bird, sitting on the palm of Volga, started singing a thankful song for this meal. And it became so warm in the heart of Volga, as if the bright sun had risen inside!

Volga caressed the red fluffy fur of a squirrel that came and then stroked the ears of a hare that trustfully leaned against his leg. He himself was surprised at the affection that had awakened in him! It was as if he had become related with every animal! It was as if every creature became for him a sister or brother!

And Volga realized with Whom he was eating: it was not a simple traveler who kept the conversation with him but Dobrynya-Hero!

“How do You perform Your Heroic service if You have pity for everything and everyone, if You cannot offend even an ant or another insect?” — Volga asked.

“One can be strong and bold but give one’s life struggling for an unjust cause. This is why a hero should be wise so as to be able to distinguish between the evil and the good, help everyone in good, and stop evil everywhere!

“Come with Me, Volga! I’ll show you how I teach My warriors to care about everything! I’ll show you how to develop the power of goodness! I’ll teach you how to ask for advice from God and become the defender of the righteous life on our Mother-the-Earth. Then God will accept you in His Heroic Host!”

They rode further. Dobrynya spoke about the great power of Good, which can save souls from vices and direct them to the realization of good deeds.

Dobrynya and Volga rode and saw an old man who came out to meet them. He said:

“Do not use this road, good fellows! It has become dangerous here, since ten brothers-robbers with a hundred of companions are robbing in this place. And no one can pass by them: neither a trader, nor a simple traveler, nor a brave hero.”

“But how do you live here now? Can’t you go to the towns? Can’t you carry your products to fairs in order to sell them? Can’t you go to the forest to pick up berries and mushrooms?”

“That’s how we live…” — the old man replied sadly with a deep sigh and shook his gray head…

“Well, Volga, let’s restore a proper order!”

“Let’s!” — Volga replied, without trying to suppress his joy.

Dobrynya instructed him:

“When we fight against the robbers — you, Volga, keep yourself close to Me! Don’t move away even a bit! Thus we will overcome the robbers together.”

They kept riding… Suddenly, a bandit whistling and a howl sounded from all sides. The robbers rushed upon Dobrynya and Volga, and the battle started. Soon Volga became excited, forgot Dobrynya’s instructions, and moved away from Him… Then the chief robber knocked Volga down from his horse, put a sharp knife to his throat and shouted:

“Surrender, Dobrynya-Hero! We won! If you move even slightly — I will kill your friend! But if you do as I want — you both will stay alive! Join us, Dobrynya, as a companion! These are hard times now! Each one lives by his own truth, follows his own laws and robs by his own laws: ‘He who is sly and quick is not a thief! He who is greedy and brave will eat! He who is strong and cunning is right!’ Come to us, Dobrynya! We will live by our own laws! With your power, we will rule over the whole world! All the princes around will bow at our feet and bring a rich tribute to us!”

Dobrynya responded:

“Well, you surprised Me! Never before has Dobrynya heard such words! Never did He eat thieved bread…

“But My companion is dear to Me…

“Tell Me who of us will be the chief if I agree, you or Me? Who will be the owner of this sword of power? Who will share the riches? Who will establish the truth and administer?”

“It would be a strange victory if I put you above myself!” — the chief robber laughed and winked at the younger robbers. His fellows giggled and whistled…

“Well, let it be so: your truth is crooked but let it be with you… Take My sword,” — Dobrynya said, coming closer to the chief and throwing His sword on the ground…

The chief robber set Volga free, grabbed the sword with both his hands, and was stuck to it: he could neither lift it nor free himself…

Dobrynya needed only this moment: He grabbed Volga, scattered a hundred of the robbers above the ground with His shield, and tied all other robbers with ropes.

He said to them:

“I didn’t lie to you, but it is your lie that came back to you!

“The power of the Heroic sword is beyond the capacities of the thieves! This power is great but pure, so the one who will decide to unsheathe it for a wrong deed will be burned to ashes.

“You have a lot of strength, more than enough. But your truth has mixed with untruth! And until you change this, there will be neither peace in the souls nor happiness in your homes!… It’s impossible to obtain the real good with non-good deeds!”

The blows of Dobrynya’s shield beat the desire to be robbers out of them. They saw their lives as already finished: as if they were already dead, and death caught them unawares. The life passed like an empty dream… And they could not remember even a minute of kindness… And they could not take the stolen with them over the threshold of the death…

“What should we do, Dobrynya-Hero?” — the robbers asked.

“Return to people and give away what you robbed. Build roads between villages and towns and protect these roads so that everyone can walk safely. Become kind guards of these roads and from now on see to it that no one does harm and violence there!”

Volga untied the robbers, raised Dobrynya’s sword and gave it to Him with a bow.

… They rode further.

So Volga began to learn to be a Hero: to serve God selflessly and accumulate the Power of Love, which God helps to increase and which is inexhaustible!

Dobrynya was riding along the land and smiling. Everything around pleased Him. Birds were singing Him their songs; fluffy forest animals were running next to Him; flowers wished to give Him their fragrance; bushes wanted to share with Him their ripe berries.

Dobrynya was dressed in a white shirt, and not in military armor. His light-brown curls were caressed by a free wind. His sword hid its great power in sheath, and His shield was strapped to a saddle. It was joyful in the warrior’s heart when peace and calm were around!