A learned scholar was returning from Varanasi after completing his studies of the Vedas, scriptures, and Puranas. On the way, he became thirsty. He approached a well, where a woman was standing, and said:
"Mother, I am thirsty. Please give me some water."
The woman replied, "I don't have a cup. How can I give you water?"
The scholar said, "Then please pour it for me directly from your pitcher."
The woman lifted her earthen water pot and gave him water.
Afterward, she asked, "Panditji, where are you coming from?"
The scholar replied, "I have just returned from Varanasi after studying all the Vedas, scriptures, and Puranas."
The woman asked, "Have you studied fake feminism?"
The scholar looked puzzled. "What is that?"
The woman smiled and said, "Wait, I'll show you."
The Trap
Suddenly, she began shouting at the top of her lungs, "Help! Villagers! This man is misbehaving with me!"
The villagers rushed over. Angry, they confronted the scholar.
"Pandit! Aren't you ashamed? How dare you misbehave with a woman?"
Terrified, the scholar replied, "Respected people, I haven't said anything that would insult her."
The woman, pretending to be furious, said, "Pandit! Didn't you call my swollen stomach a pitcher (matka)? Tell everyone! Didn't you use the word matka?"
She then turned to the other women and asked, "Sisters, didn't he use the word matka?"
The women replied, "Yes, he did."
The scholar, now panicking, said, "But, madam, that wasn't what I meant! I was referring to this water pot."
The woman snapped, "Don't lie! You meant my body. You're a wicked man!"
The villagers believed her and fell upon the scholar, beating him severely. After everyone had left, the woman said, "That is what fake feminism is."
The Awakening
She asked, "Do you understand now, Panditji?"
Groaning in pain, the scholar replied, "But madam, you could have simply explained it to me. Why did you have me beaten?"
The woman laughed and said, "If I had only explained it, you would never have believed me."
She continued, "So remember this from today onward: never keep the company of an immoral woman or an immoral man. Either of them may go to any lengths to prove themselves virtuous."
The Sacred Teaching
Then she quoted a famous couplet by Kabir:
"Keep the company of the virtuous,
As one stays near a perfumer.
Even if he gives you no perfume,
You still leave carrying its fragrance."
The Deep Truth
This ancient story speaks to a timeless truth: The corruption of virtue is the most dangerous form of manipulation.
When a person wraps themselves in the language of righteousness—whether feminism, spirituality, justice, or compassion—while acting from a place of deception, they become a weapon. They use the collective agreement about what is "good" as a shield against accountability.
The scholar studied all the scriptures. Yet his knowledge could not protect him from someone who had mastered the art of twisting truth. This is why the teaching does not end with wisdom or philosophy—it ends with a simple, practical instruction: Know who you are with.
Your spiritual practice, your meditation, your study of the Vedas—none of these protect you from the company of the dishonest. A thousand hours of practice can be undone by proximity to someone whose moral compass is broken.
The Fragrance of Virtue
The couplet of Kabir reminds us that virtue is not a practice you do alone. It is a fragrance you absorb from those around you. You do not need to spend all your time with a perfumer. You do not need to study the science of fragrance. You simply need to sit near one, and the scent will settle into your being.
Similarly, keep the company of those who are genuinely sincere. Not those who speak of virtue, but those who embody it. Not those who are perfect, but those whose imperfections come from honest striving, not from calculated deception.
The world today is full of false teachers and manipulators wrapped in the language of righteousness. They will beat you with your own goodness if it serves them. The only defense is not intellectual—it is relational. Choose your company with your life.
For it is not what you know, but who you are with, that will ultimately shape the fragrance you carry into the world.