"What is your question?" Master looked about the room as though he were seeking escape.
"Guruji, I came to you as a high-school youth; now I am a grown man, even with a gray hair or two. Though you have showered me with silent affection from the first hour to this, do you realize that once only, on the day of meeting, have you ever said, 'I love you'?" I looked at him pleadingly.
Master lowered his gaze. "Yogananda, must I bring out into the cold realms of speech the warm sentiments best guarded by the wordless heart?"
"Guruji, I know you love me, but my mortal ears ache to hear you say so."
"Be it as you wish. During my married life I often yearned4 for a son, to train in the yogic path. But when you came into my life, I was content; in you I have found my son." Two clear teardrops stood in Sri Yukteswar's eyes. "Yogananda, I love you always."
"Your answer is my passport to heaven." I felt a weight lift from my heart, dissolved forever at his words. Often had I wondered at his silence. Realizing that he was unemotional and self-contained, yet sometimes I feared I had been unsuccessful in fully5 satisfying him. His was a strange nature, never utterly6 to be known; a nature deep and still, unfathomable to the outer world, whose values he had long transcended7.
A few days later, when I spoke8 before a huge audience at Albert Hall in Calcutta, Sri Yukteswar consented to sit beside me on the platform, with the Maharaja of Santosh and the Mayor of Calcutta. Though Master made no remark to me, I glanced at him from time to time during my address, and thought I detected a pleased twinkle in his eyes.
Then came a talk before the alumni of Serampore College. As I gazed upon my old classmates, and as they gazed on their own "Mad Monk9," tears of joy showed unashamedly. My silver-tongued professor of philosophy, Dr. Ghoshal, came forward to greet me, all our past misunderstandings dissolved by the alchemist Time.
A Winter Solstice Festival was celebrated10 at the end of December in the Serampore hermitage. As always, Sri Yukteswar's disciples12 gathered from far and near. Devotional sankirtans, solos in the nectar-sweet voice of Kristo-da, a feast served by young disciples, Master's profoundly moving discourse13 under the stars in the thronged14 courtyard of the ashram-memories, memories! Joyous15 festivals of years long past! Tonight, however, there was to be a new feature.
"Yogananda, please address the assemblage-in English." Master's eyes were twinkling as he made this doubly unusual request; was he thinking of the shipboard predicament that had preceded my first lecture in English? I told the story to my audience of brother disciples, ending with a fervent16 tribute to our guru.
"His omnipresent guidance was with me not alone on the ocean steamer," I concluded, "but daily throughout my fifteen years in the vast and hospitable17 land of America."
After the guests had departed, Sri Yukteswar called me to the same bedroom where-once only, after a festival of my early years-I had been permitted to sleep on his wooden bed. Tonight my guru was sitting there quietly, a semicircle of disciples at his feet. He smiled as I quickly entered the room.
"Yogananda, are you leaving now for Calcutta? Please return here tomorrow. I have certain things to tell you."
The next afternoon, with a few simple words of blessing18, Sri Yukteswar bestowed19 on me the further monastic title of Paramhansa. 42-1
"It now formally supersedes20 your former title of swami," he said as I knelt before him. With a silent chuckle21 I thought of the struggle which my American students would undergo over the pronunciation of Paramhansaji. 42-2
"My task on earth is now finished; you must carry on." Master spoke quietly, his eyes calm and gentle. My heart was palpitating in fear.
"Please send someone to take charge of our ashram at Puri," Sri Yukteswar went on. "I leave everything in your hands. You will be able to successfully sail the boat of your life and that of the organization to the divine shores."
In tears, I was embracing his feet; he rose and blessed me endearingly.
The following day I summoned from Ranchi a disciple11, Swami Sebananda, and sent him to Puri to assume the hermitage duties. 42-3 Later my guru discussed with me the legal details of settling his estate; he was anxious to prevent the possibility of litigation by relatives, after his death, for possession of his two hermitages and other properties, which he wished to be deeded over solely22 for charitable purposes.
"Arrangements were recently made for Master to visit Kidderpore, 42-4 but he failed to go." Amulaya Babu, a brother disciple, made this remark to me one afternoon; I felt a cold wave of premonition. To my pressing inquiries23, Sri Yukteswar only replied, "I shall go to Kidderpore no more." For a moment, Master trembled like a frightened child.
("Attachment24 to bodily residence, springing up of its own nature [i.e., arising from immemorial roots, past experiences of death]," Patanjali wrote, 42-5 "is present in slight degree even in great saints." In some of his discourses25 on death, my guru had been wont26 to add: "Just as a long-caged bird hesitates to leave its accustomed home when the door is opened.")
Sri Yukteswar's face relaxed in a peaceful smile. Though nearing his eighty-first birthday, he looked well and strong.
Basking30 day by day in the sunshine of my guru's love, unspoken but keenly felt, I banished31 from my conscious mind the various hints he had given of his approaching passing.
"Sir, the Kumbha Mela is convening32 this month at Allahabad." I showed Master the mela dates in a Bengali almanac. 42-6
"Do you really want to go?"
Not sensing Sri Yukteswar's reluctance33 to have me leave him, I went on, "Once you beheld34 the blessed sight of Babaji at an Allahabad kumbha. Perhaps this time I shall be fortunate enough to see him."
"I do not think you will meet him there." My guru then fell into silence, not wishing to obstruct35 my plans.
When I set out for Allahabad the following day with a small group, Master blessed me quietly in his usual manner. Apparently36 I was remaining oblivious37 to implications in Sri Yukteswar's attitude because the Lord wished to spare me the experience of being forced, helplessly, to witness my guru's passing. It has always happened in my life that, at the death of those dearly beloved by me, God has compassionately38 arranged that I be distant from the scene. 42-7
Our party reached the Kumbha Mela on January 23, 1936. The surging crowd of nearly two million persons was an impressive sight, even an overwhelming one. The peculiar39 genius of the Indian people is the reverence40 innate41 in even the lowliest peasant for the worth of the Spirit, and for the monks42 and sadhus who have forsaken43 worldly ties to seek a diviner anchorage. Imposters and hypocrites there are indeed, but India respects all for the sake of the few who illumine the whole land with supernal45 blessings46. Westerners who were viewing the vast spectacle had a unique opportunity to feel the pulse of the land, the spiritual ardor48 to which India owes her quenchless49 vitality50 before the blows of time.
majiew
The woman yogi, Shankari Mai Jiew, only living disciple of the great Trailanga Swami. The turbaned figure seated directly beside her is Swami Benoyananda, a director of our Ranchi yoga school for boys in Bihar. The picture was taken at the Hardwar Kumbha Mela in 1938; the woman saint was then 112 years old.
lion
Krishnananda, at the 1936 Allahabad Kumbha Mela, with his tame vegetarian51 lioness.
serampore
Second-floor dining patio52 of Sri Yukteswar's Serampore hermitage. I am seated (in center) at my guru's feet.
The first day was spent by our group in sheer staring. Here were countless53 bathers, dipping in the holy river for remission of sins; there we saw solemn rituals of worship; yonder were devotional offerings being strewn at the dusty feet of saints; a turn of our heads, and a line of elephants, caparisoned horses and slow-paced Rajputana camels filed by, or a quaint54 religious parade of naked sadhus, waving scepters of gold and silver, or flags and streamers of silken velvet55.
Anchorites wearing only loincloths sat quietly in little groups, their bodies besmeared with the ashes that protect them from the heat and cold. The spiritual eye was vividly56 represented on their foreheads by a single spot of sandalwood paste. Shaven-headed swamis appeared by the thousands, ocher-robed and carrying their bamboo staff and begging bowl. Their faces beamed with the renunciate's peace as they walked about or held philosophical57 discussions with disciples.
Here and there under the trees, around huge piles of burning logs, were picturesque58 sadhus, 42-8 their hair braided and massed in coils on top of their heads. Some wore beards several feet in length, curled and tied in a knot. They meditated59 quietly, or extended their hands in blessing to the passing throng-beggars, maharajas on elephants, women in multicolored saris- their bangles and anklets tinkling61, fakirs with thin arms held grotesquely62 aloft, brahmacharis carrying meditation63 elbow-props, humble64 sages66 whose solemnity hid an inner bliss67. High above the din3 we heard the ceaseless summons of the temple bells.
On our second mela day my companions and I entered various ashrams and temporary huts, offering pronams to saintly personages. We received the blessing of the leader of the Giri branch of the Swami Order-a thin, ascetical monk with eyes of smiling fire. Our next visit took us to a hermitage whose guru had observed for the past nine years the vows68 of silence and a strict fruitarian diet. On the central dais in the ashram hall sat a blind sadhu, Pragla Chakshu, profoundly learned in the shastras and highly revered70 by all sects71.
After I had given a brief discourse in Hindi on Vedanta, our group left the peaceful hermitage to greet a near-by swami, Krishnananda, a handsome monk with rosy72 cheeks and impressive shoulders. Reclining near him was a tame lioness. Succumbing73 to the monk's spiritual charm- not, I am sure, to his powerful physique!-the jungle animal refuses all meat in favor of rice and milk. The swami has taught the tawny- haired beast to utter "Aum" in a deep, attractive growl-a cat devotee!
Our next encounter, an interview with a learned young sadhu, is well described in Mr. Wright's sparkling travel diary.
"We rode in the Ford74 across the very low Ganges on a creaking pontoon bridge, crawling snakelike through the crowds and over narrow, twisting lanes, passing the site on the river bank which Yoganandaji pointed75 out to me as the meeting place of Babaji and Sri Yukteswarji. Alighting from the car a short time later, we walked some distance through the thickening smoke of the sadhus' fires and over the slippery sands to reach a cluster of tiny, very modest mud-and-straw huts. We halted in front of one of these insignificant76 temporary dwellings77, with a pygmy doorless entrance, the shelter of Kara Patri, a young wandering sadhu noted78 for his exceptional intelligence. There he sat, cross-legged on a pile of straw, his only covering-and incidentally his only possession-being an ocher cloth draped over his shoulders.
"Truly a divine face smiled at us after we had crawled on all fours into the hut and pronamed at the feet of this enlightened soul, while the kerosene79 lantern at the entrance flickered80 weird81, dancing shadows on the thatched walls. His face, especially his eyes and perfect teeth, beamed and glistened82. Although I was puzzled by the Hindi, his expressions were very revealing; he was full of enthusiasm, love, spiritual glory. No one could be mistaken as to his greatness.
"Imagine the happy life of one unattached to the material world; free of the clothing problem; free of food craving83, never begging, never touching84 cooked food except on alternate days, never carrying a begging bowl; free of all money entanglements85, never handling money, never storing things away, always trusting in God; free of transportation worries, never riding in vehicles, but always walking on the banks of the sacred rivers; never remaining in one place longer than a week in order to avoid any growth of attachment.
"Such a modest soul! unusually learned in the Vedas, and possessing an M.A. degree and the title of shastri (master of scriptures86) from Benares University. A sublime87 feeling pervaded88 me as I sat at his feet; it all seemed to be an answer to my desire to see the real, the ancient India, for he is a true representative of this land of spiritual giants."
I questioned Kara Patri about his wandering life. "Don't you have any extra clothes for winter?"
"No, this is enough."
"Do you carry any books?"
"No, I teach from memory those people who wish to hear me."
"What else do you do?"
"I roam by the Ganges."
At these quiet words, I was overpowered by a yearning89 for the simplicity90 of his life. I remembered America, and all the responsibilities that lay on my shoulders.
"No, Yogananda," I thought, sadly for a moment, "in this life roaming by the Ganges is not for you."
"Half from book learning," he answered with a straightforward94 smile, "and half from experience."
We sat happily awhile in meditative95 silence. After we had left his sacred presence, I said to Mr. Wright, "He is a king sitting on a throne of golden straw."
We had our dinner that night on the mela grounds under the stars, eating from leaf plates pinned together with sticks. Dishwashings in India are reduced to a minimum!
Two more days of the fascinating kumbha; then northwest along the Jumna banks to Agra. Once again I gazed on the Taj Mahal; in memory Jitendra stood by my side, awed96 by the dream in marble. Then on to the Brindaban ashram of Swami Keshabananda.
My object in seeking out Keshabananda was connected with this book. I had never forgotten Sri Yukteswar's request that I write the life of Lahiri Mahasaya. During my stay in India I was taking every opportunity of contacting direct disciples and relatives of the Yogavatar. Recording97 their conversations in voluminous notes, I verified facts and dates, and collected photographs, old letters, and documents. My Lahiri Mahasaya portfolio98 began to swell99; I realized with dismay that ahead of me lay arduous100 labors101 in authorship. I prayed that I might be equal to my role as biographer of the colossal102 guru. Several of his disciples feared that in a written account their master might be belittled103 or misinterpreted.
"One can hardly do justice in cold words to the life of a divine incarnation," Panchanon Bhattacharya had once remarked to me.
Other close disciples were similarly satisfied to keep the Yogavatar hidden in their hearts as the deathless preceptor. Nevertheless, mindful of Lahiri Mahasaya's prediction about his biography, I spared no effort to secure and substantiate104 the facts of his outward life.
Swami Keshabananda greeted our party warmly at Brindaban in his Katayani Peith Ashram, an imposing105 brick building with massive black pillars, set in a beautiful garden. He ushered106 us at once into a sitting room adorned107 with an enlargement of Lahiri Mahasaya's picture. The swami was approaching the age of ninety, but his muscular body radiated strength and health. With long hair and a snow-white beard, eyes twinkling with joy, he was a veritable patriarchal embodiment. I informed him that I wanted to mention his name in my book on India's masters.
"Please tell me about your earlier life." I smiled entreatingly108; great yogis are often uncommunicative.
Keshabananda made a gesture of humility109. "There is little of external moment. Practically my whole life has been spent in the Himalayan solitudes110, traveling on foot from one quiet cave to another. For a while I maintained a small ashram outside Hardwar, surrounded on all sides by a grove111 of tall trees. It was a peaceful spot little visited by travelers, owing to the ubiquitous presence of cobras." Keshabananda chuckled112. "Later a Ganges flood washed away the hermitage and cobras alike. My disciples then helped me to build this Brindaban ashram."
One of our party asked the swami how he had protected himself against the Himalayan tigers. 42-9
Keshabananda shook his head. "In those high spiritual altitudes," he said, "wild beasts seldom molest113 the yogis. Once in the jungle I encountered a tiger face-to-face. At my sudden ejaculation, the animal was transfixed as though turned to stone." Again the swami chuckled at his memories.
"Occasionally I left my seclusion115 to visit my guru in Benares. He used to joke with me over my ceaseless travels in the Himalayan wilderness116.
"'You have the mark of wanderlust on your foot,' he told me once. 'I am glad that the sacred Himalayas are extensive enough to engross117 you.'
"Many times," Keshabananda went on, "both before and after his passing, Lahiri Mahasaya has appeared bodily before me. For him no Himalayan height is inaccessible118!"
Two hours later he led us to a dining patio. I sighed in silent dismay. Another fifteen-course meal! Less than a year of Indian hospitality, and I had gained fifty pounds! Yet it would have been considered the height of rudeness to refuse any of the dishes, carefully prepared for the endless banquets in my honor. In India (nowhere else, alas119!) a well-padded swami is considered a delightful120 sight. 42-10
camel
Mr. Wright, myself, Miss Bletch -- in Egypt
tagore
Rabindranath Tagore, inspired poet of Bengal, and Nobel Prizeman in literature
keshaba
Mr. Wright and I pose with the venerable Swami Keshabananda and a disciple at the stately hermitage in Brindaban
"Your arrival is not unexpected," he said. "I have a message for you."
I was surprised; no one had known of my plan to visit Keshabananda.
"While roaming last year in the northern Himalayas near Badrinarayan," the swami continued, "I lost my way. Shelter appeared in a spacious122 cave, which was empty, though the embers of a fire glowed in a hole in the rocky floor. Wondering about the occupant of this lonely retreat, I sat near the fire, my gaze fixed114 on the sunlit entrance to the cave.
"'Keshabananda, I am glad you are here.' These words came from behind me. I turned, startled, and was dazzled to behold123 Babaji! The great guru had materialized himself in a recess124 of the cave. Overjoyed to see him again after many years, I prostrated125 myself at his holy feet.
"'I called you here,' Babaji went on. 'That is why you lost your way and were led to my temporary abode126 in this cave. It is a long time since our last meeting; I am pleased to greet you once more.'
"The deathless master blessed me with some words of spiritual help, then added: 'I give you a message for Yogananda. He will pay you a visit on his return to India. Many matters connected with his guru and with the surviving disciples of Lahiri will keep Yogananda fully occupied. Tell him, then, that I won't see him this time, as he is eagerly hoping; but I shall see him on some other occasion.'"
I was deeply touched to receive from Keshabananda's lips this consoling promise from Babaji. A certain hurt in my heart vanished; I grieved no longer that, even as Sri Yukteswar had hinted, Babaji did not appear at the Kumbha Mela.
Spending one night as guests of the ashram, our party set out the following afternoon for Calcutta. Riding over a bridge of the Jumna River, we enjoyed a magnificent view of the skyline of Brindaban just as the sun set fire to the sky-a veritable furnace of Vulcan in color, reflected below us in the still waters.
The Jumna beach is hallowed by memories of the child Sri Krishna. Here he engaged with innocent sweetness in his lilas (plays) with the gopis (maids), exemplifying the supernal love which ever exists between a divine incarnation and his devotees. The life of Lord Krishna has been misunderstood by many Western commentators127. Scriptural allegory is baffling to literal minds. A hilarious128 blunder by a translator will illustrate129 this point. The story concerns an inspired medieval saint, the cobbler Ravidas, who sang in the simple terms of his own trade of the spiritual glory hidden in all mankind:
Lives the divinity clothed in hide.
One turns aside to hide a smile on hearing the pedestrian interpretation131 given to Ravidas' poem by a Western writer:
"He afterwards built a hut, set up in it an idol132 which he made from a hide, and applied133 himself to its worship."
Ravidas was a brother disciple of the great Kabir. One of Ravidas' exalted134 chelas was the Rani of Chitor. She invited a large number of Brahmins to a feast in honor of her teacher, but they refused to eat with a lowly cobbler. As they sat down in dignified135 aloofness136 to eat their own uncontaminated meal, lo! each Brahmin found at his side the form of Ravidas. This mass vision accomplished137 a widespread spiritual revival138 in Chitor.
In a few days our little group reached Calcutta. Eager to see Sri Yukteswar, I was disappointed to hear that he had left Serampore and was now in Puri, about three hundred miles to the south.
"Come to Puri ashram at once." This telegram was sent on March 8th by a brother disciple to Atul Chandra Roy Chowdhry, one of Master's chelas in Calcutta. News of the message reached my ears; anguished139 at its implications, I dropped to my knees and implored140 God that my guru's life be spared. As I was about to leave Father's home for the train, a divine voice spoke within.
"Do not go to Puri tonight. Thy prayer cannot be granted."
"Lord," I said, grief-stricken, "Thou dost not wish to engage with me in a 'tug141 of war' at Puri, where Thou wilt142 have to deny my incessant143 prayers for Master's life. Must he, then, depart for higher duties at Thy behest?"
In obedience144 to the inward command, I did not leave that night for Puri. The following evening I set out for the train; on the way, at seven o'clock, a black astral cloud suddenly covered the sky. 42-11 Later, while the train roared toward Puri, a vision of Sri Yukteswar appeared before me. He was sitting, very grave of countenance145, with a light on each side.
"Is it all over?" I lifted my arms beseechingly146.
He nodded, then slowly vanished.
As I stood on the Puri train platform the following morning, still hoping against hope, an unknown man approached me.
"Have you heard that your Master is gone?" He left me without another word; I never discovered who he was nor how he had known where to find me.
Stunned147, I swayed against the platform wall, realizing that in diverse ways my guru was trying to convey to me the devastating148 news. Seething149 with rebellion, my soul was like a volcano. By the time I reached the Puri hermitage I was nearing collapse150. The inner voice was tenderly repeating: "Collect yourself. Be calm."
I entered the ashram room where Master's body, unimaginably lifelike, was sitting in the lotus posture-a picture of health and loveliness. A short time before his passing, my guru had been slightly ill with fever, but before the day of his ascension into the Infinite, his body had become completely well. No matter how often I looked at his dear form I could not realize that its life had departed. His skin was smooth and soft; in his face was a beatific151 expression of tranquillity152. He had consciously relinquished153 his body at the hour of mystic summoning.
I conducted the solemn rites44 on March 10th. Sri Yukteswar was buried 42-12 with the ancient rituals of the swamis in the garden of his Puri ashram. His disciples later arrived from far and near to honor their guru at a vernal equinox memorial service. The Amrita Bazar Patrika, leading newspaper of Calcutta, carried his picture and the following report:
The death Bhandara ceremony for Srimat Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri Maharaj, aged27 81, took place at Puri on March 21. Many disciples came down to Puri for the rites.
One of the greatest expounders of the Bhagavad Gita, Swami Maharaj was a great disciple of Yogiraj Sri Shyama Charan Lahiri Mahasaya of Benares. Swami Maharaj was the founder155 of several Yogoda Sat-Sanga (Self-Realization91 Fellowship) centers in India, and was the great inspiration behind the yoga movement which was carried to the West by Swami Yogananda, his principal disciple. It was Sri Yukteswarji's prophetic powers and deep realization that inspired Swami Yogananda to cross the oceans and spread in America the message of the masters of India.
His interpretations156 of the Bhagavad Gita and other scriptures testify to the depth of Sri Yukteswarji's command of the philosophy, both Eastern and Western, and remain as an eye-opener for the unity47 between Orient and Occident157. As he believed in the unity of all religious faiths, Sri Yukteswar Maharaj established Sadhu Sabha (Society of Saints) with the cooperation of leaders of various sects and faiths, for the inculcation of a scientific spirit in religion. At the time of his demise158 he nominated Swami Yogananda his successor as the president of Sadhu Sabha.
India is really poorer today by the passing of such a great man. May all fortunate enough to have come near him inculcate in themselves the true spirit of India's culture and sadhana which was personified in him.
I returned to Calcutta. Not trusting myself as yet to go to the Serampore hermitage with its sacred memories, I summoned Prafulla, Sri Yukteswar's little disciple in Serampore, and made arrangements for him to enter the Ranchi school.
"The morning you left for the Allahabad mela," Prafulla told me, "Master dropped heavily on the davenport.
"'Yogananda is gone!' he cried. 'Yogananda is gone!' He added cryptically159, 'I shall have to tell him some other way.' He sat then for hours in silence."
My days were filled with lectures, classes, interviews, and reunions with old friends. Beneath a hollow smile and a life of ceaseless activity, a stream of black brooding polluted the inner river of bliss which for so many years had meandered160 under the sands of all my perceptions.
No answer came.
"It is best that Master has completed his union with the Cosmic Beloved," my mind assured me. "He is eternally glowing in the dominion162 of deathlessness."
"Never again may you see him in the old Serampore mansion," my heart lamented163. "No longer may you bring your friends to meet him, or proudly say: 'Behold, there sits India's Jnanavatar!'"
Mr. Wright made arrangements for our party to sail from Bombay for the West in early June. After a fortnight in May of farewell banquets and speeches at Calcutta, Miss Bletch, Mr. Wright and myself left in the Ford for Bombay. On our arrival, the ship authorities asked us to cancel our passage, as no room could be found for the Ford, which we would need again in Europe.
"Never mind," I said gloomily to Mr. Wright. "I want to return once more to Puri." I silently added, "Let my tears once again water the grave of my guru."
42-1: Literally164, param, highest; hansa, swan. The hansa is represented in scriptural lore as the vehicle of Brahma, Supreme165 Spirit; as the symbol of discrimination, the white hansa swan is thought of as able to separate the true soma nectar from a mixture of milk and water. Ham-sa (pronounced hong-sau) are two sacred Sanskrit chant words possessing a vibratory connection with the incoming and outgoing breath. Aham-Sa is literally "I am He."
42-3: At the Puri ashram, Swami Sebananda is still conducting a small, flourishing yoga school for boys, and meditation groups for adults. Meetings of saints and pundits167 convene168 there periodically.
42-4: A section of Calcutta.
42-6: Religious melas are mentioned in the ancient Mahabharata. The Chinese traveler Hieuen Tsiang has left an account of a vast Kumbha Mela held in A.D. 644 at Allahabad. The largest mela is held every twelfth year; the next largest (Ardha or half) Kumbha occurs every sixth year. Smaller melas convene every third year, attracting about a million devotees. The four sacred mela cities are Allahabad, Hardwar, Nasik, and Ujjain.
Early Chinese travelers have left us many striking pictures of Indian society. The Chinese priest, Fa-Hsien, wrote an account of his eleven years in India during the reign170 of Chandragupta II (early 4th century). The Chinese author relates: "Throughout the country no one kills any living thing, nor drinks wine. . . . They do not keep pigs or fowl171; there are no dealings in cattle, no butchers' shops or distilleries. Rooms with beds and mattresses172, food and clothes, are provided for resident and traveling priests without fail, and this is the same in all places. The priests occupy themselves with benevolent173 ministrations and with chanting liturgies174; or they sit in meditation." Fa-Hsien tells us the Indian people were happy and honest; capital punishment was unknown.
42-7: I was not present at the deaths of my mother, elder brother Ananta, eldest175 sister Roma, Master, Father, or of several close disciples.
(Father passed on at Calcutta in 1942, at the age of eighty-nine.)
42-8: The hundreds of thousands of Indian sadhus are controlled by an executive committee of seven leaders, representing seven large sections of India. The present mahamandaleswar or president is Joyendra Puri. This saintly man is extremely reserved, often confining his speech to three words-Truth, Love, and Work. A sufficient conversation!
42-9: There are many methods, it appears, for outwitting a tiger. An Australian explorer, Francis Birtles, has recounted that he found the Indian jungles "varied176, beautiful, and safe." His safety charm was flypaper. "Every night I spread a quantity of sheets around my camp and was never disturbed," he explained. "The reason is psychological. The tiger is an animal of great conscious dignity. He prowls around and challenges man until he comes to the flypaper; he then slinks away. No dignified tiger would dare face a human being after squatting177 down upon a sticky flypaper!"
42-10: After I returned to America I took off sixty-five pounds.
42-11: Sri Yukteswar passed at this hour-7:00 P.M., March 9, 1936.
42-12: Funeral customs in India require cremation178 for householders; swamis and monks of other orders are not cremated179, but buried. (There are occasional exceptions.) The bodies of monks are symbolically180 considered to have undergone cremation in the fire of wisdom at the time of taking the monastic vow69.
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fragrant
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| adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的 | |
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meekly
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| adv.温顺地，逆来顺受地 | |
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din
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| n.喧闹声，嘈杂声 | |
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yearned
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| 渴望，切盼，向往( yearn的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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fully
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utterly
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transcended
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| 超出或超越（经验、信念、描写能力等）的范围( transcend的过去式和过去分词 )； 优于或胜过… | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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9
monk
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| n.和尚，僧侣，修道士 | |
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10
celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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11
disciple
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| n.信徒，门徒，追随者 | |
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12
disciples
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| n.信徒( disciple的名词复数 )；门徒；耶稣的信徒；（尤指）耶稣十二门徒之一 | |
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13
discourse
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| n.论文，演说；谈话；话语；vi.讲述，著述 | |
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thronged
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| v.成群，挤满( throng的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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15
joyous
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| adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的 | |
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16
fervent
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| adj.热的，热烈的，热情的 | |
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17
hospitable
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| adj.好客的；宽容的；有利的，适宜的 | |
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18
blessing
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| n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿 | |
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19
bestowed
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| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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20
supersedes
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| 取代，接替( supersede的第三人称单数 ) | |
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21
chuckle
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| vi.／n.轻声笑，咯咯笑 | |
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22
solely
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| adv.仅仅，唯一地 | |
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23
inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
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24
attachment
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| n.附属物，附件；依恋；依附 | |
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25
discourses
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| 论文( discourse的名词复数 )； 演说； 讲道； 话语 | |
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26
wont
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| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
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27
aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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28
entreated
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| 恳求，乞求( entreat的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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29
sob
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| n.空间轨道的轰炸机；呜咽，哭泣 | |
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30
basking
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| v.晒太阳，取暖( bask的现在分词 )；对…感到乐趣；因他人的功绩而出名；仰仗…的余泽 | |
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31
banished
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| v.放逐，驱逐( banish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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32
convening
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| 召开( convene的现在分词 )； 召集； （为正式会议而）聚集； 集合 | |
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33
reluctance
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| n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿 | |
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34
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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35
obstruct
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| v.阻隔，阻塞(道路、通道等)；n.阻碍物，障碍物 | |
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36
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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37
oblivious
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| adj.易忘的，遗忘的，忘却的，健忘的 | |
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38
compassionately
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| adv.表示怜悯地，有同情心地 | |
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39
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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40
reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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41
innate
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| adj.天生的，固有的，天赋的 | |
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42
monks
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| n.修道士，僧侣( monk的名词复数 ) | |
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43
Forsaken
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| adj. 被遗忘的, 被抛弃的 动词forsake的过去分词 | |
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44
rites
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| 仪式，典礼( rite的名词复数 ) | |
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45
supernal
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| adj.天堂的，天上的；崇高的 | |
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46
blessings
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| n.（上帝的）祝福( blessing的名词复数 )；好事；福分；因祸得福 | |
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47
unity
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| n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调 | |
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48
ardor
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| n.热情，狂热 | |
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49
quenchless
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| 不可熄灭的 | |
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50
vitality
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| n.活力，生命力，效力 | |
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51
vegetarian
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| n.素食者；adj.素食的 | |
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52
patio
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| n.庭院，平台 | |
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53
countless
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| adj.无数的，多得不计其数的 | |
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54
quaint
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| adj.古雅的，离奇有趣的，奇怪的 | |
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55
velvet
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| n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的 | |
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56
vividly
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| adv.清楚地，鲜明地，生动地 | |
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57
philosophical
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| adj.哲学家的，哲学上的，达观的 | |
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58
picturesque
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| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
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59
meditated
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| 深思，沉思，冥想( meditate的过去式和过去分词 )； 内心策划，考虑 | |
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60
lore
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| n.传说；学问，经验，知识 | |
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61
tinkling
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| n.丁当作响声 | |
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62
grotesquely
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| adv. 奇异地,荒诞地 | |
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63
meditation
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| n.熟虑，（尤指宗教的）默想，沉思，（pl.）冥想录 | |
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64
humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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65
sage
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| n.圣人，哲人；adj.贤明的，明智的 | |
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66
sages
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| n.圣人( sage的名词复数 )；智者；哲人；鼠尾草（可用作调料） | |
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67
bliss
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| n.狂喜，福佑，天赐的福 | |
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68
vows
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| 誓言( vow的名词复数 )； 郑重宣布，许愿 | |
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69
vow
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| n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓 | |
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70
revered
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| v.崇敬，尊崇，敬畏( revere的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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71
sects
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| n.宗派，教派( sect的名词复数 ) | |
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72
rosy
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| adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的 | |
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73
succumbing
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| 不再抵抗（诱惑、疾病、攻击等）( succumb的现在分词 )； 屈从； 被压垮； 死 | |
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74
Ford
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| n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过 | |
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75
pointed
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|
| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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76
insignificant
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|
| adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的 | |
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77
dwellings
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| n.住处，处所( dwelling的名词复数 ) | |
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78
noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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79
kerosene
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| n.(kerosine)煤油，火油 | |
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80
flickered
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| （通常指灯光）闪烁，摇曳( flicker的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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81
weird
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| adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的 | |
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82
glistened
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| v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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83
craving
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| n.渴望,热望 | |
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84
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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85
entanglements
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| n.瓜葛( entanglement的名词复数 )；牵连；纠缠；缠住 | |
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86
scriptures
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| 经文，圣典( scripture的名词复数 )； 经典 | |
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87
sublime
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|
| adj.崇高的，伟大的；极度的，不顾后果的 | |
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88
pervaded
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| v.遍及，弥漫( pervade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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89
yearning
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| a.渴望的；向往的；怀念的 | |
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90
simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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91
realization
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| n.实现；认识到，深刻了解 | |
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92
realizations
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| 认识，领会( realization的名词复数 )； 实现 | |
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93
abrupt
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| adj.突然的，意外的；唐突的，鲁莽的 | |
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94
straightforward
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|
| adj.正直的，坦率的；易懂的，简单的 | |
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95
meditative
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| adj.沉思的，冥想的 | |
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96
awed
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| adj.充满敬畏的，表示敬畏的v.使敬畏，使惊惧( awe的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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97
recording
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| n.录音，记录 | |
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98
portfolio
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| n.公事包；文件夹；大臣及部长职位 | |
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99
swell
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| vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强 | |
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100
arduous
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| adj.艰苦的，费力的，陡峭的 | |
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101
labors
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| v.努力争取(for)( labor的第三人称单数 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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102
colossal
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| adj.异常的，庞大的 | |
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103
belittled
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| 使显得微小，轻视，贬低( belittle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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104
substantiate
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| v.证实；证明...有根据 | |
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105
imposing
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| adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的 | |
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106
ushered
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| v.引，领，陪同( usher的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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107
adorned
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| [计]被修饰的 | |
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108
entreatingly
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| 哀求地，乞求地 | |
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109
humility
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| n.谦逊，谦恭 | |
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110
solitudes
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| n.独居( solitude的名词复数 )；孤独；荒僻的地方；人迹罕至的地方 | |
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111
grove
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| n.林子，小树林，园林 | |
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112
chuckled
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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113
molest
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| vt.骚扰，干扰，调戏 | |
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114
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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115
seclusion
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| n.隐遁，隔离 | |
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116
wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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117
engross
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| v.使全神贯注 | |
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118
inaccessible
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| adj.达不到的，难接近的 | |
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119
alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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120
delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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121
secluded
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| adj.与世隔绝的；隐退的；偏僻的v.使隔开，使隐退( seclude的过去式和过去分词) | |
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122
spacious
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| adj.广阔的，宽敞的 | |
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123
behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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124
recess
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| n.短期休息，壁凹（墙上装架子，柜子等凹处） | |
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125
prostrated
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| v.使俯伏，使拜倒( prostrate的过去式和过去分词 )；（指疾病、天气等）使某人无能为力 | |
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126
abode
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| n.住处，住所 | |
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127
commentators
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| n.评论员( commentator的名词复数 )；时事评论员；注释者；实况广播员 | |
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128
hilarious
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| adj.充满笑声的，欢闹的；[反]depressed | |
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129
illustrate
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| v.举例说明，阐明；图解，加插图 | |
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130
vault
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| n.拱形圆顶，地窖，地下室 | |
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131
interpretation
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| n.解释，说明，描述；艺术处理 | |
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132
idol
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| n.偶像，红人，宠儿 | |
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133
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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134
exalted
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| adj.(地位等)高的，崇高的；尊贵的，高尚的 | |
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135
dignified
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| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
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136
aloofness
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| 超然态度 | |
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137
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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138
revival
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| n.复兴，复苏，（精力、活力等的）重振 | |
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139
anguished
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| adj.极其痛苦的v.使极度痛苦(anguish的过去式) | |
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140
implored
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| 恳求或乞求（某人）( implore的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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141
tug
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| v.用力拖(或拉)；苦干；n.拖；苦干；拖船 | |
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142
wilt
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| v.(使)植物凋谢或枯萎；(指人)疲倦，衰弱 | |
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143
incessant
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| adj.不停的，连续的 | |
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144
obedience
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| n.服从，顺从 | |
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145
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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146
beseechingly
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| adv. 恳求地 | |
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147
stunned
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| adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
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148
devastating
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| adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的 | |
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149
seething
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| 沸腾的，火热的 | |
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150
collapse
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| vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷 | |
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151
beatific
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| adj.快乐的，有福的 | |
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152
tranquillity
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| n. 平静, 安静 | |
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153
relinquished
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| 交出，让给( relinquish的过去式和过去分词 )； 放弃 | |
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154
daze
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| v.(使)茫然，(使)发昏 | |
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155
Founder
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| n.创始者，缔造者 | |
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156
interpretations
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| n.解释( interpretation的名词复数 )；表演；演绎；理解 | |
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157
occident
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| n.西方；欧美 | |
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158
demise
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| n.死亡；v.让渡，遗赠，转让 | |
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159
cryptically
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160
meandered
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| （指溪流、河流等）蜿蜒而流( meander的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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161
tormented
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| 饱受折磨的 | |
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162
dominion
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| n.统治，管辖，支配权；领土，版图 | |
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163
lamented
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| adj.被哀悼的，令人遗憾的v.（为…）哀悼，痛哭，悲伤( lament的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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164
literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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165
supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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166
evaded
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| 逃避( evade的过去式和过去分词 )； 避开； 回避； 想不出 | |
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167
pundits
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| n.某一学科的权威，专家( pundit的名词复数 ) | |
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168
convene
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| v.集合，召集，召唤，聚集，集合 | |
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169
aphorisms
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| 格言，警句( aphorism的名词复数 ) | |
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170
reign
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| n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势 | |
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171
fowl
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| n.家禽，鸡，禽肉 | |
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172
mattresses
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| 褥垫，床垫( mattress的名词复数 ) | |
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173
benevolent
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| adj.仁慈的，乐善好施的 | |
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174
liturgies
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| n.礼拜仪式( liturgy的名词复数 )；（英国国教的）祈祷书 | |
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175
eldest
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| adj.最年长的，最年老的 | |
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176
varied
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| adj.多样的，多变化的 | |
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177
squatting
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| v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的现在分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。 | |
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178
cremation
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| n.火葬，火化 | |
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179
cremated
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| v.火葬，火化（尸体）( cremate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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180
symbolically
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| ad.象征地，象征性地 | |
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