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en. XV. RAMANUJA AND MANTRA. 95
" Not so in his case," answered Ranga, " as lie is fully qualified
according to the requirements of the text :
—
Body, wealth, mind, life itself, belong to the Guru, ^'c, ' and
therefore he may be instructed.
" (Jome to my place," Faid G. Purna to Ramanuja, and left
Srirangam. Ktlmanujawent all the way, as directed, to T. Kottiyur
again. But when he went there ;
" Not thi.s time ; can you go
now and come again ?" told Purna. Rslmanuja never thought of
a protest, and never felt irritated, but simply obeyed the command,
and returned to Srirangam. Eighteen times,' thus, it is
chronicled, did RsLmanuja journey to T. Kottiyur and return,
each time being told the same thing. G. Purna had at the
same time no other idea excejst that of testing R3,m&nuja's
faith and zeal, and testing him through an ordeal of novitiate
probation, to see if his spirit was strong and capable of overcoming
passions of the mind. Had his will been weak, he
would long ago have given up his endeavor as unworthy of
of pursuit. Had he succumbed under the weight of disappointment
and cliagrine, that would have proved liim an unworthy
disciple, to whom it would have been useless to reveal
occult truths. Such were Purna's thoughts. And on the other
hand, R£lmS.nuj:i's tenacity of purpose was raising him every
time in Purna's estimation. When he returned to Srirangam
for the eighteentli time, however, he felt somewhat, and was
moved to tears at the futility of his repeated efforts, and was
found deeply revolving in his mind, as to what he should do
next ; when a disciple of G. Purria chanced to come from T.
K&ttiyur, and came on a vi.sit to RS.in3.nuja. Ramanuja, bidding
him be seated, and after preliminaries were over, poured
before him his bitter grievances, and consulted him as to how
he should make him.self worthy. And he finished the consulta-
:— tion by saying " Is not God pledged to save us from evil,
and grant us bliss ? Even so are God's regents on earth. How
am I to become worthy, if by the worthy, my unworthiness is
and unless the benefactor gives, how is the receiver
not effaced ;
4^