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CH. XVII. YAJNA-MUllTl. Ill
complete. This roused his vanity. Mightily did he prepare
himself for the contest. Ue armed himself with heaps of
books and arguments, and came down to Srirangam, with his
band of disciples, and with all the ostentation and demonstration
of a big Pandit. IJashing up to Raraanuja in all the style of
an egotist, he invited him to an intellectual warfare. R3,manuja
declared he was ready. " What is the wager for our
combat ? ", he asked of the savant. " If I am defeated," he
said, " I will embrace your faith."
" If you win," said Rd,ma.
nuja, " I shall give up my ministry in the world."
So staking,
they fixed eighteen days for the discussion. For sixteen days
it waxed hot i and yel there appeared no odds between them.
But on the seventeenth daj--, the balance began to swing in
favour of Yajna-murti, RAmanuja having felt the want of an
argument fo overpower the fiery array of them on the side of
the adversary. Yajna-murti, reading the signs of discomfiture,
and pufEed with pride, left RamEinuja in that situation,
as if in contempt, and stalked out of the monastery for that
day. R^maauja felt the situation keenly, and poignant grief
entered into his heart. Tortured with thought, he shut himself
up in the chapel, and after worshipping his own Lord Varada
there in the usual i-outlne, prayed to Him thus in agonj-^
— " Holy God ! if I, a weak mortal, am repulsed in the fight,
Thy Cause can never be repulsed— a cause which has been established
on earth of yore, by such saints as Nammazhv^r and
sages as Yamunacharya. So far, the success attending our Dispensation
is because of Thy will. By Thy Holy Word (Revelations),
Thou hast been justified and demonstrated in all Thy
variety of manifestation as well as essence. Now it hath
pleased thee to pitchfork a false prophet on Thy world-stage
and let him dance. Let it be, if such is Thy will." Imploring
thus, Ramanuja fasted and slept. The Lord Varada appeared
to him in a dream and thus spoke :— " Beloved, be not vexed.
We are giving thee an able adherent to help Thy mission.
To-morrow, the last day, level at Yajna-murti all the quiverfull
of arguments against
mdydvdda, to be found in the works
of thy Grand-Guru Yamuna. Ramanuja bounded with joy,
and performing all the routine duties of the day, and prostrating
to his chapel-God, ventured forth into the debating hall.