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BnATTA.RT,\.
CH. XXIT.
,
155
him thas employed, questioned him as to why he did not attend
school. "I did attend, father," said he, "but they were reading
the same lessons again, and so I left it." " But did yon
leai'H the lesson in one day ? " asked KureSa. " Yes," was
the ready answer. " Then let me hear it," demanded the
father. The boy repeated his lesson without a flaw, even in
the difficult intonations of the Vedio syllables, called the uddtta,
anuddtta and svarita. The precocity of Bhattarya terrified the
parents, who seriously thought of delaying his education for
some time. In due course, however, the boy rapidly picked up
all learning, Kur6Sa and Govinda personally instructing him in
the artha, and the tatva, Sastras.
It has already been said that Lord Kanga and His Consort
Lakshmi were tlie adoptive Father and Mother of Bhattarya.
As a child and boy, he really looked upon them as such. But
he had now grown up into youth, and was taught that Ranga
and Lakshmi should be adored as God and Goddess of the
cosmos. Well, the youth was once on a visit to the Temple,
when B.aaga and Lakshmi were having their retired moments
after all the bustle of the day's worship had subsided. Ranga,
in feigned anger, bade Bhattarya depart. The youth went a
few paces, when Ranga ordered him back. He obeyed. And
Ranga asked him :
" when thou didst visit us now, what didst
thou think us to be.? " " As God and Goddess of the universe.
Lord," meekly replied Bhattarya. "But," asked Ranga,
" what didst thou think us to be before this ? " " As my
Father and Mother," responded he. " Think of us in this
relation always. That pleases us more than the relationship
of Gjd and slave." The reader will gather from this that
God is more in search of men's hearts than their heads.
Another incident is related about this time. A Smarta
pandit took it into his head to test Bhattarya. He entered as
the latter was seated in his house, and after pi-eliminaries asked
him to explain how a Vaishnava is distinquished from a
Smarta. BhattSirya did not care to enter into an elaborate
controversy with his adversary on this question, delicate in
ius much as it is a bone of contention between the two great