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38 THE LIFE OF llAMANUJA. CH. VI.
Yadava-prakasa, as already said, had airived at Kanchi.
Here to his astonishment he found Raraaauja, who he had
l)elieved had been lost in the jungles. He feigned joy however
at .seeing . him and .said " Our grief at your loss in the
:
Viudhyan wilds, was very gi-eat ; at seeing you now, it has
given place to boundless joy." Ramanuja narrated to him
how lie lost sight of them as they were much in advance, how
he lost his way ; and how while wandering sick and sore in
the mazes of the forest, a Fowler broke upon his sight suddenly;
and how He guided his steps so that to his wonderment,
he found he had traversed a great distance while he thought
he slept under a tree, but waking up to find he had been brought
to Kanchi. This account made Ydidava to stare at Kd.m&nuJH
in combined fear and wonder ; whom he now looked upon as
a being not of the ordinary run of mankind ; not to be despised
but looked upon as one deserving reverential regards ; and
feeling remorse in his heart for his evil intents towards him.
He could not therefore but turn his hate into love for him ; and
therefore invited Bft.md.nuja to grace his school with his presence
and to complete his studies if he so willed.
While these events were passing at KAnchi, two Sri
Vaishnavas' of KAnchi travelled to Srirangam, to pay their
devotions to Ranganatha, which they did and then went to
Alavand4r (YamunftchEbrya), the great apostle of the Faith who
was there teaching at fhe time". After due exchange of
courtesies, Yamunacharya asked them for any news of an interesting
natui-e at Kftnchi. They related to him how a youth
REbmanuja by name, born at Bhiitapuri (Sri Perumbudur)
came to Ksbnclii to read Vedanta under a uni-stafEed' Sany^si,
Yft,dava-prakd,3a ; how in the course of their readings, differences
rose between them as regards intepretations of Vedatexts,—Yft.dava
contending for a quality-less God, and RamanujS.
for a quality-full One, and so on — , and how, on a certain
1 Devout followers of Vishnu. the Advaita School, and the Tri-
' ride his life. staffed to the Visihtadvaita school-
5 l7«»-sta£Eed Sany4sins belong to The staff is made of bamboo sticks.