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84 THE LIFE OF BAMANUJA. CH. XIV.
SvilbJiAvikdnavadMkij, &c. [See p. 55.]
on a piece of palm-leaf, and allowed it to lie in the path of
Nayan£l.r, who of course was unaware of the design. He came.
The piece arrested his sight. He took it for curiosity, read it
but threw it away and went on his errand. But as he was
returning with his pots full, he felt an impulse to pick up the
piece again, and read the contents once more deliberately.
did so and looked round. There we were seated under the tree,
He came near and said:— "
'
The wail has turned into verse,'
said Valmiki, and like him reflecting over his spontaneous utterance,
I have been reflecting over the meaning of this cbancefonnd
strip. Did you, sire, throw it ? Is this your property ? ''
addressing Purna. On this the following conversation
ensued :
Ndyandr : Have you lost you property ? "
Pilrna : We
He
cannot lose our property. Others only lose
tlieirs (meaning, we cannot lose our God. You have lost our
God).
N. Never mind that. How is it you are all assembled in
one body {i.e., you are all belonging to one cult, and seem to
pursue a peculiar path).
P. Well, we have been brought tDgether, as various ways
meet here (i.e., the Path to God we are pursuing is the One
Path into which all other paths issue).
N. But is there a Path for those who stand aloof like
j-ou ? (i.e., aloof-ness or isolation or Kaivahja is the state of
souls which on the one hand have eschewed material fetters
but on tlie otlier liand have not recognized God. This isolation
is what in modern days called the JEonic suspension of
souls, equivalent to eternal damnation.).
' ^JmWiWr^tfTim- Ittdnmyann II. 40]. i.e., Vaimtki uttered a cry
of difiti-esa when lie saw n fowler killinR an innocent curlew but V&lmtkt
to his surprise found he had uttered a verse.
' The whole conversation has Tamil words having double meanings.
\Vc have tried to make it as clear as possible bj' parenthetical explanations.