unnatural interpretations of the critics." Bhaduri's wit put me
into another gale of laughter.

I remained alone with the yogi until his disciples arrived in the
evening. Bhaduri Mahasaya entered one of his inimitable discourses.
Like a peaceful flood, he swept away the mental debris of his listeners,
floating them Godward. His striking parables were expressed in a
flawless Bengali.

This evening Bhaduri expounded various philosophical points
connected with the life of Mirabai, a medieval Rajputani princess
who abandoned her court life to seek the company of sadhus. One
great-sannyasi refused to receive her because she was a woman; her
reply brought him humbly to her feet.

"Tell the master," she had said, "that I did not know there was
any Male in the universe save God; are we all not females before
Him?" (A scriptural conception of the Lord as the only Positive
Creative Principle, His creation being naught but a passive MAYA.)

Mirabai composed many ecstatic songs which are still treasured in
India; I translate one of them here:

"If by bathing daily God could be realized
Sooner would I be a whale in the deep;
If by eating roots and fruits He could be known
Gladly would I choose the form of a goat;
If the counting of rosaries uncovered Him
I would say my prayers on mammoth beads;
If bowing before stone images unveiled Him