A soft, brown fluttering thing— a bird with a shaft caught fast in its blood-spread breast fell at the feet of the Yogi, who for hours had sat in deep meditation at the foot of a broad- branching tree in the green heart of a jungle. The hunter, following the path of his flying arrow, found himself confronted by the Yogi, who, rudely awakened from his trance-like attitude, looked upon him angrily.
Now in this land of castes and spirituality, he who is a slayer of living things,be they large or small, bird or beast, is out of the pale of all castes and is considered so unclean that his very touch is regarded as pollution.So great was the fear and consternation that overcame the hunter when he found himself before the Yogi, that he quickly prostrated himself to him and said:
"O holy one, forgive me for having intruded upon your meditation. I know how unseemly it is for such as I,who make my living by the hunting and slaying of flesh,to come before you.
But I did not see you as you were still. I saw only the bird perched upon the bough above your head, and so intent was I upon its slaying that everything else was blotted from my sight. So I beg you to forgive me and allow me to depart in peace. Do not follow me with, your anger, Yogi having brought my unclean presence before you."
The Yogi,looking upon him wrathfully, said :
"You have aroused me from my silence.
You have caused a dead thing to fall upon me,
You have polluted my atmosphere by your unclean presence.
And because of this, I could, by the power of my wrath, cause you to die. ' '
The frightened hunter writhed.
"But do it not, kind sir," he implored again, helplessly, "I pray you, do it not. I know it for certain that though I fly to mountain heights or sink to the deepsof the ocean, you, in your wrath, couldn’t reach me there.
So do it not, spirit-potent one ! I am too small for your power. But ask any service you will of me, for the expiation of my unconscious wrong to you, and I will render it to my utter most might. Only do not visit your wrath upon me, holy sir, for the sake of my wife and my little ones, who would perish for want of life's sustenance if I am no more, for I am their only provider. If you wilt forgive me and let me go. I shall never cross your path again or come within a long radius of your holy seat."
The Yogi looked at the hunter with unchanged sternness and then said:
"Go you, then, since you wouldst serve me and thus escape my anger.Go you far and broad into this forest and find you my boy, my truant boy who comes not at my call, but wanders ever away, sometimes near, sometimes far, ever in waywardness strays from me though I long for him.
Go, seek him, find him and bring him to me. Krishna is his name. Call upon
his name and he will come to you and you wilt bring him to me.This is the only escape to the punishment you so richly deserve, and return to your home and people untouched by my wrath."
The hunter repeated the name slowly, "Krishna, Krishna.”
"Tell me, Yogi", he asked, "how he looks, and I will hunt the jungle day and
night and bring him to you if he is to be found here".A slow smile of peace
came upon the face of the Yogi, as he answered:
"The boy you are to bring before me is of great beauty and grace.
His garment is of rich and rare texture and gold in color.
His complexion is dark, but with unchanging light of unwavering love gleaming from within color is quite lost in the glory of that light.
His brow is crowned by three peacock plumes,and in his hands he bears a flute upon which he makes strains of music that cause all who her it to throb in ecstasy because of its sweetness.
This is the boy I will have you find. And if you are so fortunate as to catch him and bring him here, you shall not only gain my forgiveness, but my blessing shall be with you from now to all life. "
Happy in this given promise, the hunter rushed into the jungle calling the name
"Krishna, Krishna,” until the echo fell fainter and fainter on the ears of the silent Yogi
who listened with a still smile on his lips.
And so the days passed until three were gone, when suddenly the hunter appeared
before the Yogi, footsore and weary, and said unto him:
"O holy sir, I see the boy often when I call his name, but only as a flash, and then he is gone again. Often in the far distance, I hear the sweet strain of his flute as if in answer to my call.But ever, as I follow it, and seem to come upon him, lo, he is not there! And again from the far distance the flute I hear, and the flash of his garment I behold, and then, woe is me! —He vanishes,or is too far in the distance for me to overtake him.
Once, sir,I caught the flash of his eye. Oh, wondrous eye it was! And it seemed to me I must follow forever to again see the flash again. And I wonder not, sir, that you are sad, and would have this wayward, but bewilderingly beautiful boy with you. But I have come back to you tired and worn, to tell you that he eludes me ever, and empty-handed, my quest in vain, I beg you to allow me to return to my wife and children,who must have missed me sorely."
While the hunter was speaking, the Yogi sat gazing at him with wonder slowly growing
in his eyes of wisdom, and when he paused, he said:
"Away, you fortunate one! Bring to me this boy. Call upon him, follow him,catch him and fetch him to me, else never expect mercy from me."
And again the hunter hurried away, calling "Krishna, Krishna," until the
jungle rang and echoed and re-echoed with that name. To and fro he rushed
ever calling, calling, now chasing here now there, gazing into the thickets,
peering behind the trees and branches crawling through the interlaced branches
of under growths, until again the days and nights were passed. But he did
not know of the passing because of the wild joy in the chase of the boy who
lured him from the distances by the glance of his eye exquisite and the strains
of his flute entrancing, until he once more stood before the Yogi. But this time
he was not footsore or weary or frightened,but with flushed cheek, triumphant
brow and glad voice he called forth:
"Here, Yogi, is he whom you seek. Long and hard have I chased him,and ever and again has he eluded me. But elusive and mischievous as he is, I have caught him at last and bring him to you. For three days I followed the gleam of his golden garment, the flutter of his mantle in the breeze, the waving of his peacock plumes and the strains of his flute.
Here and there he darted, flashed the beauty of his eye upon me, and then the splendor of his smile which quite out rivaled the jewel on his breast. But I have him now. I bring him to you, though he even now struggles to flee from me.But he cannot. I hold him tight.
And now that I come to give him to you, I cannot,I cannot; for his glance he has made me forget the world, his smile has made me forget all that it holds, his flute has filled me with longings for that which only his beauty can satisfy. Though he is yours,Yogi, oh let him be mine also. Let me stay here, I pray you, to serve you, so that I may be near him and look upon him always. “
The Yogi stared at the glorified form of the hunter who seemed to be
grasping something which struggled to escape, but which the Yogi could not see.
"What are you saying?" he said,
" I see no boy with you. I see only you. “
"Why!" the hunter exclaimed in surprise,
"Do you not see your boy, Krishna, whom I hold here? Come; take him,
in case he escapes again."
Intently the Yogi gazed toward him, and close at the side of the hunter, there flashed before his vision the outline of a figure—shadowy, faint, entrancing. It gleamed for an instant,then vanished, though the hunter still struggled to hold the figure beside him.
Then the Yogi rose and fell at the feet of the hunter and said:
"O fortunate one! Man that is blessed beyond belief ! You are a Yogi of the highest rank and I am an outcast compared to you. Did you call me a holy Yogi and yourself an untouchable pariah? The reverse is the truth.
Whoever like you has searched and reached and gasped the Holy of holies is the holiest Brahman, the highest saint, the greatest Yogi; and whoever, like me, has failed to do so,is a pariah, a false saint, an of unclean soul and body, though born a Brahman and trained in Yoga.
It was the power of that absolute devotion you have in six days found what I have sought in vain in silent meditation for a life time. Do you know whom you behold, you unconscious one?
He is the Seedless One, yet the Seed of all Creation.
He is the Lord of Love, the Youth Eternal and yet the Ancient of All Ages.
He the Soul of the Universe— the Supreme Being in Manifest form,
The Lover and Beloved of All— Krishna Himself!"
Now in this land of castes and spirituality, he who is a slayer of living things,be they large or small, bird or beast, is out of the pale of all castes and is considered so unclean that his very touch is regarded as pollution.So great was the fear and consternation that overcame the hunter when he found himself before the Yogi, that he quickly prostrated himself to him and said:
"O holy one, forgive me for having intruded upon your meditation. I know how unseemly it is for such as I,who make my living by the hunting and slaying of flesh,to come before you.
But I did not see you as you were still. I saw only the bird perched upon the bough above your head, and so intent was I upon its slaying that everything else was blotted from my sight. So I beg you to forgive me and allow me to depart in peace. Do not follow me with, your anger, Yogi having brought my unclean presence before you."
The Yogi,looking upon him wrathfully, said :
"You have aroused me from my silence.
You have caused a dead thing to fall upon me,
You have polluted my atmosphere by your unclean presence.
And because of this, I could, by the power of my wrath, cause you to die. ' '
The frightened hunter writhed.
"But do it not, kind sir," he implored again, helplessly, "I pray you, do it not. I know it for certain that though I fly to mountain heights or sink to the deepsof the ocean, you, in your wrath, couldn’t reach me there.
So do it not, spirit-potent one ! I am too small for your power. But ask any service you will of me, for the expiation of my unconscious wrong to you, and I will render it to my utter most might. Only do not visit your wrath upon me, holy sir, for the sake of my wife and my little ones, who would perish for want of life's sustenance if I am no more, for I am their only provider. If you wilt forgive me and let me go. I shall never cross your path again or come within a long radius of your holy seat."
The Yogi looked at the hunter with unchanged sternness and then said:
"Go you, then, since you wouldst serve me and thus escape my anger.Go you far and broad into this forest and find you my boy, my truant boy who comes not at my call, but wanders ever away, sometimes near, sometimes far, ever in waywardness strays from me though I long for him.
Go, seek him, find him and bring him to me. Krishna is his name. Call upon
his name and he will come to you and you wilt bring him to me.This is the only escape to the punishment you so richly deserve, and return to your home and people untouched by my wrath."
The hunter repeated the name slowly, "Krishna, Krishna.”
"Tell me, Yogi", he asked, "how he looks, and I will hunt the jungle day and
night and bring him to you if he is to be found here".A slow smile of peace
came upon the face of the Yogi, as he answered:
"The boy you are to bring before me is of great beauty and grace.
His garment is of rich and rare texture and gold in color.
His complexion is dark, but with unchanging light of unwavering love gleaming from within color is quite lost in the glory of that light.
His brow is crowned by three peacock plumes,and in his hands he bears a flute upon which he makes strains of music that cause all who her it to throb in ecstasy because of its sweetness.
This is the boy I will have you find. And if you are so fortunate as to catch him and bring him here, you shall not only gain my forgiveness, but my blessing shall be with you from now to all life. "
Happy in this given promise, the hunter rushed into the jungle calling the name
"Krishna, Krishna,” until the echo fell fainter and fainter on the ears of the silent Yogi
who listened with a still smile on his lips.
And so the days passed until three were gone, when suddenly the hunter appeared
before the Yogi, footsore and weary, and said unto him:
"O holy sir, I see the boy often when I call his name, but only as a flash, and then he is gone again. Often in the far distance, I hear the sweet strain of his flute as if in answer to my call.But ever, as I follow it, and seem to come upon him, lo, he is not there! And again from the far distance the flute I hear, and the flash of his garment I behold, and then, woe is me! —He vanishes,or is too far in the distance for me to overtake him.
Once, sir,I caught the flash of his eye. Oh, wondrous eye it was! And it seemed to me I must follow forever to again see the flash again. And I wonder not, sir, that you are sad, and would have this wayward, but bewilderingly beautiful boy with you. But I have come back to you tired and worn, to tell you that he eludes me ever, and empty-handed, my quest in vain, I beg you to allow me to return to my wife and children,who must have missed me sorely."
While the hunter was speaking, the Yogi sat gazing at him with wonder slowly growing
in his eyes of wisdom, and when he paused, he said:
"Away, you fortunate one! Bring to me this boy. Call upon him, follow him,catch him and fetch him to me, else never expect mercy from me."
And again the hunter hurried away, calling "Krishna, Krishna," until the
jungle rang and echoed and re-echoed with that name. To and fro he rushed
ever calling, calling, now chasing here now there, gazing into the thickets,
peering behind the trees and branches crawling through the interlaced branches
of under growths, until again the days and nights were passed. But he did
not know of the passing because of the wild joy in the chase of the boy who
lured him from the distances by the glance of his eye exquisite and the strains
of his flute entrancing, until he once more stood before the Yogi. But this time
he was not footsore or weary or frightened,but with flushed cheek, triumphant
brow and glad voice he called forth:
"Here, Yogi, is he whom you seek. Long and hard have I chased him,and ever and again has he eluded me. But elusive and mischievous as he is, I have caught him at last and bring him to you. For three days I followed the gleam of his golden garment, the flutter of his mantle in the breeze, the waving of his peacock plumes and the strains of his flute.
Here and there he darted, flashed the beauty of his eye upon me, and then the splendor of his smile which quite out rivaled the jewel on his breast. But I have him now. I bring him to you, though he even now struggles to flee from me.But he cannot. I hold him tight.
And now that I come to give him to you, I cannot,I cannot; for his glance he has made me forget the world, his smile has made me forget all that it holds, his flute has filled me with longings for that which only his beauty can satisfy. Though he is yours,Yogi, oh let him be mine also. Let me stay here, I pray you, to serve you, so that I may be near him and look upon him always. “
The Yogi stared at the glorified form of the hunter who seemed to be
grasping something which struggled to escape, but which the Yogi could not see.
"What are you saying?" he said,
" I see no boy with you. I see only you. “
"Why!" the hunter exclaimed in surprise,
"Do you not see your boy, Krishna, whom I hold here? Come; take him,
in case he escapes again."
Intently the Yogi gazed toward him, and close at the side of the hunter, there flashed before his vision the outline of a figure—shadowy, faint, entrancing. It gleamed for an instant,then vanished, though the hunter still struggled to hold the figure beside him.
Then the Yogi rose and fell at the feet of the hunter and said:
"O fortunate one! Man that is blessed beyond belief ! You are a Yogi of the highest rank and I am an outcast compared to you. Did you call me a holy Yogi and yourself an untouchable pariah? The reverse is the truth.
Whoever like you has searched and reached and gasped the Holy of holies is the holiest Brahman, the highest saint, the greatest Yogi; and whoever, like me, has failed to do so,is a pariah, a false saint, an of unclean soul and body, though born a Brahman and trained in Yoga.
It was the power of that absolute devotion you have in six days found what I have sought in vain in silent meditation for a life time. Do you know whom you behold, you unconscious one?
He is the Seedless One, yet the Seed of all Creation.
He is the Lord of Love, the Youth Eternal and yet the Ancient of All Ages.
He the Soul of the Universe— the Supreme Being in Manifest form,
The Lover and Beloved of All— Krishna Himself!"
