8o Evolution of Life and Form. 



it has been tested will the man risk his life upon 

 it. How much less then will the Deva risk the 

 progress of an advanced man on a virtue not strong 

 enough to bear every strain ? He will test it with 

 every possibility of strain, until it has proved itself 

 strong enough to bear the weight which it may be 

 called upon to hold up. We will take our stories 

 from the Mahdbhdrata, which you all know, or ought 

 to know. Arjuna was seeking to get divine weapons ; 

 he was to be a great leader in a battle still in the 

 future. We are at the time of the thirteen years' 

 exile, and you may remember that he spent many 

 of these years in the search for these weapons. 

 During his search, he sought Maheshvara, who 

 had promised to give him His own weapon, and 

 he performed many austerities in order that he 

 .might come pure into the presence of God. One 

 day as he was performing worship, a wild boar came 

 along; at the same time a hunter appeared, a 

 hunter of a very low caste, a hunter of the hills. 

 Now you remember that Arjuna was a Kshattriya, 

 and he accordingly caught up his bow to shoot at 

 the wild boar ; the hunter also raised his bow to 

 shoot at the wild boar. Two arrows went from the 

 two sides and the boar was struck dead. Arjuna 

 was very angry at the interference of this low-caste 

 hunter, and cried : " How dare you shoot at the 



