Il8 HOURS WITH NATURE. 



walk by a shady winding footpath and we reached our 

 destination. It was a lovely little park-like place, well 

 stocked with noble trees and nobler palms, growths of a 

 century perhaps. A wicket gate in a gap of a thick 

 tnendhi (Indian myrtle) hedge gave us admission into 

 this woodland scenery. An avenue of bakul and piyal 

 led us to an open space, in the centre of which stood 

 a cottage, a real kiitir. Built of dab and wattle and 

 thatch it was rough, rude, and rustic, but a model of 

 cleanliness, cosy and comfortable. Creepers of various 

 kinds covered its sides and roof, and a mighty banyan 

 gave it shade. There was a fine lawn in front of it 

 and all round it were shrubberies and arbours. To 

 the west and within a short distance of the cottage was 

 a nice little pond of irregular shape a lake in minia- 

 ture, surrounded with groups of palms and pandanns, 

 which formed an agreeable background to its gently 

 sloping grassy bank. Of under-growths, there were 

 numerous species of aroids and ferns, the latter forming 

 clusters round the thick stocks of the palm trees. The 

 pond was full of various kinds of aquatic plants but 

 the most conspicuous was the padma, which lay idly 

 but with resplendent beauty on the surface of its 

 still water, 



Here, away from the struggles and strifes which 

 agitate the busy world, lived Yogananda Svami a true 

 Vaishnavite, justly renowned and respected for his 

 scholarship, piety, and devotion. At the time we speak 

 of he was long past the prime of life, but was yet Alight 



