MERAT. 
237 
of holy water on one side, and a bamhoo rod of seven 
knots on the other. Its face was deject, and its 
eyes fixed vacantly upon the ground. One hand 
rested upon the crown of its head, the other kept 
the nostrils closed. The whole figure was apparently 
as inanimate as the rock beneath it. The Raja 
breathed quickly with reverential dread. He drew 
near to the heaven-chosen Jogi, and thrice performed 
a humble prostration. With a trembling voice he 
thus addressed it — ■ 
44 A 11- wise and powerful Jogi, now upon the 
threshold of divinity. Blessed, indeed, be my destiny, 
which has prolonged my existence to this auspicious 
day, when I am permitted to enjoy the ineffable felicity 
of beholding your holy feet. The glory which I 
acquire, by looking upon your beneficent countenance, 
infinitely exceeds the public renown which emblazons 
the great virtues of other men. How have I deserved 
so distinguished a mark of divine approbation ? 
Surely I can attribute it only to the merits of my 
ancestors, or to some acceptable work which I may 
have been enabled to perform in a preceding gene- 
ration, the memory whereof no longer remains to me. 
But, however obtained, this glorious hour, in which 
I first behold the lustre of your hallowed feet, is by 
far the happiest of my existence. Henceforth, I can 
have nothing to covet in this world. It is sufficient 
for any mortal to have seen that inspired form ; for 
so beatific a vision will assuredly blot out the sins of 
all beholders, committed either in this or in any 
