who persuaded him to embrace Christianity. He was baptised, and took the name of his benefactor. Several years later he had a severe illness and was brought to the General Hospital, Madras, where he created much excitement among the European nurses by telling them something of their own lives. It was all done by casting their horoscopes and making calculations. Among other things, he said that a change would occur on the staff of the medical officers of the hospital. He professed by a series of calculations to arrive at the name of the new officer and he gave the name. A few weeks later an unexpected change did occur, and the officer named was appointed.
I asked the native clergyman how Streenivasa reconciled his practice of astrology with his profession of the Christian faith. He replied that Streenivasa saw no harm in it as long as he believed in the grace of God intervening. 'By the grace of God,' he added, 'we are able to do things spontaneously and of our free will which may avert the ruling of the stars.' He gave as an instance the following, as he cast his eyes round my drawing-room:
'Here you have a palm which should be living outside exposed to wind and rain and sun. By the grace of your hand it is brought into your drawing-room, tenderly nurtured, and safeguarded from the destroying cyclone and the knife of the hut- builder, which in the ordinary course of events would cause it to suffer. The palm, of course, has no free will or independent action; but we, who have both, and at the same time enjoy the providence of God, Who watches over us as well as the palm, may study the reading of the future and call upon Him to avert the evil which threatens.'
It is a belief in a higher power over fate which prevents the Hindu from becoming an apathetic fatalist.
