coming out of his mouth. The temple services were then in the hands of one of his cousins, Haladhari, a man of great learning and purity and possessed of certain psychical powers, such as V&k-siddhi, power of speech. A few days before, Elmakrishfla had offended him by pointing out to him certain defects of his character, so much so that his cousin cursed him and said that blood should come out of his mouth. So Rmaksh*a was frightened, but a great Yogin who was living there at the time came to his help, and after inquiring into his case assured him that it was very good that the blood had come out that way. It was because he had to teach many men, and to do good to them, that he was not permitted to enter into that Samdhi (trance) from which nobody returns. He explained to him that when a man has attained to the perfection of this Yoga his blood rushes to his brain, and he becomes absorbed in Samdhi, perceives his identity with the Supreme Self, and never returns any more to speak of his religious experiences to others. Only a few returned, namely, those who by the will of God were born to be the great teachers of mankind. In their case the blood rushes to the brain, and they feel the identity for some time, but after that the blood flows out again and they are able to teach.
By this time Rdmakr/sh^a had learnt all that the Brahman lady could teach, but he was still hankering after higher truths, when a G^ntn (a true philosopher) came and initiated him into the truths of the Ved&tita. This was a Sa#znysin named Tot-puri, tall, muscular, and powerful He had taken the vow of the order from his
