PANCH PANDAV CAVE 12
rao persisted. "I believe that worldly life need not be
abandoned in order to realize God."
"True," Ramdas replied. "Ramdas still belongs to the
world, not in a partial sense bnt in totality. His BeloTecl
is not only in particular persons bnt is discovered to be
residing, in all His power and glory, in all beings, creatures
and things."
Here the conversation ended, and Ramdas left the house
and returned to the cave.
One day at about five o'clock in the evening, a Saras wat
lad of 14 years of age, who was an occasional visitor to the
cave, dropped in. He was in tears. With an outburst of
anguish he exclaimed:
"Rama, I will in future always dwell with you. I am
not going to give you up. I desire to dedicate my life to
Hajn-nam."
"Ram," Ramdas advised him, "you cannot remain here.
Your parents will be anxious about you. Go back to
them."
"I have nothing to do with parents, house and the
world. You are my all in all," the lad said. "I will go on
repeating the holy Name in your society."
"You can do the same in your house.*" Ramdas
suggested. "It is not necessary that you should stop with
him for uttering the Name."
"No," he said, "I cannot take the Name in our house.
I am forced to go to school for which I have conceived a
disgust."
"Where is the harm in attending school?," Ramdas
asked.
"Oh! "I have had enough of it. I fell into the society of
certain boys who always indulged in unchaste talks, and
my mind got terribly distracted. I will never again step
into a school."
"In that case," Ramdas replied, "yon may not attend
school but remain pure by practising devotion at home.