other Jevotees of the place. Stopping here only for a day he
proceeded to Mangaiore. His goal was EHrimaujeshwar and
he must reach it at the earliest possible time* He had cume
t*< know that Le was to undergo at that place a long fast.
After passing through Mangalore where he paid a flying
visit to mother Rukmabai, he proceeded straight to Udipi
and thence hurried on to Eundapur. Here he was put np
at Rani BhatjTs dispensary. The following day he crossed
the ferry and reached Kirimanjeshwar.
Directly on arrival at Kirinianjeshwar, he had a dip in
the tank opposite the temple. Drinking some water he
rambled till evening in the extensive woods, in the midst
of which he discovered a tiny temple of a goddess. The
temple consisted of an inner, dark, narrow chamber where
a stone image of the Devi was installed, an airy and neat
frunt room, with a smooth and shining floor, and an outer
verandah. For ingress there was only one low door. He
decided to occupy the front room of the temple. His
ptssessions were only one coverlet and two kanpins.
His mode of life here was something like this: three
baths-morning, noon and evening in the tank, and water
drink also at the same time from it. The tank lay
about fifty yards from the Devi's temple. Nights were spent
in the front room of the temple and days in the woods. The
inner shrine was lit for some honrs in the night with an
earthen cocoannt oil lamp. Every evening a mother of
the neighbourhood would attend to this. She must have
been lighting the wick at an earlier hour in the evening,
for he saw the light on return to the temple after dark. One
day she happened to be late and he was already in the front
room. She came as nsnal and entered, but at the sight of
the figure of Ramdas, dimly visible in the darkness of the
room, she cried ont with raised hands in terror and ran
away frightened. Thereafter, she stopped away entirely
and the lamp was unlit.
Sometimes of an evening Ramdas would take a walk to