140 IN THE VISION OF GOD
Once two sadhus came to a town from different
directions. One settled down beneath a peepal tree and the
other under the shade of a banyan. Hearing of their arrival
a bania householder first went to the sadhn of the peepal
tree and prostrated before him.
"Maharaj," said the devotee, "it appears another
mahatma has come to our town. Do you know him?"
"Yes," returned the sadhc contemptuously, "I know
him; he is a buffalo."
Soon after, the devotee arming himself with a bunch
of hay Yisited the sadhu of the banyan tree and, placing
the hay before Mm, prostrated.
"Well,1" cried out the sadhu: "What do you mean by
this? Why this hay?"
"It is an offering, maharaj; deign to feed upon it and
bless your devotee,"" appealed the bania with folded
palms.
"What! are you mad?—eat hay!" flared up the sadhu.
"Maharaj, a sadhu below the peepal tree, at the other
corner of the town, was good enough to inform me that
you were a buffalo. So I thought I could bring you a fitting
present," coolly said the devotee.
"How could you. believe him? have you no sense?"
asked the sadhu reprovingly. *
"Maharaj, how could a poor and ignorant man like
your slave dare to understand sadhus? A mahatma alone
can know a mahatma," returned the devotee.
"Go then and tell him he is an ass," said the sadhu.
The bania devotee left the place, and directly going to
the bazaar, purchased a seer of cotton seeds and making a
bundle of it, proceeded to the first sadhu of the peepal tree.
Ulltying the bundle lie poured out the contents in front of
the sadhu and prostrated before him.
"How now," asked the sadhu with a surprised look,
"what is this for?—it is cotton seed!"
"Right, maharaj—a stuff so dear to you. Do accept the