CHAPTER XXXVIII
SRINAGAR
(i) Ramdas defies Ram
The prolonged stay of Ramdas in Kashmir was causing
anxiety to the friends in India, who were deluging him
with their communications urging him to leave the hills
again for the plains. They were also sending wire upon
wire. Janakinath and Amarnath were quite averse to his
departure from Srinagar. They suggested that he should
make his permanent residence in future in Kashmir and
that they would arrange for his stay near Hari Parvat or
Hurvan. But he was becoming conscious of the pull down
to the south, from the friends in Rawalpindi, United
Provinces, Kathiawar, Bombay and the southern districts.
When he talked of quitting Srinagar the devoted brothers
would oppose the idea. With the best of motives they
sometimes connived at suppressing the correspondence from
the friends in India, but they had to abandon this subter-
fuge when they found that it was of no avail.
Now Gopalrao and his wife Girijabai, Saraswats of
Kanara, related to mother Rukmabai, were in Srinagar at
this time. They had information about Eamdas and were
very desirous of seeing him, Gopalrao communicated with
Amarnath Bakshi and expressed his longing to have Ram-
das as his guest for some days. Amarnath concealed the
contents of this letter from him, fearing that he would
leave them on hearing of it.
Meanwhile, Janakinath proposed to take him for the
darshan of a Kashmiri sadhu living in a solitary spot outside
Srinagar, in the suburbs. The sadhu was said to have been
observing a vow of silence for some years. He agreed at
first to go with him, but half-way, Ram wanting him to turn
back, he returned to the city in spite of pressure on the
part of Janakinath and other friends. The same night
46*