R A WALPINDI-KASAR AGOD 461
for the darshan of a sannyasi, residing in the house of one
of them. A party consisting of Swami Anand Swarup,
Jewandas and two or three others, visited the house. The
sannyasi was all humility and treated Ramdas with great
kindness and love. Ramdas seated himself beside him and
the other friends also did the same. In the course of
conversation the saint, who appeared to have a lage number
of disciples hi Rawalpindi and other places, and whose
practice of yoga was the Raja yoga of Patanjali, put to
Ramdas the question : " What do you prescribe as the best
method for control of mind? "
Ramdas replied: "So far as his experience goes he
can assert that the continuous repetition of the divine Name
can easily produce concentration of mind."
11 Before I proceed to express my opinion on the solution
you have offered, I will lay before you a bit of my own
'experience," the sannyasi continued," I have been for many
years struggling hard to bring under subjection the restless
activity of the mind. I have adopted the method of
ashtanga yoga. I regulated my food according to the strict
rules of satwic diet. For some months I lived all alone on
the banks of the Ganges far beyond Rishikesh. I worked
on at the practice systematically throughout the period of
my stay there. Even with all my strenuous endeavours I
found I could not attain any measure of concentration.
I then felt so depressed and despaired of success and
disgusted with life that I thought of committing suicide by
jumping into the river. Somehow I resisted this impulse
and I am here with this question which sorely troubles me
day and night. But I fail to see that the method prescribed
by you can be of any avail. I do not believe in it. This is
my candid and considered opinion."
To this Ramdas said : " Swamiji, you seem to be quite
arbitrary in rejecting a method which Ramdas holds forth
as most conducive to attaining concentration without your
giving a fair trial to it. Ramdas spoke to you about the