Page:Anandamath, The Abbey of Bliss - Chatterjee.djvu/37

Rh worship, to Whom I daily bow and trusting Whom I could enter even this wild forest? Where art thou, O Madhusudan." Kalyani was weak with hunger and thirst, and now from the intense fervour of her devotion, she slowly lost all physical sensations and in her inner consciousness she heard in space a heavenly voice chanting the various favourite names of Vishnu.

From childhood Kalyani had heard in Puranas that the heavenly saint Narada wandered over the world chanting the divine name of Hari to the accompaniment of his harp. That vision was now conjured up in her mind. InlyOnly [sic] she saw the colossal figure of the great saint, with a complexion of faultless white and with flowing white locks and beards, passing in his white garments through the azure sky, lit with silver moonbeams and singing the name of God to the accompaniment of the Vina.

Slowly the music drew nearer and became more audible. It drew nearer and grew clearer still, till at last the song rang the woods to the echo just over her head.

Kalyani then opened her eyes. In the misty moonlight of the woods she saw standing before her the glorious form of the hoary saint with a complexion of faultless white, and with milk-white garments on, his hair and beards flowing in waves of snow. Half dreaming, she thought she would bow her head to him, but as she lowered her head to make her salute she fell senseless on the ground.