Page:Anandamath, The Abbey of Bliss - Chatterjee.djvu/74

52 have asked me to go, could I have stayed if I would? No, somehow I must have died. It is well, therefore, that I die now. The vow that you have taken, fulfil it with all your heart; you will acquire spiritual merit. With that I may go to Heaven, and we two shall enjoy Heaven for eternity."

Now the girl recovered herself by vomiting, for the quantity of the drug that she had taken was very small. But for that Mahendra had not much attention to spare. He put the girl in her mother's lap, held them in a warm embrace and wept incessantly. At that time there rose from the woods a soft but solemn voice singing the names of the god Vishnu in his character as chastiser of wrong-doers.

The poison had began to act and Kalyani's consciousness was slowly subsiding. She seemed to hear the melodious voice that had greeted her ears in Baikuntha in the dream she had. What a song and what a voice! She began to sing herself.

Kalyani now asked Mahendra to join. Mahendra too was moved by music that came from the woods and the sweet melody of Kalyani's voice. He felt too that the gods alone could help him and so he joined in their song.

The music then rang from all sides. It seemed as if the very birds had caught the refrain of their song and the murmuring stream was echoing in sympathy.

Mahendra forgot his grief and sang in ecstacy, joining his voice with Kalyani's. It seemed as if the woods