Page:Karl Gjellerup - The Pilgrim Kamanita - 1911.djvu/249

 came to him to remain in the enjoyment of this blessed serenity, and not to declare the doctrine to others. For this pleasure-loving generation'—thus I reasoned—'will hardly comprehend the freeing itself from all the forms assumed by existence, the quenching of all desire for life, the blotting out of all delusion; and, for the declaring of the doctrine, my only reward will be labour and vexation of spirit.' Thus did my nature incline to uncommunicativeness, and not to the proclamation of the doctrine. Then I looked with seeing eyes yet once again upon the world. And as in a lotus pond one sees some lotus flowers which develop in the waters and remain under the surface, others which force their way to the surface and float there, and, finally, others which rise above the waters and stand free from all contact with them; so also in this world I saw beings of a low type, beings of a noble type, and beings of the noblest type. And I reasoned thus: 'If they do not hear the doctrine they will lose their way: these will understand the doctrine.' And out of pity for these beings I decided to resign for a time the undisturbed possession of the blessed calm of Nirvana, and to proclaim the doctrine to the world.

"Thus does a perfect Buddha take up Krishna's coming down from heaven and becoming man, give it inward force, illumine, and complete it."

As he said this, there came to me a feeling of unspeakable joy; for I knew that the Buddha numbered me with the lotus flowers that had risen to the surface of the water, and that I, by his help, would one day raise myself above it, and would stand free, unsullied by material things.

Further, the Master told us of those heroic deeds of Krishna, by which he had freed the world from monsters