Page:Karl Gjellerup - The Pilgrim Kamanita - 1911.djvu/313

 And the great Brahma, full of tenderness for all created beings, turned his attention to Kamanita to refresh and strengthen him.

But Kamanita's light, nevertheless, decreased visibly.

Then the great Brahma was more grieved that this one being would not suffer himself to be illumined by him and did not reflect his glory, than he was glad that a hundred thousand sunned themselves in his light, and hailed him with shouts of joy.

And he withdrew a large part of his divinely illuminating power from the universe—power sufficient to set a thousand worlds on fire—and directed it on Kamanita.

But Kamanita's light continued to pale, as though drawing nearer to complete extinction.

Brahma now became a prey to great anxiety.

"This one star withdraws from my influence—so I am not then omnipotent. I do not know the way he is going, so I am not omniscient. For he is not expiring as do the beings who expire in death, to be reborn each according to his works; not as the worlds go out in the Brahma night, only to shine forth again. What light illumines his way, seeing that he disdains mine? So there is then another light more luminous than mine? And a road which leads in the opposite direction to mine—a road to the untraversed land? Shall I myself, mayhap, ever take that road—that path to the untraversed land?"

And now the minds of the stellar gods also became filled with great anxiety, great trouble.

"This one withdraws from the power of the great Brahma, so then the great Brahma is not omnipotent? What light can be lighting his way, seeing that he disdains that of the great Brahma? So there is then another light more splendid than that which we so blissfully