Page:The Life of Lokamanya Tilak.djvu/34



IT has been said of Buddha that the sight, in quick succession, of disease, old age and death took away forever the smile from his lips and joy from his mind and thenceforth the Lord of Compassion devoted all his energies to the solution of the problem of misery. Mr. Tilak's youthful thoughts, too, were clouded by three great events, which produced an indelible impression on his sensitive spirit and here we must seek for the motive which led him to dedicate his life to the service of the Mother-land. The first of these events was the deposition (1875) of the late H. H. Malharrao Gaekwar and his subsequent trial, by a special commission, on the charge of having attempted to poison his Resident Col. Phayre. People in the Baroda State and outside, strongly believed in the innocence of the Maharaja who was not restored to his throne though the Commission differed in its findings. The fate of a hapless Indian Prince, who ought to