Page:The Life of Lokamanya Tilak.djvu/380

 rejected the authority of all the Acharyas in the interpre- tation of the Gita, the man who rejected the reasoning of all European scholars with regard to the antiquity of the Vedas and the cradle of the Aryan civilisation — this same man rejected methods of Ranade, Telang, Mandlik, Bhau Daji and all the time-honoured leaders of the people and struck out a new path in public life.

To challenge in this way the work of two generations, requires a degree of no ordinary courage. To strike out a new path in the public life almost in opposition to the previous generation requires vision of the first order ; and the pecuHar path selected by Mr. Tilak called for self-sacrifice of the highest degree. Mr. Tilak rushed into the arena of national activities fully gifted with this vision, courage and self-sacrifice. An- other man was there, Mr. Tilak's peer in every quality of the head and heart — Vishnushastri Chiploonkar. Another man yet, Gopal Ganesh Agarkar, a smaller chip of the same block. His broken health and strain- ed circumstances, later on somewhat altered the angle of Agarkar's vision. But throughout his eventful life, Mr. Tilak was found equal to any sacrifice, a match for any misfortune. He took up the work of national uplift in true Jesuitical spirit. Utter renunciation was his watchword. He even regretted that his father should have got him married ; and now that he was a married man, he must seek for ' maintenance allow- ance ;' but barring that, every pie he would get would belong to his country. The hfe-long simplicity of Mr. Tilak's dress and living was due to this vow of poverty ; and the purity of his life — so conspicuously and deser- vedly recognised by all his contemporaries — instinctive