Page:The Message and Ministrations of Dewan Bahadur R. Venkata Ratnam, volume 2.djvu/297

 through the sages whose wisdom is our garnered reserve of spirit. Thou art the heart and soul of the sages. Thou art the fragrance and the aroma of their lives. The patriot and the philsopher leave us rich largesses, proofs of Thy beneficence. All these are Thy gifts. O beloved God, it is not merely compensation; but it is also real and merciful benevolence, benefaction; it is an invaluable boon and benediction which Thou lea vest with us, before Thou wouldst withdraw from us those dear and honoured ones. We render our whole-hearted thanks unto Thee.

The friend that seems to be gone but lives with us, he is now all a spirit to commune with, to assimilate and to absorb into our-selves. And this intermingling and inter-twining in spirit-communion with our comrade and co-pilgrim can become closer, dearer intenser, sweeter, only if Thy grace abides. Oh, do thou prepare us, enable us, grant us the capacity, infuse into us the spirit, to receive and to use Thy tokens, Thy gifts, that help us grow stronger, purer