Anandamath

Chapter VIII

Gradually the news spread amongst the Santans that Satyananda had come and wished to speak to the Santans. He had called them. Then in groups the Santans began to collect. It was a moonlit night. Near the bank of the river in the huge forest under the shade of mangoes, jackfruits, palms, banyans, tamarinds, Baels, Bata and Salmali trees ten thousand Santans gathered. Then all hearing from each other of the arrival of Satyananda sent up an uproar in joy. They did not know where and for what purpose Satyananda had gone. The rumour was that he had gone to the Himalayas for practicing austerities for the welfare of the Santans. Thus today all the Santans started saying to each other, “Our Guru has been successful in his mission. We shall win, the kingdom will be ours.” Soon there was great shoutings. Some cried, “Kill the Mussulmans!” Some shouted, “Victory for our Guru” Some sang — “Bande Mataram” and others “О Наri! О Murari” etc. Some said, “Brother, will the day dawn when being mere Bengalees we shall be able to die in the battlefield?” Some said, “Brother will the day dawn when destroying Masjids we shall be able to establish there temples of Radhamadhava?” Some said, “Brother, will the day dawn when we shall be able to enjoy our own produce and riches?” Ten thousand human voices mingled with the rustling in sweet breeze of the innumerable leaves of trees, and the murmur of the waves of the river flowing between beaches; whilst all around was the verdant earth, the green forest, the flowery groves and the white sands of the riverside and above, in the blue sky the moon, the stars and the fleecy white clouds. Amongst all these burst out now and then that most beautiful of sounds — “Bande Mataram.”

Satyananda came and stood amidst that gathering of Santans. Then those ten thousand Santans bent their heads on the green ground — heads lighted with moon-light coming through the interstices of the leaves. In a loud voice with tearful eyes raising both his hands high over his head Satyananda said, “One who wields and holds the conch shell, the disc, the club and the lotus, Banamali, the Lord of heaven, one who destroyed Kesi, Madhu, Mura and Naraka, who is the preserver of this world, may He bring you wellbeing, may He give strength to your arms, devotion to your heart and urge you towards religion. Come one and all and sing His glory. Then in those thousand voices was sung loudly,—

Lord of the world thy praise we sing,
With praise of Hari the world doth ring!
In stormy ocean tempest-tost
You do float
Like a boat;
The Vedas in yourself reposing
Effortless how dear enclosing —
Like a fish you take form.
Keshava sweet!
Whilst at your feet,
Lord of the world your praise we sing —
With praise of Hari the world doth ring.

Satyananda again blessing them said, “Oh Santans! I have something very particular to tell you today. One Thomas by name, an irreligious and bad-hearted man has destroyed many Santans. Tonight we shall kill him and wipe out his army. This is the Will of God — what do you say?”

A terrible shout of “Hari Hari” pierced the forest. “We shall kill him just now. Where are they? Come and show us. Kill! Kill our enemies!” — this cry echoed back from the distant hill. Then Satyananda said, “For that we have got to hold our soul in patience for a while The enemies? possess guns — without guns fighting against them is hardly possible. Moreover they are a race of heroes. There are seventeen cannons being brought from the fort of Padachinha, as soon as they arrive we shall start on our war-path. Just look, the dawn is breaking.... What is that?”

Booming of cannons! Suddenly in that huge mango-grove guns were booming. They were British guns. Captain Thomas had surrounded the grove in order to kill the entire Santan body like fish caught in a net.