Anandamath

Chapter XVII

Bhavananda was sitting in the math chanting the sacred name of Hari. At this time Jnanananda one of the Santans came to him with a sad face. Bhavananda asked, “Gossain, why this heavy countenance?”

Jananananda replied, “Danger is threatening for yesterday’s incident, as soon as the Mussulmans see any saffron robed person he is arrested. All the Santans have discarded their saffron robes. Our chief Satyananda alone in saffron robes has gone towards the city all alone. Who knows, the Mohammedans might arrest him”

Bhavananda answered. — “The Mohammedan is still unborn in Bengal who can keep him in prison. I know Dhirananda has already followed him. Still I also shall go to the city once. Please take charge of the math”

Thus saying, Bhavananda entered a secret chamber and from a large chest took out some clothes. Suddenly Bhavananda was transformed. In place of saffron coloured robes he wore churidar pyjamas, merzai and kaba, on his head an amama, the Mohammedan turban, on his feet nagra. From his face he had wiped off the sacred Tripundra marks of sandal paste. In raven black beard and mustaches his fine face looked wonderfully handsome. Seeing him at the time one would mistake him for a young Moghul. Thus dressed and having armed himself Bhavananda left the math. Two miles further there were two hillocks, covered with dense trees. Between the two hills there was a lonely place where a number of horses were kept. This was the stable of the math. Bhavananda from amongst these untied a horse and mounting it rode on towards the city.

As he rode, suddenly he stopped. On the wayside near the roaring river bank, like a star which had dropped from the skies, like a streak of lightening which had descended from the clouds, he saw a dazzlingly beautiful woman’s form lying. There was no sign of life in her. Beside her lay an empty phial of poison: Bhavananda was surprised, keenly sorrowful, afraid. Like Jivananda, Bhavananda too had not seen Mohendra’s wife and daughter. The reasons which made Jivananda suspect them to be the wife and daughter of Mohendra, were unknown to Bhavananda. He had not seen the Brahmachari and Mohendra being arrested, the child too was no longer there. Seeing the empty phial he surmised that some woman had taken poison and died. Bhavananda sat beside the corpse. For a long time with his head resting on his hands he mused. He then examined the body touching the head, the armpit, the hands, the side, with expert knowledge. Then he said to himself, “There is time yet, but why save her?” For long he considered the matter. Then he entered the forest, and took some leaves from a tree. He rubbed the leaves in his hand and taking the juice he forced it between the lips and clenched teeth of the corpse. Later he forced some juice up the nostrils. He rubbed the body with the juice. He went on repeating the same process, now and then placing his hand near the nostrils to see if there was any respiration. It seemed that all his care would be fruitless. But after, much anxious examination, Bhavananda’s face bore some marks of hopefulness. He seemed to feel a faint trace of respiration on his fingers. He then applied more juice of that leaf, till the respiration became more pronounced. Feeling the pulse he saw that the heart had started working. At last gradually, like the first rosy flush of dawn in the east, like the first opening of the lotus bloom, like the first quiver of love, Kalyani began to open her eyes. Seeing which Bhavananda raised that semiconscious form on his horse and rode fast towards the city.