A man may be on a throne and perfectly non-attached; another may be in rags and very much attached.
But when man is endowed with spiritual discrimination and illumined by knowledge of the Atman, all his doubts are dispelled.
He does not shrink from doing what is disagreeable to him, nor does he long to do what is agreeable.
No human being can give up action altogether, but he who gives up the fruits of action is said to be non-attached.”
“Oh, Master, if I could gain but a slight portion of this great knowledge!” said Berenice.
“All knowledge, my daughter,” he continued, “is a gift of the spirit; and only to those who are grateful in the spirit will knowledge unfold like the petals of the lotus.
From your Western teachers you will learn of art and the sciences, but from your Eastern masters, you will discover the inner mystery of wisdom.
You are not educated when merely you are well-schooled. You are truly educated only when you are enlightened by inner truth.
For inner truth takes dead facts and makes them live; it inspires the heart to the use of knowledge for the service of others.
It is through the heart, not the intellect, that the Lord is seen.
Do good for its own sake. Then alone will come perfect non-attachment.”
“I will work hard to learn the breathing exercises, Master,” said Berenice.
“I know enough about Yoga to realize that it is the foundation of all illumination.
I know that breath is life.”
“Not necessarily,” said the Guru.
“If you wish to see, I will show you now that there is life where there is no breath.”
He picked up a small mirror, which he handed to her, saying:
“When I stop breathing, hold this mirror in front of my nose and mouth, to see if you can detect any moisture on it.”
He closed his eyes, and then by degrees his body became more erect and statue-like in its steadiness. He seemed to have fallen into a deep stupor.
Observing him, Berenice waited, holding her palm near to his nostrils.
Minutes passed before she felt his breathing to be lighter on her hand.
And then, to her surprise, it stopped.
There was no least trace of rhythmic breathing.
She waited.
And then she took the mirror and held it in front of his nose and mouth for a few seconds.
There was no trace of moisture on it.
Rather, as she could now see, respiration had ceased, and he seemed like an image cut in stone.
At that, she nervously consulted her watch.
Ten long minutes passed before she saw a trace of respiration, and then it assumed perfect normalcy.
For the Guru, seeming very tired, opened his eyes and looked at her and smiled.
“What a wonderful demonstration!” she exclaimed.
“I can hold my breath thus for hours,” said the Guru.
“And some Yogins keep the locked breath for months.
There have even been cases where Yogins have been locked in airtight vaults for weeks, and yet have emerged in perfect health.
Besides this,” he continued, “the control of the heart beat is but a similar test.
I can stop it completely, for the connection between blood and breath is very close, as you know, perhaps.
But that I will show you another day.
You will learn that breath is but the expression of a subtle force which hides in the vital organs, though it is unseeable.
When it leaves the body, the breathing stops, in obedience, and death is the result.
But through the control of breath it is possible to get some control over this unseen current.
“But this, I must tell you, is the study of Raja-yoga, which will come only after you have worked some time on the study of Hatha-yoga.
So now, since you look a little tired, you may go, and come tomorrow, at which time you may begin your studies.”
And with this Berenice knew that her interview with this most unusual man was at an end for the day.
And yet, as she reluctantly left his presence, she felt that she was leaving a great reservoir of untouched knowledge.
And as she retraced her steps along the crude road over which she had come, she felt she must walk a little faster, for she knew by now that the Indian night comes quickly on the heels of evening, and there are no lingering sunsets as in Europe or America; rather, a swift, dark approach that suggests lonely envelopment.
As she once more neared the village of Nagpur she was suddenly overcome by the beauty of the sacred Hill of Ramtek, with its gleaming white temples, a landmark which dominated the entire surrounding country.
And here she stopped to meditate on the exquisite beauty of the scene, held spellbound by the distant sounds of steady chanting of the Hindu mantrams which slowly rose and floated through the thin air.
She knew that these were the voices of the holy men of Ramtek, who gathered at the end of the day to intone the sacred syllables of their faith.
At first their voices sounded like a low murmur, soft but sweet, but as she drew nearer, the tempo of the chanting became like the steady beating of a great drum.
And then it was as though her heart changed its rate of beating to conform with the pulse of this great God-seeking, spirit-loving land, and she knew that this was the realm in which she would find her soul.