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ber you are an expert diver. Perform one of your wellknown feats of diving in the pond. I will command that so long as you are under water, the slaughter should be withheld; all those who can make good their escape within that time will be allowed to do so. More than this, I cannot, will not, grant,” he concluded with a ring of finality in his voice.
Mahanama agreed readily to this odd bargain. “I must content myself with sparing as much bloodshed as I can,” he said almost dreamily. On the screen of his memory, the holy words of Bhagwan seemed to take shape and glitter with celestial luminosity: . “The river quencheş man's thirst with her fresh water; trees satisfy man's hunger with their luscious fruits; sandalwood yields its cooling paste to soothe the burning skin; the sugar-cane rewards with its refreshing juice those who crush it. Should not man then, yield something? Man is greater than all these; his contribution should be greater
too.”
Mahanama thought to himself, “The hymn of sacrifice that Bhagwan chanted is carved in my heart; now is the time for me to chant it in my own humble way, even if it be only a faint echo of Bhagwan's
song."
Viddubha, unaware of what was passing through the saint's mind, was thinking to himself, “Now he is old; how long can he remain under the surface of the water? Two minutes, five minutes, ten minutes
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