Chapter (অধ্যায়): VI-X SHRI PRIYA NATH SINHA PAGE-371Page: 371 of 537
arts, with a specialist Sannyasin in charge of each of these departments.
Q. Where will you get such Sadhus?
Swamiji: We shall have to manufacture them. Therefore, I always say that some young men with burning patriotism and renunciation are needed. None can master a thing perfectly in so short a time as the Tyagis will.
After a short silence Swamiji said, "Singhi, there are so many things left to be done for our country that thousands like you and me are needed. What will mere talk do? See to what a miserable condition the country is reduced; now do something! We haven't even got a single book well suited for the little boys.
Q. Why, there are so many books of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar for the boys!
No sooner had I said this than he laughed out and said: Yes, there you read "Ishvar Nirakar Chaitanya Svarup"-(God is without form and of the essence of pure knowledge); "Subal ati subodh balak"-(Subal is a very good boy), and so on. That won't do. We must compose some books in Bengali as also in English with short stories from the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, the Upanishads, etc., in very easy and simple language, and these are to be given to our little boys to read.
It was about eleven o'clock by this time. The sky became suddenly overcast, and a cool breeze began to blow. Swamiji was greatly delighted at the prospect of rain. He got up and said, "Let us, Singhi, have a stroll by the side of the Ganga." We did so, and he recited many stanzas from the Meghaduta of Kalidasa, but the one undercurrent of thought that was all the time running through his mind was the good of India. He exclaimed, "Look here, Singhi, can you do one thing? Can you put a stop to the marriage of our boys for some time?
I said, "Well, Maharaj, how can we think of that