BIOGRAPHY OF SWAMI VIVEKANANDA

lood, yet it reminded everyone of his person and thus was held in high respect;likewise the image brought to the devotee's mind the presence of the Deity andwas therefore helpful for concentration, especially at the beginning of hisspiritual life. The Maharaja apologized to Swamiji for his rudeness.The Swami exhorted the people of Alwar to study the eternal truths ofHinduism, especially to cultivate the knowledge of Sanskrit, side by side withWestern science. He also encouraged them to read Indian history, which heremarked should be written by Indians following the scientific method of theWest. European historians dwelt mainly on the decadent period of Indianculture.In Jaipur the Swami devoted himself to the study of Sanskrit grammar, and inAjmer he recalled the magnificence of the Hindu and Moslem rules. At MountAbu he gazed in wonder at the Jain temple of Dilwara, which it has been said,was begun by titans and finished by jewellers. There he accepted the hospitalityof a Moslem official. To his scandalized Hindu friends the Swami said that hewas, as a sannyasin belonging to the highest order of paramahamsas, above allrules of caste. His conduct in dining with Moslems, he further said, was not inconflict with the teachings of the scriptures, though it might be frowned upon bythe narrow-minded leaders of Hindu society.At Mount Abu the Swami met the Maharaja of Khetri, who later became one ofhis devoted disciples. The latter asked the Swami for the boon of a male heir andobtained his blessing.Next we see the Swami travelling in Gujarat and Kathiawar in Western India.In Ahmedabad he refreshed his knowledge of Jainism. Kathiawar, containing alarge number of places sacred both to the Hindus and the to Jains, was mostlyruled by Hindu Maharaja, who received the Swami with respect. To BabuHaridas Viharidas, the Prime Minister of the Moslem state of Junagad, heemphasized the need of preaching the message of Hinduism throughout theworld. He spent eleven months in Porbandar and especially enjoyed the companyof the Prime Minister, Pandit Sankar Pandurang, a great Sanskrit scholar whowas engaged in the translation of the Vedas. Impressed by the Swami'sintellectuality and originality, the pandit said: 'Swamiji, I am afraid you cannotdo much in this country. Few will appreciate you here. You ought to go to theWest, where people will understand you and your work. Surely you can give tothe Western people your enlightening interpretation of Hinduism.'The Swami was pleased to hear these words, which coincided with something hehad been feeling within. The Prime Minister encouraged the Swami to continuehis study of the French language since it might be useful to him in his futurework.