hoods of Imagination. It is the Final Goal of all the speech of
the Vedanta ; yet it is Beyond all speech. Ever it dwells in the
Exact Between of every pair of Opposite Extremes, including- in
It-Self, as Mean, both these Extremes. This Consciousness alone
is Final and Efficient and Material Cause of all this Drama of the
World. Its Unity remains unbroken, though identical with all
the endlessly Negated Multiplicity of Kosmos. Such is the Eternal
Brahman that thou hast described, 0 virtuous maid ! It is the
^ Atom ; it is also the Vast All. It is the Self ; it is the Not-
^ Self too, but everlastingly Denied. Its Consciousness in the
'One Cause of causes. It is the very Self of every being, with-
out the finding of which, there is no peace throughout a hun-
dred or a thousand lives of strenuous effort ; and yet, with
the finding of which, naught new is gained, except final Deli-
verance from all Doubt".

CHAPTER XII

The end of KarJcatz's story

All thought of harming them, the RakshasI abandoned
finally, on hearing the wise words of the king, even as the
summer-heated earth throws off its fever with the fall of the
first cooling drops of rain. A great joy arose within her mind,
even as the moon within the darkness of a tropic night. Her
mood was beautified and softened, as black rain-clouds by
the rhythmic flights of lines of snow-white herons. She said
to them:

(<! am very happy to have found you in this forest. Your
minds are pure and lighted with the Sun of quenchless Wisdom.
I would be friends with you. Can I perform some service ?7'

The king replied: ^My people suffer from diseases of
the heart, and various pains. Physicians are of no avail.
They only say it is Vi-shuchika. This is one reason why I
sally forth, of nights, in hopes to meet with such as you, that