. . . The Swami found me much inclined to orthodox Hindu modes of life and belief. Perhaps that was why he spoke a good deal in the vein suited to my tastes and views, though occasionally he burst out into spirited denunciation of the observance of mere Deshachara, or local usage. . . .

The Swami once made a spirited attack on the extravagant claims put forth by science on men's allegiance. "If religion has its superstitions," the Swami remarked, "science has its superstitions too. Both the mechanical and evolutionary theories are, on examination, found inadequate and unsatisfying, and still there are large numbers of men who speak of the entire universe as an open secret. Agnosticism has also bulked large in men's esteem, but has only betrayed its ignorance and arrogance by ignoring the laws and truths of the Indian science of thought- control. Western psychology has miserably failed to cope with the superconscious aspects and laws of human nature. Where European science has stopped short, Indian psychology comes in and explains, illustrates and teaches how to render real the laws appertaining to higher states of existence and experience. Religion alone and especially the religion of the Indian sages can understand the subtle and secret workings of the human mind and conquer its unspiritual cravings so as to realize the one Existence and comprehend all else as its limitation and manifestation when under the bondage of matter."

Another subject on which the Swami spoke was the distinction between the world of gross matter (Laukika) and the world of fine matter (Alaukika). The Swami explained how both kept man within the bondage of the senses, and only he who rose superior to them could attain the freedom which is the aim of all life and raise himself above the petty vanities of the world, whether of men or gods. The Swami spoke to me of the institution of caste, and held that the Brahmana would continue to live as lung as he found unselfish work to do and freely gave of his knowledge and all to the rest of the population. In the actual words of the Swami which are still ringing in my ears, "The Brahmana has done great things for India; he is destined to do greater things for India in the future." The Swami also declared himself sternly against all interference with the scriptural usages and injunctions in regard to the status and marriage of women. Women, like the lower classes and castes, must receive a Sanskrit education, imbibe the ancient spiritual culture, and realize in practice all the spiritual ideals of the Rishis; and then they would take into their hands all questions affecting their status and solve them in the light thrown on them by their knowledge of the truths of religion and by the enlightened perception of their needs and requirements. . . .

Once a visitor, the Assistant Dewan or Peshkar in the Huzoor Office, Trivandrum, Mr. Piravi Perumal Pillai, detained the Swami from, his usual visit to his Bengali countryman, Mr. Bhattacharya. He came to ascertain what the Swami knew of the various cults and religions in India and elsewhere, and began by voicing objec¬tions to the Advaita Vedanta. He soon found that the Swami was a master from whose stores it was more important to draw what one could for inspiration without loss of time than to examine what were the depths and heights in which his mind could range. I saw the Swami exhibit on this occasion . . . his rare power of gauging in a moment the mental reach of a self confident visitor, and then turning him unconsciously to suitable ground and giving him the benefit of his guidance and inspiration. On the present occasion, the Swami happened to quote from lalita Vistara some verses de¬scriptive of Buddha's Vairagya (dispassion), and in such an entranc¬ingly melodious voice that the visitor's heart quite melted; and the Swami skillfully utilized his listener's passive mood to make a lasting impression of Buddha's great renunciation, his unflinching search after truth, his final discovery of it, and his unwearied ministry of forty-five years among men and women of all castes, ranks and conditions of life. The discourse occupied nearly an hour, and at its close the Swami's visitor was so visibly affected and acknowledged himself as feeling so much raised for the time being above the sordid realities and vanities of life, that he made many devout prostrations at the Swami's feet and declared, when leaving, that he had never seen his like and would never forget the discourse.

. . Once I happened to ask him [the Swami] to deliver a public lecture. The Swami said that he had never before spoken in public and would surely prove a lamentable and ludicrous failure. Upon this I inquired how if this were true, he could face the august assembly of the Parliament of Religions at Chicago at which he told me he had been asked by the Maharaja of Mysore to be present as the representative of Hinduism. The Swami gave me a reply which at the time seemed to me decidedly evasive, namely, that if it was the will of the Supreme that he should be made His mouthpiece and do a great service to the cause of truth and holy living, He surely would endow him with the gifts and qualities needed for it. I said I was incredulous as to the probability or possibility of a special intervention of this kind. . . . He at once came down on me like a sledge-hammer, denouncing me as one who, in spite of my apparent Hindu orthodoxy so far as my daily observances and verbal proSwamiji on fessions went, was at heart a sceptic, because I seemed to him prepared to set limits to the extent of the Lord's power of beneficent interposi¬tion in the affairs of the universe.

On another occasion, too, some difference of opinion existed in regard to a question of much importance in Indian ethnology. The Swami held that wherever a Brahmana was found with a dark skin, it was clearly a case of atavism, due to Dravidian admixture. To this I replied that colour was essentially a changeable feature in man and largely dependent on such conditions as climate, food, the nature of the occupation as entailing an outdoor or indoor life, and so on. The Swami combated my view and maintained chat the Brahmanas were as much a mixed race as the rest of mankind, and that their belief in their racial purity was largely founded on fiction. I quoted high authority-C. L. Brace and others-against hit4 in regard to the purity of Indian races, but the Swami was obdurate and maintained his own view.

During all the time he stayed, he took captive every heart within the home. To every one of us he was all sweetness, all tenderness, all grace. My sons were frequently in his company, and one of them still swears by him and has the most vivid and endearing recollections of his visit and of his striking personality. The Swami learned a number of Tamil words and took delight in conversing in Tamil with the Brahmana cook in our home. . . . When he left, it seemed for a time as if the light had gone out of our home.

With this the Swami's stay of nine days had come to a close. In my recollection of today, it seems to be somewhat of a nine days' wonder; the impression is one which can never be effaced. . . .

On the day of the Swami's arrival at Trivandrum, as we have seen, Prof. Sundararama Iyer introduced him to Prof. Rangacharya. This is how Shri S. K. Nair, of Travancore, wrote of these professors' association with the Swami and of the impression the latter made:_x000d_ Both these gentlemen, who were themselves erudite scholars in English and Sanskrit, found great pleasure and derived much benefit by constant conversation with the Swami. Anyone who became acquainted with him could not but be struck with his powerful personality and be drawn to him. He had the wonderful faculty of answering many men on many questions at one and the same time. It might be a talk on Spencer, or some thought of Shakespeare or Kalidasa, Darwin's Theory of Evolution, the Jewish history, the growth of Aryan civilization, the Vedas, Islam or Christianity ¬whatever the question, the Swami was ready with an appropriate answer.. .. Sublimity and simplicity were written boldly on his features. A clean heart, a pure and austere life, an open mind, a liberal spirit, a wide outlook and broad sympathy were the redeeming characteristics of the Swami.

Shri K. S. Ramaswami Shastri, the son of Prof: Sundararama Iyer whose reminiscences have just been quoted, was a college student when the Swami stayed in his home. He writes:_x000d_ It was given to me to meet Swami Vivekananda and spend many days with him at Trivandrum towards the close of 1892 . . . Swamiji stayed in our house for nine days. . . ._x000d_ [One day] he said to me and my father: "Practical patriotism means not a mere sentiment or even emotion of love of the motherland but a passion to serve our fellow-countrymen. I have gone all over India on foot and have seen with my own eyes the ignorance, misery and squalor of our people. My whole soul is afire and I am burning with a fierce desire to change such evil conditions. Let no one talk of Karma. If it was their Karma to suffer, it is our Karma to relieve the suffering. If you want to find God, serve man. To reach Narayana you must serve the Daridra Narayanas--the starving millions of India."..._x000d_ Although Shri Ramaswami Shastri does not say so here, it is known that at Trivandrum the Swami taught in private the necessity of many reforms affecting the whole Indian nation, with special reference to improving the condition of the poor. But to continue with the reminiscence being cited :_x000d_ On yet another day, Swamiji told me: "You are still a young boy. I hope and wish that some day you will reverentially study the Upanishads, the Brahma-Sutras and the Bhagavad-Gita which are known as the Prasthana-traya, as also the Itihasas, the Puranas and the Agamas. You will not find the like of all these anywhere else in the world. Man alone, out of all living beings, has a hunger in his heart to know the whence and whither, the whys and where¬fores of things: . . ."_x000d_ Swami Vivekananda went from Trivandrum to Kanyakumari (Cape Comorin) towards the close of 1892. . . . From Cape Comorin Swamiji went walking to Ramnad and thence to Pondicherry and finally reached Madras. . . .Swami Vivekananda went from Trivandrum to Kanyakumari (Cape Comorin) towards the close of 1892. . . . From Cape Comorin Swamiji went walking to Ramnad and thence to Pondicherry and finally reached Madras. . . .

From Ernakulam, the capital of Cochin State, the Swami went south into Travancore. The scenery there enchanted him. It is about 140 miles from Ernakulam to Trivandrum, and in those days the journey took about a week, whether one went by road or waterway. Now we know that he reached Trivandrum on December 13, since he stayed there nine days and left on December 22: therefore the date of his leaving Ernakulam must have been about December 6.

This gentleman writes of the Swami's nine days stay with him as follows:_x000d_ I met Swami Vivekananda for the first time at Trivandrum in December 1892, and was privileged to see and know a good deal of him. . . . He came to me accompanied by his Mohammedan guide. My second son, a little boy of twelve, took him for, and announced him to me as, a Mohammedan too, as he well might from the Swami's costume, which was quite unusual for a Hindu sannyasin of Southern India.. . . Almost the first thing he asked me to do was to arrange for his Mohammedan attendant's meal. This companion was a peon in the Cochin State service and had been detailed to accompany him to Trivandrum by the Secretary to the Dewan, Mr.W. Ramaiya. . . . The Swami had taken almost nothing but a little milk during the two previous days; but it was only after his Mohammedan peon had been provided with food and had taken his leave that he gave any thought to his own needs.

After a few minutes' conversation I found that the Swami was a mighty man. Having ascertained from him that since leaving Ernakulam he had taken almost nothing, I asked him what food he was accustomed to. He replied, "Anything you like; we sannyasis have no tastes." We had some little conversation, as there was yet an interval of a few minutes for dinner. On learning that the Swami was a Bengali, I made the observation that the Bengali nation had produced many great men and, foremost of them all, the Brahmo preacher, Keshabchandra Sen. It was then that the Swami mentioned to me the name, and spoke briefly about the eminent spiritual endowments, of his Guru, Shri Ramakrishna, and took my breath completely away by the remark that Keshab was a mere child when compared with Shri Ramakrishna; that not only he, but many other eminent Bengalis of a generation past, had been influenced by the sage; that Keshab had in later life received the benefit of his inspiration and had undergone considerable change for the better in his religious views; that many Europeans had sought the acquaintance of Shri Ramakrishna and regarded him as a semi-divine personage; and that no less a man than the former Director of Public Instruction in Bengal, Mr. C. H. Tawary, had written a paper on the character, genius, catholicity and inspiring power of the great sage._x000d_ . . . The Swami's presence, his voice, the glitter of his rye and the flow of his words and ideas were so inspiring that I excused myself that day from attending at the Palace of the late Martanda Varma, the First Prince of Travancore, who was studying for his M.A. degree under my tuition. . . .

In the evening we went to the house of Prof. Rangacharya, Professor of Chemistry in the Trivandrum College, . . . who was even then at the height of his reputation as a scholar and man of science throughout Southern India. Not finding him at home, we drove to the Trivandrum club. There I introduced the Swami to various gentlemen present, and to Prof Rangacharya when he came in later on; [also] to the late Prof. Sundaram Pillai, and others, among whom I distinctly remember a former Brahmana Divan Peshkar and my friend Narayana Menon.

. . . [An incident occurred] which, however trifling in itself, brought out a prominent characteristic of the Swami, how he noted closely all that was passing around him, how he combined with his rare gentleness and sweetness of temper, the presence of mind and the power of retort which could quickly silence an opponent. Mr. Narayana Menon had, while leaving the Club earlier in the evening, saluted the Brahmana Dewan Peshkar, and the latter had returned it in the time-honoured fashion in which Brahmanas who maintain old forms of etiquette return the salute of Shudras, that is, by raising the left hand a little higher than the right. . . . As we were dispersing, the Dewan Peshkar made his obeisance to the Swami which the latter returned in the manner usual with the Hindu monks by simply uttering the name of Narayana. This roused the Peshkar's ire, for he wanted the Swami's obeisance in the fashion in which he had made his own. The Swami turned on him and said, "If you can exercise your customary form of etiquette in returning Narayana Menon's greeting, why should you resent my own adoption of the sannyasin's customary mode in acknowledging your obeisance to me?" This reply had the desired effect, and next day the gentleman's brother came to us to convey an apology for the awkward incident of the previous night. Short as his stay had been at the Club premises, the Swami's personality had made an impression on all. . . .

The Swami paid a visit the next day to Prince Martanda Varma, who had, when informed by me of the remarkable intellectual and imposing presence of my visitor, expressed a desire for an interview. Of course, I accompanied the Swami and was present at the ensuing conversation. The Swami happened to mention his visits to various native prince and courts during his travels. This greatly interested the Prince, who interrogated him regarding his impressions. The Swami then told him that, of all the Hindu ruling princes he had met, he had been most impressed with the capacity, patriotism, energy and foresight of H. H. the Gaekwar of Baroda, that he had also known and greatly admired the high qualities of the small Rajput Chief of Khetri, and that, as he came further south, he had found a growing deterioration in the character and capacity of Indian princes and chiefs.

The Prince then asked him if he had seen his uncle, the ruler of Travancore. The Swami had not yet had time to arrange for a visit to His Highness, I may here mention that a visit was arranged for two days late through the good offices of the Dewan, Mr. Shankara Subbier. The Maharaja received the Swami, inquired after his welfare, and told him that the Dewan would provide him with every convenience during his stay both in Trivandrum and elsewhere within the State. The visit lasted only for two or three minutes, and so the Swami returned a little disappointed…

To return to the Swami's conversation with the Prince. . . . The Swami then made an earnest inquiry regarding Prince Martanda Varma's studies, and his aims in life. The Prince replied that he was taking an interest in the doings of the people of Travancore, and that he had resolved to do what he could, as a leading and loyal subject of the Maharaja and as a member of the ruling family, to advance their welfare. The Prince was struck, like all others who had come in contact with him, with the Swami's striking figure and attractive features: and, being an amateur photographer, asked the Swami for a sitting and took a fine photograph which he skillfully developed into an impressive picture and later on sent as an exhibit to the next Fine Arts Exhibition held in Madras Museum.

On the third and fourth day of the Swami's stay with me, I sent information to a valued friend of mine in Trivandrum, . . . M. R. Ry. S. Rama Rao, Director of Vernacular Instruction in Travancore. . . . I remember vividly how once Mr. Rama Rao wished the Swami to explain Indriya-nigraha, the restraint of the senses. The Swami launched forth into a vivid story very much like that is usually told of Lila-Shuka, the famous singer of Krishna-Karnamritam, The picture he gave of the last stage in which the hero is taken to Vrindavan and puts out his own eyes in repentance for his amorous pursuit of a Sett's daughter, and of his resolve to end his days in unswerving meditation on the divine Shri Krishna at the place of His childhood on earth, remains with me, even after the lapse of twenty-one years, with somewhat of the effect of those irresistibly charming and undying notes on the flute by the late miraculous musician, Sarabha Sastriar, of Kumbakonam. The Swami's concluding words were, "Even this extreme step [of putting out the eyes] must, if necessary, be taken as a preliminary, to the restraint of the wandering and unsubjugated senses and the consequent turning of the mind towards the Lord."

On the third or fourth day of his stay, I made enquiries, at the Swami's request, regarding the whereabouts of Mr. Manmathanath Bhattacharya, who was then Assistant to the Accountant-General, Madras, and who had come down to Trivandrum on official duty in connection with some defalcations alleged to have taken place at the Resident's Treasury. From that time on the Swami used to spend his mornings with Mr. Bhattacharya and stay for dinner. One day however, when I complained that he was giving all his time to Mr. Bhattacharya, the Swami made a characteristic reply: "We Bengalis are a clannish people." He said also that Mr. Bhatta-charya had been his school or college mate, and that he had an additional claim for consideration as he was the son of the late world-renowned scholar, Pandit Maheshchandra Nyayaratna, formerly the 1'rincipal of the Calcutta Sanskrit College. The Swami also told me that he had long eaten no fish, as the South Indian Brahmanas, whose guest he had been throughout his South Indian tour, were forbidden both fish and flesh, and would fain avail himself of this opportunity to have his accustomed fare. I at once expressed my loathing for fish or flesh as food. The Swami said in reply that the ancient Brahmanas of India were accustomed to take meat and even beef and were called upon to kill cows and other animals in Yajnas or for giving Madhuparka [prepared with honey and meat etc.] to guests. He also held that the introduction and spread of Buddhism had led to the gradual discontinuance of flesh as food, though the Hindu scriptures had always expressed a theoretical preference for those who avoided the use of flesh-foods, and that the disfavour into which flesh had fallen was one of the chief causes of the gradual decline of the national strength, and of the final overthrow of the national independence of the united ancient Hindu races and states of India. . . . The Swami's opinion, at least a, expressed in conversation with me, was that the Hindus must freely take to the use of animal food if India was at all to cope with the rest of the world in the present race for power and predominance among the world's communities, whether within the British Empire, or beyond its limits. . . .

Just as he was about to leave, accompanied by his Bengali companion, Mr. Bhattacharya it was the 22nd December 1892- an incident happened which is worth recording. Pandit Vanchisvara Shastri-a master of that most difficult branch of learning, Sanskrit grammar, and highly honoured by all who knew him for his piety, learning and modesty was a dependant of the First Prince. . . . During all these days of the Swami's stay he never once came to my house. As the Swami was leaving, he made his appearance and implored me to arrange for an interview, however short . . . The Swami and Mr. Bhattacharya were just then descending the stairs to get into their carriage and drive away. The Pandit entreated me in the most pressing manner to ask the Swami for at least a few minutes' delay. On being informed of this, the Swami entered into a brief conversation with him in Sanskrit, which lasted seven or eight minutes only. . . . The Pandit told me that it related to some knotty and controverted point in Vyakarana (grammar) and that even during that brief conversation, the Swami showed that he could display his accurate knowledge of Sanskrit grammar and his perfect mastery of the Sanskrit language.

It was formerly thought that the Swami went from Trivandrum to Rameswaram, and from there to Kanyakumari. The above memoirs of K. S. Ramaswami Shastri, published in 1953, controvert that view. That the Swami went to Kanya-kumari direct from Trivandrum was also confirmed by Ramaswami Shastri in his letter of January 19, 1965, to the General Secretary of the Ramakrishna Math, in which he wrote: "On the eve of departure from our house in 1893 [1892] Swamiji Maharaj said that he was going to Kanyakumari…. When he came to Madras in January 1897, I met him. He told me that he stayed on the rock overnight." This testimony fits in with what G. G. Narasimhacharya, one of the Swami's disciples, said on July 27, 1902, in his speech at the memorial meeting of the Vedanta Society of Bangalore: "He [the Swami] . . . Reached Trivandrum. Mr. Sundararama Iyer . . . And Mr. Rangachariar … met him; the Swami was with them for some time and then joined the party of Mr. Bhattacharya, Assistant to the Accountant General, who then hap¬pened to be there. Both of them being Bengalis, they travelled together, visited Rameswaram, and reached Madras via Pondicherry."

There is no mention here of the Swami's having reached Madras via Kanyakumari, but of his having done so via Pondicherry, which was on the direct route from Rameswaram to Madras. That the shortest route from Trivandrum to Rameswaram is via Nagercoil and Madurai is further evidence in favour of the Swami's having gone first to Kanyakumari, since Nagercoil is so close to Kanyakumari. If it were sure that the Swami was meditating on the rock at Kanyakumari on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, 1892, then the Swami's route is certain. He is known to have left Trivandrum on December 22; and only by going directly could he have reached Kanyakumari by Christmas; but the dates when he was at the Cape are not known for certain. However, as already noted, the greater weight of the evidence, apart from any consideration of dates, leads us to think that the Swami travelled the fifty-five miles to Kanyakumari with Manmatha-babu and party. It is said that there he worshipped the Mother of the Universe in the form of Manmathababu's little daughter._x000d_ _x000d_ This view is supported by the article "Srimat Swami Vive-kanandante Kerala Darshanam (Swami Vivekananda's Visit to Kerala)" published in 1918 in the Malayalam journal Prabuddha Keralam (pp. 101-9). The relevant portion reads: "On 22nd December 1892 Swami Vivekananda left Travancore for Nagercoil. Mr. Bhattacharya also accompanied Swamiji. Swamiji's next stay was at Nagercoil. Shri Ratnaswami Iyer was then the Collector of Salt at Nagercoil. Swamiji stayed there as the guest of Shri Ratnaswami Iyer. . . . From Nagercoil Swamiji went to Kanyakumari on foot…. From there he went to Madurai en route to Rameswaram."