He was cordially welcomed by the Dewan, Pandit Shankar Pandurang, who was the administrator of the State " during the minority of the Prince. The Dewan was a great Vedic scholar and was at that time translating the Vedas; Struck with the Swami's scholarship, he often asked his help to explain some of the more abstruse passages of the Vedas,which the Swami did with his usual lucidity. At the request of the Dewan he stayed at Porbandar for some days to help him with his book. Both kept at the work constantly, the Swami becoming more and more engrossed in it as his perception of the greatness of Vedic thought grew still keener.

As he came to appreciate better the breadth and originality of the Swami's ideas, Pandit Shankar Pandurang said, "Swamiji, I am afraid you cannot do much in this country. Few will appreciate you here. You ought to go to the West where people will understand you and your worth. Surely you can throw a great light upon Western culture by preaching the Sanatana Dharma!" The Swami was glad to hear these words, for they coincided with his own thoughts, which, as yet vague, he had expressed to C. H. Pandya at Junagadh.

During this period the Swami was exceedingly restless. He was beginning to feel the truth of the Master's words, that he had power enough in him to revolutionize the world. Wherever he travelled and at all the courts he visited, the princes and pandits noticed in him the same "terrible restlessness" to do something for his country. The idea uppermost in his mind was the spiritual regeneration of India. He saw the limitations of orthodoxy, and those of the reformers too. Everywhere he found petty jealousies, animosity, and lack of harmony. He saw India, potentially supreme, glorious beyond words, and rich with its own ancient culture, being degraded by the stupid activities of the so called "leaders"-demagogues who preached reforms which they were unable to incorporate into their own lives and who, blinded by the glare of a foreign culture and its ephemeral power, were trying to throw overboard the experi-ence of the race. He confided to those who loved and admired him that the time had come for a new order of things. To the Indian Princes and their Prime Ministers he announced this message. And they, recognizing that he was a genius, and a man of realization gifted with an irresistible personality, listened to his words: He felt that to enable the civilized world to have a truer estimation of India, he must first preach the glories of the Sanatana Dharma to the West. The more he studied the Vedas and pondered over the philosophies which the Aryan Rishis had thought out, the surer he was that India was truly the Mother of Religions, the fountain-head of spirituality, and the cradle of civilization.

When the Swami was at Porbandar a curious thing happened. Swami Trigunatita had been for some time making the round of pilgrimages on foot. He had just then come from Gujarat to Porbandar, and was staying with some other wandering sannyasis. They wanted to make the pilgrimage to Hinglaj, but it was an arduous journey of many miles, and they were weary and footsore; so they thought of travelling to Karachi by steamer and thence to Hinglaj by camel. But they had no money. They were at a loss what to do, when one of the group said, "There is a learned Paramahamsa stopping with the Dewan of Porbandar. He speaks English fluently and is accounted a great scholar. Let Swami Trigunatita go and interview him. Perhaps the Mahatma [great soul] will intercede with the Dewan for us so that our expenses may be paid."

Trigunatita set out for the palace at the head of the group. It so happened that at that time the Swami was pacing the parapeted roof of the palace and saw at a distance the sadhus on their way to the palace. He was surprised to see Trigunatita among them, but assuming an air of indifference, he went to the ground floor to receive him. Trigunatita was exceedingly glad to meet the beloved Leader so unexpectedly; but the latter sternly rebuked him for following him (the Swami) about. Trigunatita protested that he had not had the slightest idea that the Swami was in Porbandar; that he and his friends had come to the palace solely to beg the passage money to Hinglaj. The Swami was able to arrange this, and then dismissed Trigunatita with a warning never to seek him again.

A little more information about the Swami in Porbandar has recently been gathered from a centenarian named Acharya Revashankar Anupama Dave, who vividly remembers the happenings of this period. He had the opportunity of observing and talking with the Swami when the latter was the guest of the Dewan Shankar Pandurang Pandit. Mr. Dave was then a young boy of sixteen. He used to frequent the Dewan's house and the guest-house with his friend Madhav, who had free access there. Mr. Dave says that the Swami used to stay in the Bhojeshwar Bungalow. His room was in the north-west corner of the building and was reached by turning right at the main staircase. He remembers that the Swami talked mostly in Hindi, but at times many Bengali and Sanskrit words used to creep in.

On one occasion, at the request of the Swami, the students of the Sanskrit school were brought to him, among whom were Revashankar, Govindaji, and others. The Swami asked Govindaji, "How far have you studied?" Govindaji replied, "I went to Benares and have studied the Sama-Veda. I have learnt six Mantras [Shastras?]." The Swami asked him, "Why did you not study further? Why did you come back?" Govindaji replied, "I happened to have Karelu; so I had to come back." On hearing the word "Karelu" the Swami had a hearty laugh, and the place seemed to vibrate with it. "Karelu" means bitter gourd, but the boy had meant that he had had an attack of cholera. Then the Swami asked him to secite some Shlokas (verses), which he did. Next, he asked Revashankar, "What are you studying?" Revashankar replied, "Panchatantra and Aesop's Niti Katha [Fables]", and recited a verse from each. Swamiji smiled and seemed to be pleased with him.

Then the Swami went for a walk. Revashankar remembers that he used to go for walks in the desert of Bhojeshwar with the Dewan. The Swami always had his staff with him, and the Dewan a spear.