Shortly after this, the all-knowing syce created a disturbance in Naren's immature mind. One day when the boy was visiting the stable, the talk drifted to marriage, which was something intolerable to this man. With the memory of some bitter per-sonal experience, he forcefully denounced married life, telling his young listener of its difficulties, absurdities, and of the terrible bondage it entails. Naren stood as if terror-struck-as if the spectre of matrimony were already before him. And what of his image of Sita-Rama? He had given all the love and loyalty of his heart to these two very pure personages and worshipped them with all devotion. He had learnt to respect deeply their wonderful characters, had admired their loyalty to one another. But the syce had thrown too dreadful a meaning over the idea of marriage. And Rama and Sita were married -that was enough!
The irreconcilable conflict between the words of the syce and his regard for the image of Sita-Rama caused deep anguish in his heart, which burst forth in tears. One of the golden dreams of childhood was broken. Naren ran to the women's quarters. The mother saw his tears and inquired what made him sad. There was silence-then loud sobbing. "How can I worship Sita-Rama? Was not Sita Rama's wife?" he asked. Intuitively, Bhuvaneshwari understood the anguish of her son. But how to console him? Then, as light bursts upon darkness, the thought of Shiva came to her mind. She addressed her son not as Naren but as Vireshwar, and said, "There is Shiva to worship!" These words of the mother settled deeply in Naren's heart.
Shortly afterwards Naren left the room and climbed the stairs to the roof, unseen in the gloom of the evening. Over-head was the canopy of sparkling stars. He opened the door of the room where he had installed the image of Sita-Rama. He paused for a moment, then clasped the image and went to the edge of the roof. The next moment, the image of Sita-Rama was smashed on the pavement below.
On the following day Naren bought an image of Shiva with the money given by his mother. At once he enthroned it on the very spot from which Rama and Sita had been dethroned; and he was soon seated before Shiva with eyes closed to all outer things, in the depth of meditation.
But what suffering this had entailed! Poorer than a man despoiled of his wealth is the mind of a child bereft of its illusion. And yet this incident not only shows the fearlessness and sincer¬ity of the boy who gave up his cherished ideal when he found it did not match with his conception of the truth; but also makes evident the deep desire of his soul for freedom from the bondage of the senses, which he expressed later in these words: "Ever shall the soul be free! We must have freedom from bondage however sweet."