Anandamath (The Abbey of Bliss)/Part 1/Chapter 4
The wood was very dark. Kalyani could not find her way in it. There was hardly any path through the thick crowd of trees, herbs and thorns. Added to that, it was intensely dark. Still Kalyani pushed her way into the forest through the trees and thorny bushes. Now and then a thorn would prick the child and the little thing would cry and the ruffians would shout with redoubled zeal. Thus did Kalyani make her way into the thick of the forest drenched with blood. Then the moon rose. Till then Kalyani had fondly hoped that the outlaws would not be able to see her in the dark and would desist from the pursuit. But now that the moon was up, she could entertain such a hope no longer. From the sky the moon showered her silver beams on the tops of the trees and the gloom within grew softer with light And streaks of light came through openings here and there and peeped into the dark. The higher the moon rose, the more light got into the forest and the gloom retired more into its depths. Kalyani with her daughter began to retire into deeper woods. The ruffians rushed from all sides shouting all the more, and the child began to weep all the louder for fear. Then Kalyani stopped and would run no more. Sitting on a thornless and grassy plot of land under a big tree, with her daughter in her arms, she only cried, "Where art Thou Whom I daily worship, to Whom I daily bow and trusting Whom I could enter even this wild forest? Where art thou, O Madhusudan." Kalyani was weak with hunger and thirst, and now from the intense fervour of her devotion, she slowly lost all physical sensations and in her inner consciousness she heard in space a heavenly voice chanting the various favourite names of Vishnu.
From childhood Kalyani had heard in Puranas that the heavenly saint Narada wandered over the world chanting the divine name of Hari to the accompaniment of his harp. That vision was now conjured up in her mind. Inly she saw the colossal figure of the great saint, with a complexion of faultless white and with flowing white locks and beards, passing in his white garments through the azure sky, lit with silver moonbeams and singing the name of God to the accompaniment of the Vina.
Slowly the music drew nearer and became more audible. It drew nearer and grew clearer still, till at last the song rang the woods to the echo just over her head.
Kalyani then opened her eyes. In the misty moonlight of the woods she saw standing before her the glorious form of the hoary saint with a complexion of faultless white, and with milk-white garments on, his hair and beards flowing in waves of snow. Half dreaming, she thought she would bow her head to him, but as she lowered her head to make her salute she fell senseless on the ground.