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involved asceticism in mind and body. There were also the followers of Rama who observed a similar asceticism.: The poet was persécuted for his horesay by his castemen, as well as by his: king Ra Mandlik, as great scandal was caused by the poet’s mode of life. He lived a beggarly’ life, collected a company of pious men and women about him ‘and sang.and danced with them in religious fervour. But the poet was: indifferent to all scandals. He only eared to sing Ras Lilé and to dance as in the Rés Lila. His only relatives and friends, for whom alone he cared were his little band.of Bhaktas. It mattered not if the Bhaktas were’ the Mhars and Dheds, lowcaste men, whose touch was an indelible pollution in the eyes of the world. The headman of the Dheds was a great. Bhakta and invited the poet to go to his cottage and sing: forth his songs. How could the Bhakta-poet make- distinction between Bhakta and Bhakta? He and his: band passed a whole night at the Dhed’s cottage, singing. and dancing to the name of Hari, and returned home: in the. morning openly continuing the song and dance- in’ the street. His castemen, Nagars of high caste, surprised at the audacity, met him on the road, all asking, “What kind of man are you? What have you done?’” The poet sang in reply: “I am that which you see! Iam such as you call me! Ifyou call me polluted hy Bhakti,: I shalJ.continue it. Time was when I liked my house- as you do now; now my mind moves singing of Hari:
