The Moon and the Moonstone Chandrakant, on hearing a verse composed by Sarasvatichandra, immediately set out to search for the singer. The poet Premanand has described the state of Sudev as he searched for Damayanti. He listens to none, his heart in pain, Sudev and Damayanti came face to face. It did not take Chandrakant long to understand the play of the words ‘moon’ and ‘moonstone.’ He felt that Sarasvatichandra was somewhere in the crowd. He set out immediately for the public square. His eyes and ears were alert to the song and the singer. He pushed and elbowed through the crowd. There were people who had worn different kinds of attire and headgear. Chandrakant found no one dressed like Sarasvatichandra. He roamed all over the grounds and turned back dejected. He saw four or five mendicants seated on the grass that had grown around the fort. They were smoking a clay pipe and talking away. One of them intermittently sang out the lines about the ‘moon’ and the ‘moonstone.’ Chandrakant heard him and stood transfixed. Certainly this man cannot be my friend, he thought. But the lines are his! He went closer and overheard their conversation. One of them said, ‘Since when have you taken up this new song? What happened to your faith in the Formless One?’ Another replied, ‘My words will reach the ears of the one for whom they are meant and arouse in him devotion for the Formless One.’ ‘My devotion is only to this smoking pipe,’ a third butted in.

‘The Formless One manifests himself in this pipe first as fire and later as joy in our hearts. But that is not something that you who live on Yadu Shrunga will understand,’ another remarked. He got no response. One of them sang: Set fire to the world as if it were a pipe, Spread the message of the Unseen One with this pipe of clay. ‘Brother, give up this pipe. All you need is belief in the Unseen One.’ The man smoking the pipe removed it from his mouth and laughed. ‘Look at this man preaching us! Have you ever experienced the delights of a pipe?’ The singer said in response, ‘Only fools smoke a pipe, not me! The light of Yadunandan burns in my heart.’ ‘So be it. You kindle your light; we shall light ours.’ The singer again sang the lines about the moon and moonstone. Chandrakant could no longer restrain himself. He came forward with folded hands and asked the singer, ‘Bavaji, where do you come from? What is the meaning of these lines?’ ‘One who has the capacity to understand them will do so without any need for explanation. I have been forbidden from revealing their meaning to anyone else.’ ‘All right, but are there more lines to the song?’ ‘Son, what is your name?’ ‘My name is Chandrakant.’ ‘Chandrakant, is it? It is a good name. If you possess the good qualities suggested by your name, you will understand