The Final Blow on the Sandalwood Tree Woodman, spare that tree! Touch not a single bough! In youth it sheltered me, And I’ll protect it now.⁴⁹⁶ Sarasvatichandra slept deep and undisturbed. After the conclusion of their dream he passed the rest of the night in dreamless sleep. His eyes opened late in the morning at eight. Kumud had woken up at her usual time. Their divine dream had also entered her private one. She waited for a while for Sarasvatichandra to wake up. She decided not to disturb his sleep. She kept by his side a twig and other objects for him to brush his teeth with, and went down to join her companions. She came back to check on him after a while and found him awake. She exchanged some casual words with him and went away. While she was on the bridge connecting the two caves, Kumud said, ‘For some, togetherness sparks desire. But our desire has subsided! How beautiful, untroubled and pure the day appears!’ Sarasvatichandra: ‘The world is a reflection of the state of our minds. The world of that divine dream and your pure, pious mind combine to give us a day such as this.’

Kumud: ‘Dream nourished by your pure, unsullied mind is more of an instructive lesson than reality. It strengthens my mind. Will you write down tonight’s dream as well?’ Sarasvatichandra: ‘Most certainly. The previous dream had intensified my pain. Last night’s dream has restored my equanimity, and I have now some conception of my duties.’ Kumud: ‘The Master’s endeavour has succeeded.’ Sarasvatichandra: ‘His benedictions are always with me. But the dream gave me what his powers could not have given. Kumud Sundari, I will soon be able to formulate my duties towards the country and all my loved ones.’ Kumud: ‘How?’ Sarasvatichandra: ‘Today, I shall not step out. All day I shall think about it, make a plan and explain it to you in the evening.’ Kumud: ‘The time of dusk is usually spent in pleasure. It gives rise to desires; we have experienced this. It is best that sleep should create a barrier at that time. It is desirable to have this conversation during the day.’ Sarasvatichandra: ‘The bottle of perfume had tilted, but we prevented the perfume from spilling out. We have firmly placed a seal on it. Are we not free from fear on that account?’ Kumud: ‘I believe that your heart filled with pure dreams shall give no opportunities to such fears. But our lives have not attained sufficient levels of subtleness. We have not reached a stage where no effort is required to keep the physical body in limits.’ Sarasvatichandra: ‘I need the day to formulate my ideas fully. And the night should be of the type that you describe.’ Kumud: ‘I believe that we shall be able to make the third night even purer than the previous two nights. I seek your permission to leave.’ Sarasvatichandra: ‘What is the role of permission where two have