Act Iii

Scene I

[Matsyendranath's ashram. Gorakshanath is meditating. Enter an itinerant Yogi.]

YOGI: What an ugly, undivine, unbearable place! I have never been to an ashram that was so unspiritual. What kind of cowdung Master you must have!

GORAKSHANATH: Don't you dare speak about my Master that way! I have tremendous occult power.

YOGI: Show me your occult power!

GORAKSHANATH: [grabbing a knife] Here is a knife. If you strike me anywhere on my body you will not be able to injure me at all. That is my power!

[Yogi begins stabbing Gorakshanath.]

YOGI: All right. When I struck you, you were not hurt, but my blows always created a sound. But if you strike me with the same knife, not only will you not be able to injure me, but also you will not be able to produce any sound.

[Gorakshanath stabs the Yogi several times.]

GORAKSHANATH: You are right! Not a sound! How is it possible?

YOGI: If one identifies with the infinite, then no sound will be produced by a blow. This proves that I am superior to you in occult power.

[Exit Yogi]

GORAKSHANATH: [to himself] O Master, where are you now? I must speak to you about this. I will concentrate on you and see where you are and what you are doing.

[Gorakshanath sits down and begins to concentrate.]

Scene Ii

[Matsyendranath is seated amidst great luxury, surrounded by beautiful girls. Some of the girls are dancing.]

GORAKSHANATH: How can this be? My Master is of the highest order. Perhaps my vision is wrong. Let me concentrate again.

[Gorakshanath concentrates.]

GORAKSHANATH: My Master has fallen! He is surrounded by so many beautiful girls, all singing and dancing. He is enjoying all kinds of vital life. I must save him! I will transport myself to this spot occultly.

[Gorakshanath approaches the group but is stopped by the gatekeeper.]

GORAKSHANATH: I wish to speak with that man. He is my Guru. He is Matsyendranath of Kaul. I must see him.

GATEKEEPER: Matsyendranath, Your Guru? Is that the renowned Matsyendranath of Kaul? He has fallen! What he was and what he has become now! He has fallen to such an extent that I cannot believe my ears when you tell me that this is Matsyendranath.

GORAKSHANATH: I must rescue him immediately!

GATEKEEPER: If you can rescue him from this place, you will be extremely lucky. This is Mayapuri, the Illusion-City. Once a person enters here it is most difficult for him to leave again.

[Gorakshanath tries to approach Matsyendranath, but the dancing girls will not let him near.]

GORAKSHANATH: It seems I shall have to use my occult power to make myself into a beautiful girl, or I will never get near my Master.

[Exit Gorakshanath and re-enter as a beautiful girl. Matsyendranath does not recognise him.]

GORAKSHANATH: Master, what are you doing here? What kind of life are you leading? You are a God-realised soul. What are you doing here enjoying vital life?

MATSYENDRANATH: Oh! I am fallen, I am fallen! I am fallen to such an extent! Now save me!

GORAKSHANATH: I shall use my occult power and take you away from here.

Scene Iii

[Matsyendranath's ashram. Matsyendranath is seated in meditation, surrounded by his disciples. Enter Gorakshanath with another Matsyendranath, who goes to the meditating Matsyendranath and enters into him.]

GORAKSHANATH [addressing one of the disciples in amazement]: Has Master been away for a few weeks?

DISCIPLE: No. For the last few weeks Master has been here, and we have all been with him.

GORAKSHANATH: How can this be? Master, please explain this experience I have just gone through. I cannot fathom the mystery of what has actually happened.

MATSYENDRANATH: I had to do all this just for you, for your perfection. You have all kinds of occult power, but your pride was too great. I sent that Yogi to smash your pride, to prove to you that you are not the world's greatest occultist. There are many with far more occult power than you have. Also, you were very austere and rigid in your spiritual life. You looked down on women. I told you repeatedly that by looking down on women you would not be able to transform and perfect your life, but you did not care for women's liberation from ignorance. You are my best disciple. I gave you all kinds of occult power, but you were defeated by that Yogi only because of your pride. Now that you have been humiliated, now that your pride has been smashed, I wish to tell you something. Although you are my student, and although you lost to that Yogi, before long you will surpass both him and me. Because today you conquered your pride and saw the Truth in a divine way, and because by becoming a woman in order to approach me you learned not to shun or despise women, your tremendous potentiality will now be able to come to the fore. You are bound to surpass us. There is nothing else that I can teach you. All that I have, I have given to you.