Late the next afternoon, at the time of go-dhūli (when the air is thick with dust-clouds raised by the cows returning to the go-śālā), Vrajanātha arrived at Śrīvāsa-aṅgana. He sat on the raised platform under the dense foliage of the bakula tree, and
waited for the elderly Bābājī Mahārāja. Bābājī was waiting in his
bhajana-kuṭīra, and for some unknown reason, vātsalya-bhāva
had arisen in his heart towards Vrajanātha. As soon as a slight sound outside indicated Vrajanātha’s arrival, Bābājī came out
and, lovingly embracing him, took him into his kuṭīra, which was
situated at one side of the courtyard in an arbour of kuṇḍa flowers. There he offered him a seat and sat beside him.
Vrajanātha took the dust of Bābājī Mahārāja’s feet on his
head. Feeling blessed, he said humbly, “Ogreat soul, yesterday you told me that you would instruct me on Daśa-mūla, the
fundamental principles of Nimāi Paṇḍita’s teachings. Kindly
bestow this knowledge upon me now.”
When Vrajanātha asked this wonderful question, Bābājī Mahāśaya became very happy and said affectionately, “My son, I
shall first explain to you the sūtra śloka of Daśa-mūla, wherein
the ten ontological truths of Daśa-mūla are set out in a condensed form. You are a scholar, so by proper deliberation you will be able