"I never saw Afzal after that day, but a few years
later Babu came to my home to show me a newspaper account of the
Mohammedan's public confession. From it I learned the facts I have
just told you about Afzal's early initiation from a Hindu guru."
The gist of the latter part of the published document, as recalled
by Sri Yukteswar, was as follows: "I, Afzal Khan, am writing these
words as an act of penance and as a warning to those who seek the
possession of miraculous powers. For years I have been misusing the
wondrous abilities imparted to me through the grace of God and my
master. I became drunk with egotism, feeling that I was beyond the
ordinary laws of morality. My day of reckoning finally arrived.
"Recently I met an old man on a road outside Calcutta. He limped
along painfully, carrying a shining object which looked like gold.
I addressed him with greed in my heart.
"'I am Afzal Khan, the great FAKIR. What have you there?'
"'This ball of gold is my sole material wealth; it can be of no
interest to a FAKIR. I implore you, sir, to heal my limp.'
"I touched the ball and walked away without reply. The old man
hobbled after me. He soon raised an outcry: 'My gold is gone!'
"As I paid no attention, he suddenly spoke in a stentorian voice
that issued oddly from his frail body:
"'Do you not recognize me?'
"I stood speechless, aghast at the belated discovery that this
unimpressive old cripple was none other than the great saint who,
long, long ago, had initiated me into yoga.
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