_“The whole body became water, withhold thy hand from killing me, As often as thou strikest a blow, my body reunites.”_
Afterwards, Gorakhnath disappeared in the water; Datáteri, having found and recognised him in the shape of a frog, brought him forth. When Datáteri concealed himself in the water, Gorakhnath, in spite of all his searching, could not succeed in discovering him, because he was mixed with the water, and water cannot be distinguished from water. Mirzá Baki Alí says:
“When a drop is united with the sea, it becomes sea, In substance, the bubble and billow are water: solve this riddle.”
“From apprehension I became water: it is useless to strike water: I am astonished that he assailed my fortune.”
There are two classes of Sanyásis: the one, the _Dandaheri_,[223] do not wear long hair, and are attached to the precepts and regulations of the _smriti_, or of the law: the second are the _Avadhútas_;[224] they are like the other class; they wear the zunar, and drink water mixed with ashes; but, contrary to the Dandahar, they let their hair grow so that it becomes like ropes, and this they call _juta_;[225] they do not bathe every day, and rub their head and body with ashes, which they call _bhabút_;[226] at the time of death, the two classes, having tied the body in a bag full of salt, throw it into the water, where, by its weight and that attached to it, it remains a few days sunk in the bottom, until they bury it in the earth.
The head of the second class is Sankara acharya; Saha dèva, the rája of Kachmir, who in the year 750 of the Hejira (1349 A. D.) pulled off the garment of the world, chose him for his teacher. Sankara acharya was a learned Brahman, of a very independent mind; the Hindus say that when the learned did not understand the Vedanta-śastra, Mahádéva, having incarnated himself, appeared in the shape of Sankara acharya, for the purpose of interpreting the Vedanta doctrine, upon which subject many books have been written. _Sastra_[227] signifies, in the Sankrit language, “science,” and _Véda_, the “heavenly book,” as has been said; _anta_,[228] is “end, the accomplishment;” that is, “the accomplishment of the intended object;” and the intent of the Veda is the knowledge of God and of one’s self. On that account this science, which consists in the knowledge of the union of God, as it is to be derived from the text of the Veda, has been entitled _Veda-anta_, “the accomplishment of the Veda.” Sankara acharya was a _Jnáni_, “a saint, a divine,” professing the unity of God; his speeches and actions became the code of the Jnánis.