Act III, Scene 2

THE RISHI: I set in front Fire, the messenger, and speak to the carrier of the offerings; may he bring to their session here the gods.⁴

(Enter Auro and his maternal uncle Jogendra.)

JOGENDRA: Father, look, here is Auro.

(The Rishi springs to his feet and hugs Auro warmly to his breast before the grandson can bend his head down. The Rishi knew well that his Auro was no ordinary human being but Sri Krishna in human form. A deep silence seems to vibrate with their hearts’ exchanges.)

THE RISHI: Jogen, call Swarna quick. Where is she? Swarna, Swarna! (Half-choked in joy he calls out to his daughter at the top of his voice.) Auro, my child, do you find your country, your Motherland, familiar?

AURO: Dadu, I'm afraid I can recall nothing that I had seen and heard before I left India. Things now appear to be refreshing, inspiring, enlightening. As I stepped on India’s soil, at Apollo Bunder, Bombay, I felt drowned as if in a sea of peace.

THE RISHI: Oh, it’s significant, deeply significant. It is a signal. Mother India wants you to be her own, for her work, for her soul’s work. It was her soul’s embrace to her chosen child.

(Enter Swarnalata with two of her women friends.)

SWARNA (after scanning Auro’s face for a few seconds): No, Father, not at all. This youth doesn’t take after my child Auro. In England I left him quite young on earth. How could he grow such a big moustache! My son can never grow so big. No, you can never be my son. He had more grace in his face. Impossible, impossible. Father, I'm not such a fool as you take me to be. Oh, now, now!

(Exit Swarnalata in utter delusion. A chorus of laughter by Jogendra and the two women. Silent, amazed, Auro looks on.)

THE RISHI: Auro, your mother is off her head and so am I. Like father like daughter.

AURO: If my mother is queer in her brain then I, too… There’s no other possibility.

(Enter Swarnalata.)

SWARNA: I remember well that my Auro had a cut on one of his fingers. Let me see if you have the mark.

AURO (shooting a glance half-afraid at his mother’s face and showing his finger): Here it is, mother, here’s the mark.

SWARNA: My Auro, my Auro! You are my son Auro. Father, he is my son Auro. Truly, he is the Krishna of my dream. (Overwhelmed with joy she places her right palm on her son’s devoted head.) Now I am more than right that you are my son Auro.

AURO: Dadu, goodness gracious! At last my mother has to say, “Eureka, Eureka!”