Chapter 11 Summary and Analysis

Mukunda's elder brother, Ananta, lectures him about throwing away his life, and feels that Mukunda should put money first. Mukunda intends to see the Taj Mahal with Jitendra, then go on to see Yukteswar in nearby Serampore. Ananta proposes that Mukunda and Jitendra go to the city of Brindiban and, without taking a single rupee, without begging or revealing their predicament, find a way to eat and get back home. He gives them each a one-way ticket and sends them off on a train, promising that if they make it back by midnight and follow all his rules, he will become Mukunda's disciple. An elder brother rarely bows before his juniors in India, so it seems Ananta is sure they will fail.

On the train, Jitendra is hungry. Two strangers, thinking the two are runaways, offer to feed them, but Mukunda...