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Anderson soon after retired on pension and was again succeeded by Mr. Peile. The Nav&b S^heb re-instated GokulajibM,i in his Div^nship immediately on the change in the person- nel of the Agency. During the time of adversity Gokulajibhii found 24 a good opportunity of testing the sincerity of friends and acquaintances. Col. Law, Mr. John Jardine, Col. Lester, amongst European local officers and many others used to give him sincere help and con- solation. Thus, after experiencing the changes incident to human affairs, he was again blessed with the enjoy- ment of worldly influence and honour. Like a per- fect gentleman, he behaved with the same true dig- nity under adversity as in prosperity. After this, his way remained clear of difficulties. The Political Agent, Mr. Peile, and the Assistants, Major Watson, Major Wodehouse, and Major Phillips, had always high esteem and kind regard for him. On the occasion of the Delhi Darbdr in 1877, Gokulajibhdi and the present writer accompanied the Nav^b S^heb, and travelled over a great part of Northern India^ Gokulajibh^i took advantage of this journey to visit many places of pilgrimage in the intervals of travel. Gokulajibhdi had a very quick eye for discerning gentlemen of character. His remarkable penetration and judgment of character enabled him to dis- tinguish men of kindred character — who, of course, are necessarily very few. He appreciated their value and tried to promote their interests. He was generally reticent, but spoke his mind openly and boldly when occasion called for it, but never said more than he meant. He was much pleased with the intelligence, moderation, sound judgment, and high character of Mr. DM4bh&i Naoroji, a Franklin of India. His Highness the Nav4b S^heb once desired to appoint 26 an Agent in London. It was a sinecure worth about Rs, 3,000 a year. Mr. Dad&bh^i Naoroji was asked to accept it through the present writer, but he declined it with thanks, so as to put it out of the power of any one to throw any suspicion on the purity of his motives in his public career, and thus lessen his influence for good. Gokulajibhai highly praised this noble devotedness to his country, regarding monetary advantages as mere dirt beneath his feet when compared with public interest and usefulness. He used to hold Mr. Diid&bhai up as an example of a genuine honest man. He also entertained a high opinion of the Editor of the R^st Goftar, Mr. K. N. K^biAji, for his honesty; for when once offered by the Navdb Stfheb a present of Rs. 1,000 for his public services, Mr. KibiAji declined it with thanks. It is scarcely necessary to remark here that Go- kulajibh&i himself was admitted on all hands to be a paragon of honesty. His mental powers, cultivated and developed by the highest intellectual studies, enabled him to transact his administrative work rapidly and well. The ease with which he penetrated the substance of most intiicate cases and statements astonished even such an able gentleman as R4v Bahddur Mani- bhM Jasabhai, who often came in contact with able English statesmen and judges. Mr. ManibhM’s estimate of Gokulajibhfti is given in extenso in the following Gujarati pages. Gokulajibh4Es views as a statesman were very commendable. He believed in the truth of the principle, that the end of Government is the hap- 3 26 piness of the governed; that the ruler is for the people, and not the people for the ruler ; that the ruler must be the servant as well as the master of his people. In short, his political creed was according to the Sanskrita passage of K^lid^sa in S'akuntaM, viz: — ‘ Let the King reign for the benefit of his subject.’ " to follow this principle as far as lay in his power. He heia^uud^t the^prov^^e of a ruler is to think, to form great designs, and to ii^^ke choice of men properly qualified to carry tliem into execution', and that he should first qualify himself by knowledge, and keep company with learned, wise and good persons of experience, and learn to rule himself, so that he might be kind, generous, and sympathetic to the people. ' Gokulaji has done a great deal for the good of the Junagadha State. During the period of his Div^nship many schools for boys and girls were founded; endeavours were made to improve the revenue system and to develop the resources of the country, ( and the revenue gradually increased four- fold ); attempts to improve the ports of Veraval and Bheifli were made, and trade was very much en- couraged; trunk roads were constructed; great re- forms in the judicial system were inaugurated; a code of laws was framed, and courts of justice were es- tablished; the department of Public-works was started; a library, a hospital and dispensaries were founded; disputed boundary-questions between the Junagadha and the adjoining native states of BarodS,, 27 Gondal, Por bandar, &c., were settled; the long- standing and important cases of the vassal estate of Mangrol and the Morvi Jortalbi tribute were ably fought and won; and a survey for constructing a rail- way was made. In short, he sowed the seeds of almost all the improvements by which the State has benefited. But in comparison with what he seemed capable of elfecting with his mental powers, moral force, and elevation of character, he may be said to liave accomplished less than might have been expected. This was owing to many unfavourable circumstances, which disturbed the harmony in the State, that was essential in order to carry out his good intentions. He felt this very much; for while he had the desire to do great things, he had at the same time the certain knowledge that he could do only a part of what was necessary for the well-being of the State. The best and the bravest of men have moments of doubt and weakness, and Gokulaji had them; but he recovered from passing depression by recurr- ing to such teachings of the Veddnta as, that the universe is wisely ordered by the Lord {Is'vara)-, that every man (Jiva) is a part of it, and must conform to that order which he cannot change, that is to say since he could not alter what is without him she should resolve to alter what is within, and that man should do his duty to the best of his power, and when it is done, he should not desire the reward it may bring nor its fruits ; that he should dedicate to God every thing he says and he does with the mind or body and leave the rest to his Providence. This sentiment finds expression also 28 in the Sermon on the Mount: — '^Do good hop- ing for nothing again/^ Man has to live two lives — that of thought and that of action. In his life of thought Gokulaji was guided by the Vedanta philosophy, in that of action he was guided by selections from both European and Indian precepts. His temporal and practical views were, therefore, very commendable. He much appreciated the noble thoughts and sentiments of European thinkers, like those as will be quoted in the following paragraphs from Pythagoras, Socrates, Plato, Zeno the Stoic, Seneca, Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, Goethe, &c, “ Life is a festival. And as some people come to a festival to contend for the prizes, and others for tlic purposes of traffic, and the best as spectators; so also in life the inen of slavish dispositions are bom) hunters after glory and covetousness, but philosophers (lovers or embracers of Wisdom ) are seekers after truths. “ People should associate with one another in such a way as not to make their friends enemies, but to render their enemies friends. ” (1) “ How many things are there which I do not want ! Those who want fewest things are nearest to the gods. “ There was one only good, namely, knowledge; and one only evil, namely ignorance. “ Virtue consists of knowledge. To do right is the only road to happiness; and if every man seeks to be happy, vice can rise only from ignorance or mistake as to the means. The proper study of mankind is man. ” (2.) (1) I^hagoras. (2) Socrates. 29 ‘‘The highest good is the greatest possible likeness to God, as the absolute good. The virtue of the human soul is its fitness for its proper work Virtue should be de- sired, not from motives of reward and punishment, but be- cause it is in itself the health and beauty of the souL “ The task and destiny of the soul is flight from inward and outward evils of sense, purification and emancipation from corporeal influence, the striving to become pure, just, and like withal to God. '' “ Vice is ignorance. Virtue is knowledge. Death is merely the separation of soul and body, and this is the very consum- mation at which philosophy aims. The body hinders thought. The mind attains to truth by retiring into herself. Through no bodily sense does she perceive justice, beauty, goodness and other ideas. The philosopher has a life-long quarrel with bodily desires, and he should welcome the release of his soul. “ The soul commands, the body serves, therefore the soul is akin to the divine The soul, if pui’e, departs to the in- visible world, but, if tainted by communion with the bodyi she Angel'S hovering near tlie earth, and is afterwards born into the likeness of the lower form. That which true philo- sophy has purified alone rises ultimately to the gods.” (I) “ Live in agreement with thy own rational nature, so far as it is not corrupted and distorted by art, but remains in its natural simplicity; be knowingly and willingly that which by nature thou art, a rational part of the rational whole. “ Virtue, the sole end of man as a rational being, is also his sole happiness, his sole good: only the inner reason, and strength of the soul can render man happy, and supply him with a counterpoise to the contingencies and obstructions of external life External goods, health, wealth, &C.