In plain words
He thought: is it the eyes of some wild beast, or does some great soul live in here? So he wondered. “But if it were a wild beast's eyes, there would have to be two; there could not be just one. Or perhaps one eye has been lost somehow, who knows; whatever it may be, if a great soul is there, I will receive his teaching and be saved. If it is a wild beast, then even if that wild beast kills me, I will make this birth fruitful,” and ready for either, he went into the cave. Very well! As he went nearer and nearer, the lamp went out. In the dark, great fear can arise. When fear arises, people think of God all the more. Then, saying Namaśśivāya, Namaśśivāya to himself, he uttered it aloud. The great soul within called out to him in a human voice, “My son! Who are you?” “I am blessed, Swami! I am the servant of your feet,” he said. Then: Come this way! Turn to the right; and because he told him certain landmarks, he went up to him. He fell at his feet. Just as he was trying to ask something: this was a guru who had perceived the indwelling Ātma, and so he was able to live even in such a fearsome cave. He takes air alone as his food. Would such a one not have the power to know the heart? “My son! I will see to your business later. Light that lamp and come back,” and he gave him a box of matches. He went there. He set about striking every match in the box to light it. Not even one of them made the lamp catch. “Swami! It has not caught. All these matches are used up,” he said. “Then look carefully: is there oil in that lamp, or water?” he said. When he put his finger in and felt, there was no grease. It was like water. “This is not oil, it is water,” he said. “Then here is oil; pour the water out, put in the oil and light it,” he told him. As the guru had told him, he poured out the water in it, put in the oil and tried again to light it. It only sputtered and crackled; it did not catch. “My son! You put in oil, but because the water that was there before has gone into the wick, it has not caught. Wring this wick out well, put it in the sun and bring it here,” he said. Very well: as the guru commanded, he wrung it out well, put it in the sun, and after it had drawn up the oil, he lit it.