Swami Vivekananda at Limbdi

After spending some days at Wadhwan, the Swami went on to Limbdi, the chief town of the cotton-producing State of that name. As he went, he begged his food from door to door, slept where he could find shelter, and lived as chance dictated. On arriving at Limbdi itself, he learned that there was a place where sadhus lived. It was somewhat isolated, but the sadhus welcomed him warmly and urged him to stay with them as long as he wished. Tired and hungry after his long marches, he accepted the invitation. He had no idea of the character of the place. What was his horror to find, after he had been in the house for a few days, that the inmates belonged to a degenerate group of sex-worshippers. He could hear the prayers and incantations of women as well as of men in the adjoining room. His first thought was to leave the place at once; but to his bewilderment he found that he was locked in, and that a guard had been set to prevent his escape. The high-priest of the sect summoned him and said, "You are a sadhu with a magnetic personality. Evidently you have practised Brahmacharya [celibacy] for years. Now you must give us the fruit of your long austerity. We shall break your Brahmacharya in order to perform a special type of spiritual practice, and thereby acquire for ourselves certain psychic powers." The Swami was shaken; but he kept his presence of mind, showed no sign of anxiety, and seemingly took the matter lightly. Among the Swami's devotees was a boy who used to come frequently to see him. Through him the Swami sent a note to the Thakore Saheb, the Prince of the State, explaining his predicament and asking for help. The boy hurried to the palace and managed to deliver the note to the Thakore Saheb himself. The latter immediately sent some of his guards to the Swami's rescue. Afterwards, on the Prince's invitation the, Swami took up his residence in the palace. While in Limbdi, he held many discussions in Sanskrit with the local pandits. His Holiness the Shankaracharya of the Govardhan Math, Puri, bore witness to this. He was astonished at the young monk's learning, and at his breadth of understanding and sympathy. The life of the Thakore Saheb Jaswant Singhji of Limbdi, written in Gujarati and published in l896, reveals that it was from the Thakore Saheb that the Swami first got the idea of going to the West in order to preach Vedanta. The Thakore Seheb, a strong upholder of the Sanatana Dharma and, at the same time a man of progressive views, had himself been to England and America a few years earlier. He was thrilled to hear the Swami's religious discourses and to have discussions with him on various matters. After a short stay at Limbdi, the Swami left for Junagadh with letters of introduction from the Thakore Saheb to his friends there and elsewhere. The Prince entreated him to be cautious on his solitary wanderings, and the Swami too, after his experience at Limbdi, resolved to be more circumspect in accepting offers of lodging, and to be more discriminating as to the people with whom he came in contact.

[Life of Swami Vivekananda Volume 1 Page : 289]