6. Ironclad Determination:

Once, while Keshava was still a child, his elder brother Mahadeva Shastri asked him to knead marijuana plants, to extract the juice. In those days, mixing the juice with hot milk and other ingredients, to create a mildly intoxicating drink, (called Ramarasa) was a common practice. This was done especially on festive days in priestly families, or in the honor of a guest. Keshava, refused to obey the order, on the grounds that he couldn't participate in creating intoxicating drinks. The short-tempered Mahadeva Shastri was outraged. He scolded Keshava in the rudest of terms. Still Keshava refused. So, Mahadeva Shastri beat him up till he bled. He threw out all of Keshava's books and belongings in the shelves, pushed him out of his home, and scarred his body with flaming wooden embers. Still, Keshava the orphan child, who had nowhere else to take refuge, was steadfast in his determination. He won in the end!

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