All is His

He Who has given you what you possess in this world — wealth, distinction, youth - appeal to Him for his own sake. You cannot? Why? You will have to! Verily, man can do all things. Who can say what He will give to whom and through what? Everything is His, entirely His. What did you bring with you at birth? Were you not empty-handed? And all you have acquired — is it yours, really? All is His and whatever happens is His Will. Endeavour to maintain this attitude. Saying: ‘It is mine’ you grasp at everything— this is the way to court sorrow. Call out to Him because all is His. To yearn thus for Him is real prayer. All that the world can yield — what is its worth? Have you not discerned down the years the inevitable course of events? In His store-house, where there are riches, relations, the vigour of youth, there are also old age, death, disease and poverty. You will have to experience them all. In this world there is no room for undisturbed ease; don’t you see that there is distress at every step? Does it not dawn on you even now to whom you belong? This serious illness of yours, is anyone suffering it for you? Can anyone even share it? Why all these worries?

All is His; all is He ; to leave everything to Him must be your sole endeavour. Invoke His Name, meditate on Him; ever abide in the remembrance of Him. Not praying for anything that is of this world, strive to abandon yourself without reserve to Him. In Him no want of any kind exists, no pain, no agony — in Him is all attainment, the summit of fulfillment, rest, repose, tranquility...

It is characteristic of human life that it cannot continuously be either full of happi­ness or full of misery. Just as your good luck has not been lasting, do you imagine this evil fortune will never end? For the present try to gird yourself with patience and fortitude and wend your way with com­plete trust in God. It is the Will of the Almighty that prevails. Be intent under all circumstances to keep the thought of Him as your constant companion.

Sri Anandaymayi Ma

Sri Rama's Birth

The gracious Lord, who is compassionate to the lowly and the benefactor of Kausalya, appeared. The thought of His marvellous form, which stole the heart of sages, filled the mother with joy. His body was dark as a cloud, the delight of all eyes; in His four arms He bore His characteristic emblems (a conch-shell, a discus, a club, and a lotus). Adorned with jewels and a garland of sylvan flowers and endowed with large eyes, the Slayer of the demon Khara was an ocean of beauty. Joining both her palms the mother said, "O infinite Lord, how can I praise You! The Vedas as well as the Puranas declare you as transcending Maya, beyond attributes, above knowledge and beyond all measure. He who is sung by the Vedas and holy men as an ocean of mercy and bliss and the repository of all virtues, the same Lord of Lakshmi, the lover of His devotees, has revealed Himself for my good. The Vedas proclaim that every pore of Your body contains multitudes of universes brought forth by Maya. That such a Lord stayed in my womb - this amusing story staggers the mind of even men of wisdom." When the revelation came upon the mother, the Lord smiled; He would perform many a sportive act. Therefore He exhorted her by telling her the charming account of her previous birth so that she might love Him as her own child. The mother's mind was changed; she spoke again, "Give up this superhuman form and indulge in childish sports, which are so dear to a mother's heart; the joy that comes from such sports is unequalled in every way." Hearing these words the all-wise Lord of immortals became an infant and began to cry. Those who sing this lay, says Tulsidasa, attain to the abode of Sri Hari and never fall into the well of mundane existence. 

-Sri Ramacaritamanasa : Balakanda 191 Verses 1-4

The Glories of Prayag

At dawn the Lord of Raghus performed His morning duties and then the Lord proceeded further and visited Prayaga, the king of holy places. This king has Truth for his minister, Piety for his beloved consort and a beneficent friend like Bindumadhava (the Deity presiding over Prayaga). His treasury is replete with the four prizes of human life, while the sacred region surrounding the confluence of the Ganga and the Yamuna marks his most beautiful dominion. The holy Prayaga represents his inaccessible, strong and lovely fortress that no enemy has ever dreamt of possessing. All the sacred spots are his chosen and valiant warriors, who are staunch in battle and capable of crushing the host of sins. The confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna constitutes his exquisite throne, while the immortal banyan tree (known by the name of Aksayavata) represents his royal umbrella, which captivates the heart even of sages. The waves of the Ganga and Yamuna constitute his chowries, whose very sight destroys sorrow and want.

Virtuous and holy saints wait upon this king and attain all that they desire; while the Vedas and Puranas are the rhapsodists who recount his stainless virtues.

Who can describe the glory of Prayaga, a lion as it were for the herd of elephants in the shape of sins? The Chief of Raghu's race, who is an ocean of bliss, was filled with delight to see this glorious king of holy places. With His own gracious lips He told Sita, Laksmana and His friend (Guha) the greatness of Prayaga. Making obeisance to this holy place He cast a look round the groves and gardens and expatiated on its glory with the utmost devotion. In this way He arrived at and saw the confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna, the very thought of which bestows choice blessings. After bathing in the confluence He gladly adored Lord Shiva and worshipped the deities presiding over the holy Prayaga according to the prescribed ritual. The Lord then called on Bharadvaja; and the sage clasped Him to his bosom as He fell prostrate before Him. The joy that the sage felt within his heart cannot be described in words; it looked as if he had found the bliss of oneness with Brahma incarnate.

The chief of sages, Bharadvaja, invoked his blessing on the Lord. He felt great joy in his heart to perceive that God had as it were set before him in visible form the reward of all his virtues.

-Sri Ramacaritamanasa, Ayodhya Kanda 104-106

How the Thunderbird Came to Be

Once there was a big hawk, the biggest hawk that had ever lived on earth. This hawk was so big that his wings darkened two lodges when he flew over the village. Luckily for the people, this hawk was good and kindly toward all those who were around him.

Besides being big, this hawk was also very powerful. He could sing a special song and all of the hawks from all over the territory would come to counsel with him. He could sing another that would catch any rain clouds that were in the vicinity and bring them in toward him. It was even said that he had a song that would make mice and rabbits jump up into his talons when he circled low over the earth. He was a very powerful hawk.

This hawk was so powerful that the Thunder Beings one time decided to give him a special song that he could sing that would draw them to him. They told him that to sing that song correctly he first had to build a circular lodge large enough for himself and all of the other animals he wanted to invite to hear the song. They told him that he had to make a circular altar of a special kind and put particular things from the mineral, the plant and the animal kingdoms on it. They told him that he had to give thanks to the Great Spirit before he sang this song and that he had to feel gratitude to the Thunderers for sharing their power with him.

One summer he decided to sing this song, so he did as the Thunderers had told him. He invited some hawks, an eagle, two ravens, a vulture and an osprey to come into the lodge with him. They accepted, and when the song was done and the Thunderers had come, they all left the lodge knowing that they had been given special power form having heard the song.

Big Hawk had gathered remarkable powers to him, and now a touch of his wings could heal his friends from even the gravest wounds. All of the power that he had became too much for Big Hawk, and, instead of remembering to give thanks every morning to the Great Spirit, he began to get huffed up and to go around singing, "I am the most powerful hawk of them all. I am great Kaik Kaik Kaik."

The Great Spirit looked at the hawk and was patient, hoping that he would remember. But he did not. He just got more and more huffed up.

The next summer he decided that, once again, he would sing the song of the Thunder Beings so he could get even more power. He decided that he was so powerful he didn't have to bother building the lodge or making the preparations he had been told to make. He didn't even bother to give thanks to the Great Spirit or to the Thunderers. This time he invited all of the birds and animals who would come to witness his power.

He began to sing his song just sitting in his nest in the biggest tree around, and he preened himself and huffed himself up more as the Thunderers approached. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning shot out from one of the clouds and burst into a ball of flame just as it touched the tip of Big Hawk's wing. Just as suddenly, the ball of flame and the hawk disappeared before any of the other animals were hurt. All those who had been there looked around, not believing their eyes.

Big Hawk found himself up in the sky talking with the Great Spirit.

"Big Hawk," said the Great Spirit, "you have become too arrogant. You forget to give your thanks. You forget the ceremonies that you have been given. You forget the real source of your power. Since you have insulted the Thunder Beings by misusing the gift that they gave to you, you will now become their servant. You will still be a big handsome bird, but you'll no longer be able to call the thunder. Now they will call you. Whenever the Thunderers go out to do their work, you will go with them. So you don't get too huffed up from people seeing you, you will always be hidden partly behind the clouds. You'll appear to some as a strange cloud formation. You'll appear to others as a fiery shape created by the lightning. Only those with very clear sight will see you as you are, as the bird of fire, the Thunderbird. Go now, and serve those you have hurt until you learn the pleasure that can come from serving and from remembering your place in the universe."

And so the Thunderbird came to the people.

- Excerpt from The Medicine Wheel : Earth Astrology by Sun Bear and Wabun

Reading from The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna P. 94

Another day the Master was seated on the small couch in his room, with his usual beaming countenance. M. arrived with Kalikrishna, who did not know where his friend M. was taking him. He had only been told : "If you want to see a grog-shop, then come with me. You will see a huge jar of wine there." M. related this to Sri Ramakrishna, who laughed about it. The Master said: "The bliss of worship and communion with God is the true wine, the wine of ecstatic love. The goal of human life is to love God. Bhakti is the one essential thing. To know God through jnana and reasoning is extremely difficult."

The Master sang:

"Who is there that can understand what Mother Kali is?
Even the six darsanas are powerless to reveal Her..."

The Master said, again: "The one goal of life is to cultivate love for God, the love that the milkmaids, the milkmen, and the cowherd boys of Vrindavan felt for Krishna. When Krishna went away to Mathura, the cowherds roamed about weeping bitterly because of their separation from Him."

Saying this the Master sang, with eyes turned upward:

"Just now I saw a youthful cowherd
With a young calf in his arms;
There he stood, by one hand holding
The branch of a young tree.
"Where are You, Brother Kanai?" he cried;
But "Kanai" scarcely could he utter;
"Ka" was as much as he could say.
He cried, "Where are You, Brother?"
And his eyes were filled with tears."

When M. heard this song of the Master's, laden with love, his eyes were moist with tears. 

Maa Achen Aar Ami Achi

Mother is here and I am here, there are not worries.

Ma's hands feed and clothe me. She is the one that takes care of me.

After falling into the traps of samsara, I could see only darkness. 

Even amidst that darkness Ma spoke to me about the Light, again and again. 

When worldly people came to take me down the wrong path again and again...

From that path Ma took me by the hand and rescued me.

Though I forget Ma, She does not forget me.

Where else is there an embodiment of such love? 

Ma is mine, and I am Ma's

-Author Unknown

From Ayodhya-Kanda Verses 89 - 93

When Laksmana perceived that his lord had fallen asleep, he rose and asked the minister in soft accents to retire. As for himself he got ready his bow and arrows and sitting at some distance in the posture of a hero he kept watch. Guha called his trusted watchmen and stationed them at different points with great love; while he himself went and took his seat beside Laksmana with a quiver fastened to his waist and an arrow fitted to his bow. When the Nishada Chief (Guha) saw his lord lying on a bed of grass and leaves, he felt great sorrow in his heart due to excess of love; the hair on his body bristled, tears flowed from his eyes and he addressed the following affectionate words to Laksmana:

"The king's palace is naturally charming; even Indra's residence can hardly stand comparison with it. Its beautiful attics are built of precious gems and are so lovely as though the god of love has constructed them with his own hands. Free from impurities, exceedingly marvelous of design, abounding in exquisite luxuries and scented with the fragrance of flowers, they are furnished with lovely beds and lighted with gems and are full of amenities of every description. Again they are equipped with coverlets and sheets, pillows and cushions of various kinds - all soft, white and charming as the froth of milk. It is in such attics that Sita and Rama used to sleep at night and humbled by their beauty the pride of Rati and her consort, the god of love. Those very Sita and Rama are now lying on a pallet, exhausted and uncovered, a sight one cannot bear to see. The same Lord Rama whom his father and mother, his own family and the people of the city, his good-natured companions, men-servants and maid-servants, all cherished as their own life, sleeps on the ground! Nay, Sita, whose father Janaka is famed throughout the world, whose father and whose spouse is Ramacandra, is lying on the ground! An adverse fate spares none. Do Sita and the Hero of Raghu's race deserve to be exiled to the woods? They rightly say: 'Fate is supreme.' The foolish daughter of Kekaya has wrought a cruel mischief in that she has brought trouble on Sita and the Delighter of Raghu's race at a time of enjoyment. The wicked woman has played the axe in felling the tree of the solar race and plunged the whole universe in woe."

The Nishada chief was sore distressed to see Rama and Sita sleeping on the ground. Laksmana spoke to him sweet and gentle words imbued with the nectar of wisdom, dispassion and devotion:

"No one is a source of delight or pain to another; everyone reaps the fruit of one's own actions, brother. Union and separation, pleasurable and painful experiences, friends, foes and neutrals - snares of delusion are these. Even so birth and death, prosperity and adversity, destiny and time and all the illusion of the world; lands, houses, wealth, town and family, heaven and hell, and all the phenomena of the world; nay, whatever is seen, heard or thought of with the mind has its root in ignorance: nothing exists in reality. Suppose in a dream a beggar is crowned king or the lord of paradise is reduced to the state of a pauper; on waking, the one does not gain nor does the other lose anything. So must you look upon this world. Reasoning thus be not angry nor blame anyone in vain. Everyone is slumbering in the night of delusion, and while asleep one sees dreams of various kinds. In this night of mundane existence it is Yogis (mystics) alone who keep awake - Yogis who are in quest of the highest truth and remain aloof from the world. A soul should be deemed as having awoke from the night of the world only when he develops an aversion for the enjoyments of the world of sense. It is only when right understanding comes that the error of delusion disappears and then alone one develops love for the feet of Sri Rama, the Lord of Raghus. O friend, the highest spiritual goal is this: to be devoted to the feet of Sri Rama in thought, word and deed. Sri Rama is no other than Brahma (God), the supreme Reality, unknown, imperceptible, beginningless, incomparable, free from all change and beyond all diversity. The Vedas ever speak of Him in negative terms (not this). For the sake of His devotees, Earth, the Brahmanas, cows and gods, the gracious Lord takes the form of a man and performs actions by hearing of which the snares of the world are broken asunder. Realizing this, O friend, shed all infatuation and be devoted to the feet of Sita and the Hero of Raghu's race."

While Laksmana was yet recounting Sri Rama's virtues, the day dawned and the Joy and Delighter of the world woke up. After finishing all purificatory acts Sri Rama, who was all pure and wise, performed His ablutions and sent for some milk of the banyan tree. He as well as His brother then matted the hair on their heads, a sight which filled the eyes of Sumantra with tears. 

Deep in the Hearts of All . . .

"In the depths of meditation, sages saw within themselves the Lord of Love, who dwells in the heart of every creature. Deep in the hearts of all He dwells, hidden behind the gunas of purity, energy and inertia. He is One. He it is who rules over time, space and causality."

-Shvetashvatara Upanishad 1:3

Nyahbinghi

Quoted from "Nyahbinghi: Myth, Ritual and Music" found in the album cover of "The Mystical Revelation of Rastafari : Grounation" -

The purpose of the Nyahbinghi, also known as an "Issemble" or "Grounation", was described by one Rastafari Elder -

"...The Nyahbinghi mean to bring universal cooperation, coordination and divine elements for all people, which is of righteous good. And this Nyahbinghi don't mean that it is a plaything, it mean that it is for full universal divine resurrection for all nation which is of righteous element. And that is the protest of Nyabinghito Ian'I and Ian'I continue to work it in the fullness of its activity until peace will come to all nations upon earth in the power of JAH Ras Tafari as the coordinator of us all."

Nyahbinghi congregation (grounation) usually lasts from three to seven days during which time "bredrin" and "dawtas" gather to revive the Faith of Rastafari through communal activities such as drumming, chanting of Ises, reasoning, smoking ganja and dancing. The chalice, the Rastafari ganja pipe, passes from bredrin's hand to bredrin's hand around the alter table activating the symbols of earth, air, water and fire, the primal forces of Creation. Through the Word, Sound and Power of the Nyahbinghi, the Faithful are united with the Godhead in mystic telepathy to chant down Babylon, to scourge the Earth of wickedness and restore the natural order of Creation to its original state of perfection. The Nyabinghi Order are the prophets of old. Its members are the resurrected beings of the defenders of the people who have been killed throughout the ages for the love of JAH. The Order has a ceremony with music, dancing and chanting. A trinity of drums, the repeater (akete/kete) which speaks or sings, the fundi which syncopates, and the bass drum which keeps the heartbeat of the music, has evolved as the musical instruments of the Nyabinghi Order. These drums unite the cosmic power of Creation with man and his Creator. Dreadlocks are worn to keep African tradition of priests, seers, prophets and warriors.

The Weaver

Says Kabir:
Lord, I weave the cloth of Thy Name
The fruitless toil
Of weaving for the world
Has come to an end;
I have attained
The dazzling state of bliss —
Free from fear, free from pain,
I am the weaver, O Lord, of Thy Name;
I weave and reap the profit
Of inner rapport with Thee.
I am the weaver of the Lord’s Name.

A Country Fair for Those Mad With Love

Drive me out of my mind, O Mother! 

What use is esoteric knowledge

          Or philosophical knowledge

Transport me totally with the burning wine 

Of your all-embracing love.

Mother of mystery, who imbues with mystery

          The hearts of those who love you,

Immerse me irretrievably

In the stormy ocean without boundary,

Pure love, pure love, pure love.                  

Wherever your lovers reside

          Appears like a madhouse

To common perception.

Some are laughing with your freedom,

Others weep tears of your tenderness,

Still others dance, whirling with your bliss.

Even your devoted Gautama, Moses,

Krishna, Jesus, Nanak and Muhammad

          Are lost in the rapture of pure love. 

This poet stammers,

Overcome with longing:

“When? When? When?

When will I be granted companionship

          With her intense lovers?”

Their holy company is heavenly

A country fair for those mad with love

Where every distinction

Between master and disciple disappears 

Their love of love sings:

“Mother! Mother! Mother!

Who can fathom your mystery,

          Your eternal play of love with love?

You are divine madness, O goddess,

Your love the brilliant crown of madness,

Please make this poor poet madly wealthy

          With the infinite treasure of your love

      -Ramprasad Sen 

The Master sang in an ecstatic mood...

"O the ever-blissful Mother! The enchantress of the great Shiva!

You dance out of your own bliss and clap your hands all by yourself.

The eternal, the Self-existent, you are of the form of emptiness,

And you wear the moon your forehead.

Where did you get the garland of skulls when there was no universe?

Mother, you are the mover of all; we move as you order.

We do as you, O Mother, make us do; we say as you make us say.
You make the worthless Kamalakanta*, O Mother, utter blasphemies!

Wielding the sword, O the fatal lady, you have slaughtered both virtue and vice."

*Author of song

Yajna

"When our heart is not in a thing, we are also not in that thing. Where our heart is, there we are; and if we ourselves are not there, what is the good of doing anything? We have to be present in the deeds that we perform, we have to ‘be’ in the worship that we offer, and we have to ‘be’ in the meditation that we undertake every day. Whatever is manifesting itself from us is ensouled by us. That is, if we stand outside the performance, the performance becomes a corpse, a skeleton. It is without life because we have stood outside it. But if we have entered into it, the action itself is enlivened by our soul. We are entirely in it – then it is that the action becomes a real sacrifice. Where we are not in the work, it ceases to be a sacrifice. To the extent we are involved in the work, to that extent it is a sacrifice. If we are wholly involved in it, and we are not separable from the work that we are doing – we ourselves are the work, as it were – then it is the highest sacrifice, and it will bring us the best of benefits."  Swami Krishnananda, commentary of Gita Chapter 17

From "Spiritual Treasure : Letters of Swami Turiyananda"

Almora

20 November 1915

My dear Baburam Maharaj [Swami Premananda],

I was very happy to receive your loving letter the day before yesterday...The memory of all past associations with you gives me great joy. And why shouldn't it be so? You are so full of the Master [Sri Ramakrishna] that there is no room within you for anything else. This reminds me of an incident which took place at the Alambazar Monastery. As you spoke that day, you invoked the memory of the Master in all visible things. At that time, I observed in you the truth of this saying, "Wherever the eyes fall, there the Lord manifests." You did not see anything that did not remind you of the Master. I don't know whether you remember it or not, but it is indelibly imprinted on my mind. That day I realized what it is to be merged in God. The Master, through his grace, showed me that; so your attempts to hide anything from me are futile. 

Your household belongs to the Master's household; it is not the home of terrible maya. In your household even a bull-calf can stay, but there is no room for lust and gold. Your household is made of love...Everything is possible through love. Swamiji used to say, "Love is omnipotent." Can there be more than one Swamiji? He was one without a second - like the moon. He was his own peer, and none else...

With love and salutations,

Turiyananda

"Mine is Gopal" by Mirabai Devi

Mine is Gopal,
the Mountain-Holder;
there is no one else.
On his head he wears the peacock-crown:
He alone is my husband.
Father, mother, brother, relative:
I have none to call my own.
I've forsaken both God, and the family's honor:
what should I do?

I've sat near the holy ones,
and I've lost shame before the people.
I've torn my scarf into shreds;
I'm all wrapped up in a blanket.
I took off my finery of pearls and coral,
and strung a garland of wildwood flowers.

With my tears,
I watered the creeper of love that I planted;
Now the creeper has grown spread all over,
and borne the fruit of bliss.
The churner of the milk churned with great love.
When I took out the butter,
no need to drink any buttermilk.
I came for the sake of love-devotion;
seeing the world, I wept.
Mira is the maidservant of the Mountain-Holder:
Now with love
He takes me across to the further shore.

From "The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna" : Visit to Jayagopal Sen's House

Part IX
Chapter 1

VAIKUNTHA: We are worldly people. Please tell us something.

SRI RAMAKRISHNA: After knowing God perform your duties in the world with one hand on his lotus feet and the other on work.

VAIKUNTHA: Sir, is the world unreal?

SRI RAMAKRISHNA: It is unreal as long as God remains unknown. Then people forget him and say me and mine. Entangled in maya and bewitched by 'kamini kanchana' (lust and greed) they sink still more. Man becomes so deluded by maya that he cannot escape though there is the route for escape. Listen to a song:

"What a delusion has been created by mahamaya, the great enchantress!
If Brahma and Vishnu are out of their senses, what can an ordinary mortal know?
They make a hole to set up a trap; fish enter it.
There are routes for coming and going; yet the fish cannot get away.
The silk worm makes a cocoon and can escape if it wants.
But the cocoon is bound by mahamaya and it dies in its own spittle."

You yourselves know that the world is transient. Look at this very household. How many people came and went. How many were born and how many died. The household exists this moment and it is gone in the next. It is transient. Those whom you call your own so much do not exist anymore when you close your eyes at death. Again, even if one is without ties, one cannot retire to Benares for the sake of a grandson. O what will happen to my Haru? There are routes for coming and going yet the fish cannot escape. The silk worm perishes in its own secretions. This kind of world is illusory and transient.

THE NEIGHBOR: Sir, why should we hold God with one hand and the world with the other? If the world is transient why should we hold the world even with one hand?

SRI RAMAKRISHNA: The world is not illusory if one lives in it after realizing God. Listen to a song:

"O mind! You do not know how to farm.
Such a field, the human life, remains fallow.
If only you had cultivated it, it would have yielded a crop of gold.
Hedge it with the name of Kali.
There will not be any damage to the harvest.

That is a very stout hedge of the Mother with the unbraided hair.

Death does not dare to come near it.

This life will be forfeited today or after a hundred years.

Now, O mind! when you have the right over it, reap the harvest to the full.

Sowing the seed given by the guru, sprinkle it with the water of devotion. If you cannot do it alone, why not take Ramprasad along with you."

1. Ramprasad is the writer of the song.

Excerpt from "For Seekers of God: Spiritual talks of Mahapurush Swami Shivananda"

Place: Belur Monastery. Time: Friday, July 26, 1929


It was afternoon. Mahapurushji had just finished his shave. Seeing a monastic worker of the orphanage at Baranagore, he called him to his side. In the course of conversation the Swami remarked: 'How can you leave now? Let S. return; then perhaps you may go. And why do you want to go at all? Even here, after attending to your regular work, you will have plenty of time for spiritual practice. It is simply a matter of mental attitude. If the mind has a natural leaning towards God, one can make time and opportunity for spiritual practice. What is essential is earnestness. If you cannot carry on your spiritual practice here, you won't be able to do so anywhere. The Master used to say, "He who has it here, has it there too." That is a statement full of truth, my child. Call upon God and pray to Him with great sincerity. He will give you an abundance of devotion and faith. Why should you go? You are doing the Lord's work. Is it a small matter?'

Monk: 'In the season and out of season, K. says whatever comes to his mind.' Saying this, he started crying.

Mahapurushji: 'I had a feeling there was a misunderstanding between you two. Why does he use abusive language? I know very well that you do not deserve that treatment. You are a gentle, good-natured person. Why don't you ask K. to come and see me some time? I will explain matters to him. Do not take it to heart, my child. You know, when pots that are together are moved, friction is inevitable. Do not take it seriously. Misunderstandings are bound to occur sometimes and they are straightened out eventually. It takes two hands to clap. Let him say whatever he wishes. Just endure it all quietly. That will prevent misunderstandings. You will have to be a little humble. You will have to sacrifice a little. You have dedicated your body, mind and soul to the Master's work. You have renounced everything for his sake. You will have to do this much also for his work. You should practice forbearance, you should sacrifice - for his work. The Lord will bless you abundantly.'

Monk: 'Please bless me so that I can do it.'

Mahapurushji: 'Certainly you will be able to. You have my hearty blessings, my child. But you must pray to the Master sincerely, too. He will give you greater strength. You have come here renouncing everything for his sake. There is nothing that he will withhold from you. How will his work go on if you all do not live at peace in one place? Be patient for his sake, paying no attention to what people say, good or bad. You are all sadhus and have come here with the idea of improving yourselves. You do not have any other desire or wish in your life. You want him alone. Temporary misunderstandings are inevitable when several work together. They aren't something to be blamed for; it is quite natural. Such misunderstandings come and go; they cannot touch your inner Self, because the main objective of your life is the realization of God. Such petty matters as attachment and aversion cannot deeply affect you. This is what we feel. The work that you are carrying on is being done in a spirit of service. This work is purifying your mind day by day. You have no selfish motive in your work. You should carry on your spiritual practices along with your works of service. Whenever you can, practice japa, meditate upon God and pray to Him sincerely. The moment you have a feeling of weakness or of lacking in anything, tell the Master about it. If you pray very sincerely, you are bound to get a response. Repeat his name often. The repetition of his name will purify your body and mind, washing away all impurities. You have renounced everything in order to be sadhus. The realization of God is the aim of your life, my child. Your ideal is "to remain unaffected by praise or blame, to be silent and contented with a little." Balance in praise or blame, silence and being satisfied with whatever comes - this is the state at which you should aim. You should be absorbed in God. What does it matter to you what people say about you?'

After hearing these words, the monk burst into tears and caught hold of Mahapurushji's feet, saying: 'Maharaj, please bless me that I may be unaffected by praise or blame, that I may remain absorbed in Him.'

The more Mahapurushji tried to pacify him, the more disconsolate he became, crying like a child. Mahapurushji said: 'You will certainly reach that stage, my child. The Master has brought you to him because he is gracious to you.' After a while Mahapurushji said with great affection: 'Go to the shrine for a little while. Practice japa and pray to God; that will lighten the burden of your heart. Then take a little of the food offered to the Master. In future, whenever you have the leisure come here. There are so many sadhus and brahmacharins at the monastery. Do you mix with them freely?'