Discussion about Divine Incarnation

MASTER (to Ishan): “Why don’t you say something? (Pointing to the doctor) He does not believe that god can incarnate Himself in a human form.”

ISHAN: “What shall I say, sir? I don’t like to argue any more.”

MASTER (sharply): “Why? Won’t you say the right thing?”

ISHAN (to the doctor): “Our faith is shallow on account of our pride. It is said in the Ramayana that a crow named Bhushandi did not at first accept Rāma as an Incarnation of God.

Once it incurred Rāma’s displeasure. It travelled through the different worlds-the lunar, solar, and so forth-and through Mount Kailas, to escape Rāma’s wrath. But it found that it could not escape. Then it surrendered itself to Him and took refuge at His feet.

Rāma took the crow in His hand and swallowed it. Thereupon the crow found that it was seated in it’s own nest in a tree. After its pride had thus been crushed, the bird came to realize that though Rāma looked like any other man, yet He contained in His stomach the entire universe-sky, moon, sun, stars, oceans, rivers, men, animals, and trees.”

MASTER (to the doctor): “It is very difficult to understand that God can be a finite human being and at the same time the all-pervading Soul of the universe. The Absoluteand the Relative are His two aspects. How can we say emphatically with our small intelligence that God cannot assume a human form? Can we ever understand all these ideas with our little intellect? Can a one-seer pot hold four seers of milk?

“Therefore one should trust in the words of holy men and great souls, those who have realized God. They constantly think of God, as a lawyer of his lawsuits. Do you believe the story of the crow Bhushandi?”

DOCTOR: “I accept as much as I want to. All difficulties come to an end if only God reveals His true nature to the seeker. Then there can be no confusion. How can I accept Rāma as an Incarnation of God? Take the example of His killing Vali, the monkey chieftain. He hid Himself behind a tree, like a thief, and murdered Vali. This is how a man acts, and not God.”

GIRISH: “But, sir, such an action is possible only for God.”

DOCTOR: “Then take the example of His sending Sita into exile.”

GIRISH: “This too, sir, is possible only for God, not for man.”

ISHAN (to the doctor): “Why don’t you believe in the Incarnation of God? Just now you said that God has form since He has created all these forms, and that God is formless since He has created the mind, which is without form. A moment ago you said that everything is possible for God.”

MASTER (laughing): “It is not mentioned in his ‘science’ that God can take human form; so how can he believe it? (All laugh.)

“Listen to a story. A man said to his friend, ‘I have just seen a house fall down with a terrific crash.’ Now, the friend to whom he told this had received an English education.

He said: ‘Just a minute. Let me look it up in the newspaper.’ He read the paper but could not find the news of a house falling down with a crash. Thereupon he said to his friend: ‘Well, I don’t believe you. It isn’t in the paper; so it is all false.’ “(All laugh.)

GIRISH (to the doctor): “You must admit that Krishna is God. I will not let you look on Him as a mere man. You must admit that He is either God or a demon.”

MASTER: “Unless a man is guileless, he cannot so easily have faith in God. God is far, far away from the mind steeped in worldliness. Worldly intelligence creates many doubts and many forms of pride-pride of learning, wealth, and the rest. (Pointing to the doctor) But he is guileless.

“How guileless Keshab Sen was! One day he visited the Kāli temple at Dakshineswar. At about four in the afternoon he went around to the guesthouse, where the poor are fed, and asked when the beggars would be fed. He didn’t know that it was too late in the day for the feeding of the poor. As a man’s faith increases, so does his knowledge of God.The cow that discriminates too much about food gives milk in dribblets. But the cow that gulps down everything-herbs, leaves, grass, husks, straw-gives milk in torrents. (All laugh.)

Childlike faith

“God cannot be realized without childlike faith. The mother says to her child, pointing to a boy, ‘He is your elder brother.’ And the child at once believes that the boy is one hundred per cent his brother. Again, the mother says that a bogy man lives in a certain room, and the child believes one hundred per cent that the bogy man lives in the room. God bestows His grace on the devotee who has this faith of a child. God cannot be realized by the mind steeped in worldliness.”

DOCTOR (to the devotees): “It is not right, however, to make the cow yield milk by feeding her all sorts of things. One of my cows was fed that way. I drank its milk and the result was that I became seriously ill. At first I was at a loss to know the cause. After much inquiry I found out that the cow had been given the wrong things to eat, I was in a great fix. I had to go to Lucknow for a change to get rid of the illness. I spent twelve thousand rupees.

(Roars of laughter.)

“It is very difficult always to find out the precise relationship between cause and effect. A child of seven months, in a wealthy family, had an attack of whooping-cough. I was called in for consultation. Even after much effort I could not find out the cause of the illness. At last I learnt that the child had been given the milk of an ass that had been drenched in the rain.”

(All laugh.)

MASTER (to the devotees): “How strange! It is like saying that a man has an acid stomach because he passed, in his coach, under a tamarind tree.” (All laugh.) DOCTOR (with a smile): “Let me tell you another. The captain of a ship had a bad headache. After consultation, the doctors on board had a blister applied to the side of the boat.”

(All laugh.)

MASTER (to the doctor): “For the seekers of God the constant company of holy men is necessary. The disease of worldly people has become chronic, as it were. They should carry out the instruction of holy men. What will they gain by merely listening to their advice? They must not only take the prescribed medicine, but also follow a strict diet. Diet is important.”

DOCTOR: “Yes, it is the diet, more than anything else, that causes the cure.

MASTER: “There are three classes of physicians: superior, mediocre, and inferior. The inferior physician feels the patient’s pulse, merely asks him to take medicine, and then goes away. He doesn’t bother to find out whether the patient has followed his directions. The mediocre physician gently tries to persuade the patient to take the medicine. He says: ‘Look here. How can you get well without medicine? Take the medicine, my dear. I am preparing It with my own hands.’

But the superior physician follows a differentmethod. If he finds the patient stubbornly refusing to swallow the medicine, he presses the patient’s chest with his knee and forces the medicine down his throat.”

DOCTOR: “There is a form of treatment that does not require the physician to press the patient’s chest with his knee. For instance, homeopathy.”

MASTER: “There is no fear if a good physician presses the patient’s chest with his knee.

Three classes of teachers

“Like the physicians, there are three classes of religious teachers. The inferior teacher is content with merely giving spiritual instruction; he doesn’t bother about the student after that. The mediocre teacher explains the teaching again and again for the good of the student, that he may assimilate it; he persuades the student through love and kindness to follow it. But the superior teacher uses force, if necessary, on the stubborn student.

(To the doctor) “The renunciation of ‘woman and gold’ is meant for the sannyāsi. He must not look even at the picture of a woman. Do you know what a woman is to a man? She is like spiced pickle. The very thought of pickle brings water to the tongue; it doesn’t have to be brought near the tongue.

Advice to householders

“But this renunciation is not meant for householders like you. It is meant only for sannyāsis. You may live among women, as far as possible in a spirit of detachment. Now and then you must retire into solitude and think of God. Women must not be allowed there.

You can lead an unattached life to a great extent if you have faith in God and love for Him. After the birth of one or two children a married couple should live as brother and sister. They should then constantly pray to God that their minds may not run after sense pleasures any more and that they may not have any more children.”

GIRISH (to the doctor, with a smile): “You have already spent three or four hours here.

What about your patients?”

DOCTOR: “Well, my practice and patients! I shall lose everything on account of your paramahamsa!” (All laugh.)

MASTER: “There is a river called the ‘Karmanasa’. It is very dangerous to dive into that river. If a man plunges into its waters he cannot perform any more action. It puts an end to his duties.” (All laugh.) .

DOCTOR (to Girish, M., and the other devotees): “My friends, consider me as one of you. I am not saying this as a physician. But if you think of me as your own, then I am yours.”

MASTER (to the doctor): “There is such a thing as love for love’s sake. It is very good if one can grow such love. Prahlada loved God for the sake of love. A devotee like Prahladasays: ‘O God, I do not want wealth, fame, creature comforts, or any such thing. Please grant me the boon that I may have genuine love for Thy Lotus Feet.”

DOCTOR: “You are right, sir. I have seen people bowing down before the image of Kāli They seek worldly objects from the Goddess, such as a job, the healing of disease, and so forth.

(To the Master) “The illness you are suffering from does not permit the patient to talk with people. But my case is an exception. You may talk with me when I am here.”

(All laugh.)

MASTER; “Please cure my illness. I cannot chant the name and glories of God.”

DOCTOR; “Meditation is enough.”

MASTER: “What do you mean? Why should I lead a monotonous life? I enjoy my fish in a variety of dishes: curried fish, fried fish, pickled fish, and so forth! Sometimes I worship God with rituals, sometimes I repeat His name, sometimes I meditate on Him, sometimes I sing His name and glories, sometime I dance in His name.”

DOCTOR: “Neither am I monotonous.”

MASTER: “Your son Amrita does not believe in the Incarnation of God. What is the harm in that? One realizes God even if one believes Him to be formless. One also realizes God if one believes that God has form.

Faith and self-surrender

Two things are necessary for the realization of God; faith and self-surrender. Man is ignorant by nature. Errors are natural to him. Can a one-seer pot hold four seers of milk?

Whatever path you may follow, you must pray to God with a restless heart. He is the Ruler of the soul within. He will surely listen to your prayer if it is sincere. Whether you follow the ideal of the Personal God or that of the Impersonal Truth, you will realize God alone, provided you are restless for Him. A cake with icing tastes sweet whether you eat it straight or sidewise.

“Your son Amrita is a nice boy.”

DOCTOR: “He is your disciple.”

MASTER (with a smile): “There is not a fellow under the sun who is my disciple. On the contrary, I am everybody’s disciple. All are the children of God. All are His servants. I too am a child of God. I too am His servant. ‘Uncle Moon’ is every child’s uncle!”