Short stories

The Master surrenders⁴

“Master, Master! Today at least I would like you to be sincere with me. Of late you have only been cutting jokes with me. I pray to you to be sincere and serious today.”

“When have I been insincere to you, my son?”

“Master, forgive me. What I actually meant was that you do not go deep within nowadays to answer my questions.”

“My child, my answers depend on the kind of questions you ask me. They entirely depend on the kind of questions you ask me.”

“All right, Master, today I am going to ask you a few most serious questions. My first question is, how many years or incarnations did it take your Master to realise God?”

“Seven long incarnations.”

“Seven long incarnations? I can’t believe it!”

“Who wants you to believe it? Who is begging you to believe it?”

“I am sorry. Master, my second question is, how many years or how many incarnations did it take you to realise God?”

“Three quick incarnations.”

“It took you three incarnations to realise God? You are such a great Master. How is it that it took you three incarnations?”

“What is wrong with that, my son?”

“Nothing, Master. But three whole incarnations? Anyway, I am very glad that my Master realised God in only three incarnations, whereas his Master took seven incarnations.”

“So you are proud of your Master?”

“Of course I am. I am positive that you have far surpassed your Master. Therefore, I should be more proud of you than I am now.”

The Master gave his disciple a sweet smile and said, “I love your innocent wisdom.”

“Master, this is my third question. How many incarnations shall I take to realise God?”

“Just one brief incarnation.”

“O Master, now you have lost all your seriousness once again! How can I realise God in one incarnation, when it took you three incarnations and it took your Master seven incarnations? It is impossible! ”

“Why, my child? Why?”

“Master, I have never understood you and I shall never understand you.”

“You don’t have to understand me. You just have to believe me. Let me make my philosophy simpler and clearer to you. Let us take my Master as a villager. A villager does not get as much opportunity to study as a town-dweller. With great difficulty he goes to school. With great difficulty he learns and becomes a man of knowledge. This was the case with my Master. But I was like a town-dweller. Naturally I got more opportunity to study than my village Master. So I didn’t have as much difficulty as he in studying and becoming a man of knowledge. Now, you are my spiritual son. You are like a city-dweller. You are getting every possible opportunity to go to school and become a man of learning. So for you it will be easy to acquire knowledge.”

“But Master, I still don’t understand you.”

“You will never understand me. I have decided from now on to understand everything for you on your behalf.”

“Master, I really don’t want to equal you in spirituality.”

“My child, I want you not only to equal me in spirituality, but to surpass me.”

“Master, on your part this is a most kind, blessingful wish and on my part the thought is nothing but sheer stupidity and absurdity."

“My son, my Master realised God, I realised God and you will realise God. Now, I surpassed my Master. And the way I surpassed my Master, you will also surpass me.”

“But Master, how will I dare to bless you? You know perfectly well that a son is not entitled to bless his father no matter how great he becomes and how ignorant and illiterate his father is.”

“Son, you are giving me earthly wisdom. I want to give you heavenly wisdom. When a son realises God, he is in a perfect position to bless his father, for he is in constant touch with the Highest. When he blesses his father at that time, it is just as though God Himself were blessing his father.”

“But Master, if both son and father are equally realised, how can the son bless the father?”

“Why not? They can bless each other. And as I said before, you should not only equal me but surpass me. So, without the least possible hesitation, I can say that you will be entitled to bless me.”

"O Master, I have pleased you in thousands of ways, hundreds of times. Of course, it was your compassion that made me succeed every time. You have made me an unconditional disciple of yours. Will it ever be possible, Master, for me to ask you to become unconditional to me, even once in this lifetime?”

“Son, I have always been unconditional. Had I not been unconditional ever since I accepted you as a true disciple of mine, by this time you would have left me. And this applies not only to you, but to all my spiritual children. I have always been an unconditional Master to my disciples. God Himself has taught me this supreme, secret lesson. Had I not been unconditional, no disciple would have or could have stayed with me even for a day.”

“Master, this time I really believe you. But will you fulfil my last prayer on earth?”

“Certainly I will.”

“Then, Master, never allow me to be your equal, let alone dream of surpassing you. I wish to be always at your feet. I wish always to kiss the dust of your feet. You have told me repeatedly that you have come into the world to make everybody happy. Such being the case, please make me happy. Please stick to your philosophy that we are all progressing ceaselessly into the ever-transcending Beyond. Just as you are far ahead of me now, I wish you always to remain far ahead of me. You sing the song of your highest self-transcendence from your own height and let me constantly sing the song of my self-transcendence from my own height.”

“Son, in this world, when two persons do not see eye-to-eye with each other, in order to create a compromise it is always advisable for one to surrender. So I shall surrender to your most fascinating philosophy, since you are unwilling to surrender to my most illumining realisation.”