Everybody cannot be treated in the same way

I will be so grateful to whoever takes care of one special individual who has come to our path. I have such love, affection and concern for him. This is my disciples’ love for me. When I ask them to treat someone in a special way, if their love is unconditional, they apply that unconditional love to the person that I name.

Everybody cannot be treated in the same way. If everybody has to be the same height, then somebody’s head will have to be cut off, and somebody else will have to be lifted up, so that they can become equal. This kind of thing we cannot do. This disciple has to be treated with special care. I really would like my disciples to take care of him unconditionally. That will be their service to me. Some disciples have money-power and heart-power. How many people they are saving with their money-power and heart-power! In the same way, I wish my disciples to give very special attention to this individual. With some people, we do not have to be strict.

In the Ashram, the Mother was very strict. When people got a job, even my brothers and sisters, they remained for thirty or forty years in the same place. One would be in the bakery, one would be in the laundry, one would be in the weaving section, one would be in the garden.

For Sri Chinmoy it was totally different. Usually it was very difficult to change one’s work, but I worked in seven or eight departments. I started with electricity. I continued for perhaps two years. Then in the cottage industry I worked with hand-made paper and dyeing, and then with coconut oil. Then came carpentry, and then I went to wash dishes. I liked that job very much. After that I used to work in the library.

Each time I told the Mother, “I do not like this job.”

The Mother said, “Do you have any complaint?”

I said, “I have no complaint, but I do not like it.” In my case, the Mother made an exception. All the others had great difficulty in changing their work. Seven or eight jobs I had. After two years or six months, I changed my job.

The job that I liked most was washing the dishes, because I had no responsibility. But that job I could not continue, because the Ashram secretary saw me there once or twice, and he did not like to see me washing dishes. He wanted me to be his secretary. I lost all my freedom when I became Nolini’s secretary! Before that I was like a vagabond. I would work for three or four hours and then go. But when I worked for Nolini, in the morning I started, and I worked the whole day. There was no day, no night. At night I would go to the meditation hall to meditate, and at 9:30 he would come with a letter, and I would have to run. All my freedom went away!

Before that, in seven or eight departments when I worked, if I did not like the job, the Mother said, “Fine, fine, fine.” I did not make any complaints against the bosses. They were so kind, so kind. They never cared about my work. Again, I was an exception. If I could not do a particular job, they would say, “Fine, fine — just come and be here. Just come and sit.” There were some other workers, and my job was only to supervise the workers and read books. Sri Aurobindo’s Savitri I read, and occasionally I looked up just to see if people were working.

I was spoilt; I got that kind of exceptional treatment. Everybody cannot be the same! Among my disciples also, out of six thousand people, I am asking for special treatment for only very few individuals. Every rule admits of exceptions. If, out of thousands of people, two or three individuals the Master wants to deal with in a different way, should not some disciples come to the Master’s rescue?

One boss could not believe that I did not want to work for him. He was very huge! He took me to his house and said, “You have made complaints against me.”

I said, “No, I have not made complaints.”

“All right, since you have left me, I am going to punish you.” He made me sit, and he gave me so much food! His wife and children were all very fond of me. The boss started eating, and he said, “Now eat! Since you are not going to work for me any more, this is the punishment.” Such was his affection for me.

Another boss, my second boss, came from Chittagong. He was older than me by eighteen years or more. After I came to America, I went to Pondicherry a number of times. During one of my visits I was chatting with my sisters and brothers and a few friends. They had all come to see me, and we were talking and talking. Then this former boss came with some flowers. As usual, while chatting I was sitting in a relaxed way. The boss came up to me and placed the flowers at my feet! Everybody was so surprised.

I said, “What are you doing?”

After putting the flowers at my feet, he looked at me. To my brothers and sisters he said, “You do not know who he is. I can see — I know who he is.” He said that I was a great yogi. This was my second boss!

The first boss was so kind to me. One day he grabbed my hands and said, “Every day I am praying for you to get the Nobel Prize. You must get the Nobel Prize.” Every evening he used to pray for me to get the Nobel Prize. Now he is in Heaven. This was my first boss.

I have told you about my third boss. How affectionate he was! At his place a lady declared that I am an Avatar.

Again I am coming back to the same point. Everybody cannot be treated in the same way. Thousands of people can be treated in one way, but some individuals can be treated in a different way.

There were two thousand members of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, and many servants. Out of two thousand people, why did the Mother want me to meditate in Sri Aurobindo’s room? I was the only one. I was invited to come, not once a month, but every day, at six o’clock in the morning. They showed me how to open the door and I started meditating. How could I get that kind of treatment? I was meditating right in front of Sri Aurobindo’s door. Sometimes the Mother would stand behind me, and I would make my spinal cord very straight! Then she would look at me and give me a smile.

Everybody cannot be treated in the same way. In my family, everybody was so indulgent to me. When it came to me, they never showed strictness.