Silence is the answer1

Once Ramachandra said to his Guru, Vashishtha, “Lord, please tell me something about God.”

Vashishtha said, “God? He is all greatness. My son, meditate on this.”

Ramachandra meditated on God’s Greatness for a few seconds. Then Vashishtha said, “I am so glad that you have seen and felt God’s Greatness.”

Ramachandra then said, “Lord, please say something more about God.”

Vashishtha said, “God is all goodness. Meditate on God’s Goodness.”

Ramachandra meditated for a few seconds on God’s Goodness. Vashishtha said, “Excellent! I am so glad that you have seen and felt God’s Goodness.”

Again Ramachandra asked his Master to tell him something more about God.

“God is all kindness, all compassion and all concern. Meditate on this.”

Ramachandra meditated on God’s Kindness, Compassion and Concern for a few seconds. Vashishtha said, “Excellent, excellent, my son.”

Ramachandra then said, “Lord, please tell me something more about God.”

His Guru replied, “God is all justice. Meditate on this.”

Ramachandra meditated on God’s Justice and Vashishtha said, “Marvellous! You have seen and felt God’s Justice.”

“Lord, something more I want to hear about God.”

“God is all power. Meditate on this, my son.”

Ramachandra meditated on God’s Power, and Vashishtha said, “I knew, I knew that you would see and feel God’s Power in a very short time.”

“Something else I wish to hear from you, my Lord, about God.”

Vashishtha remained silent.

“Why are you silent, my Lord?” Ramachandra asked. Still Vashishtha remained silent.

“Lord, why are you silent? I wish to learn more from you about God.”

Vashishtha still remained silent.

“Why don’t you want to teach me, my Lord?” asked Ramachandra. “If you do not teach me, how can I learn more about God? I want to learn everything about God from you.”

Again, silence!

Ramachandra asked, “Have I offended you in any way? Consciously I know that I have not offended you. And if I have offended you unconsciously, please forgive me. Only I want you to teach me more about God.”

But Vashishtha only remained silent. “Lord, Lord, if you do not teach me more about God, then I will definitely remain ignorant. If this is your will, if this is the Will of God, then I must remain silent, too.”

Vashishtha blessed Ramachandra and said, “My son, you have got the answer. When all earthly questions are asked and all the answers are given, then question-life and sound-life come to an end. At that time, real answer-life and real silence-life begin. So silence is the answer. Silence is the unparalleled God. Silence unites the many and makes the many one. You and I are two. We are playing the role of teacher and student, Master and disciple. But you have learned everything that I know about God; therefore I remain silent. Silence is perfect oneness and oneness is God-perfection.”

Ramachandra touched Vashishtha’s feet and said, “Your name is silence, my Lord, Eternity’s silence; and my name is gratitude, Infinity’s gratitude. In silence and in gratitude we shall forever and forever remain inseparably one.”


GIM 41. 13 January 1979