The Master's experiences

A well-known spiritual Master returned late one night from two days of lecturing and he invited a few of his disciples over for dinner. After they had eaten, the disciples begged him for news about his trip.

The Master said, "It is very late, but I can offer you two or three amusing incidents. During the trip, as you know, I visited four states and gave four talks at universities. God alone knows how we managed, but we did. The audiences at all four places were very respectful right from the beginning and gave us a very good response.

"After one of the talks I gave yesterday, a Chinese girl came up to me and said, 'Have you seen Lord Krishna?'

"I said, 'Yes.'

"She said, 'But I tell you I have seen Krishna in you. I have been practising Krishna Consciousness for some time but today, for the first time, I have seen Lord Krishna, and he was in you.'

"I smiled at her and she folded her hands.

"Then, after another talk, I was speaking to a young man. He said to me, 'It seems to me that you are God. Please tell me whether you are God or not.'

"I said, 'Far, far from it. I am only a servant of God. I am only a son of God as you are a son of God. I am your older brother. One day you shall also become an older brother to others and take the rest of humanity to God.'

"Then he said to me, 'What is your philosophy?'

"I said, 'Love.'

"He said, 'My philosophy is also love.' He wanted to embrace me but I just gave him a smile.

"After another talk a young man came to me and said, 'What is the use of having a living man on a dying planet? I have seen who you are. You are a living man.'

"I replied, 'This planet is not dying and it cannot die unless and until I have offered everything I have. It will always last because of what I am offering.'

"Then he said, 'Thank you, thank you, thank you. You have assured me that a living Master and a true disciple can go together.' I just smiled."

The Master continued, "When I give lectures I also encounter many disciples of other Masters. Some are very wild. One such person came up to me and asked me if I thought his Master could give me salvation. I said, 'If I have faith in him then certainly he can. Similarly, if I have faith in the Christ, or the Buddha, they also can give me salvation.' He was so pleased because I had compared his Master with the Christ and the Buddha."

One of the disciples interrupted the Master. "Guru, your lowest disciple is far better than that rogue Master!"

Another disciple said, "Guru, we know you never pass comments on other spiritual Masters, but it seems that this Master has not spent years praying or meditating before becoming a Master. Is that possible?"

The Master replied, "All spiritual Masters have to work to get their realisations. Some have realised God in previous incarnations, but even they have had to work very hard in the following incarnation to get it back. I worked four or five years to get back my realisation."

"So then that Master really is a rogue," said one disciple. The Master looked at his watch and said, "It is getting late and you should all go home now. Before you go I will say only that in this world, fools and rogues go very nicely together. Fools are insecure: therefore, they go to rogues. And rogues feel that fools are the type to exploit, so they exploit them as much as they can. These rogues have no idea about reincarnation or the soul's world or what will happen in future incarnations. They just enjoy today to their heart's content, for as long as they can. They feel, 'I may die tomorrow but this moment is at my disposal. Let me use it to deceive the world before someone catches me.' That is what they are doing. These people not only have no idea about future lives, but also have no idea about what will happen tomorrow. They know only that today belongs to them and they are anxious to use today.

"So, dear ones, let us not be fools. Now it is past the time for all of you to go home. Meditation comes early in the morning. Let us go."