Question: Master, if I have to come back to earth in another incarnation, who is going to take care of my soul? If you won't come to this world again, will you name someone else to take care of me?

Sri Chinmoy: I will not come back any more. I have played my role. Once the game is over, you don't play again. When you are playing your part in a game sometimes you lose the game and sometimes you win. But you will only be concerned that you have played your part. In your case, the most important thing you have to feel is whether or not you have achieved an inseparable oneness with my soul in this incarnation. In the ordinary human life we see the bond between mother and son. You are in Puerto Rico and your son may be in New York. But although you are here working in the office, your heart is inside your son, who may be studying in New York in the University. His heart is also inside you, his mother. From New York the message of all his affection, love and concern is coming to your heart. Even human love, a human bond, has crossed thousands of miles. Your human body will stay on earth for perhaps seventy or eighty years. But in this body you have got something which is called heart. How it is crossing the distance of thousands of miles! This is your offering and his offering.

In the spiritual plane the teacher himself represents God. His soul is infinitely more illumined than his disciples' souls. But each disciple's soul also wants to be as illumined as the Master's soul.

It is most important for the disciple to establish a real feeling, a radiant feeling of oneness with his Master. If the disciple does not realise God in this incarnation, there will be a definite, direct, express connection between that disciple and his Master. Then in the next incarnation, or in one or two incarnations, the disciple can realise the Highest, the Absolute.

Everybody has to realise God. You may say that you won't eat anything. But there is one thing that you will have to eat, and that is the fruit of the tree of realisation. Other food you may deny, but realisation-food you won't be able to deny. God will say, "All right, if you don't want to eat, don't eat, but this food, the realisation-food, you have to eat sooner or later, in this incarnation or in ten incarnations."

When your master is in the physical, it is the greatest opportunity, because at that time your physical mind is bound to be convinced. When a spiritual Master descends to earth, you get the greatest opportunity. Ramakrishna used to say, "The cow is already there. The cow has milk, but where does the actual milk lie? In the udder. When you milk the cow, you should try not to get milk from the leg of the cow or from the tail of the cow or from the ear of the cow. There is no milk there. So also, divine Bliss is everywhere. But there is a particular time when infinite Grace and Compassion can descend consciously and constantly. And that is when a realised Master descends to earth.

At the end of the game everybody will be judged on where he or she stands in the heart of the Master. Everybody will be given the opportunity; everybody will act; everybody will see the results.