Question: If the soul at times has trouble illumining the other members of the being, what is it that eventually allows the soul to come to the fore and lead the unruly members — body, vital, mind and heart?

Sri Chinmoy: The soul gives the opportunity to the unruly members of our being — the body, vital, mind and heart — to become obedient to God on their own. But when the soul feels that it is almost a hopeless case, the soul uses its abundant God-given power to bring these unruly members under control so that they will be forced to see the Light and walk along the road of Light. It is like a human mother who, in the beginning, pleads with her children to become good, divine and perfect. When she sees that they are not paying any attention to her and she has exhausted all her patience, she punishes them and compels them to become good children to her liking.