Question: As we have an angel to watch over us, is there also an evil force that watches over us?

Sri Chinmoy: Certainly. But the evil forces are much more alert than the divine forces. Mothers have such faith in their children. They will say, “My child cannot be so bad.” Because of the mother’s own divinity, she will say this. Again, if the father does not smoke, then he will never be able to believe that his son is smoking marijuana. Then after a few years, when he sees that it is happening again and again, he will believe it. But in the beginning it will be impossible for him to believe. The mother and father will always judge according to their own standards.

The hostile forces get tremendous joy by breaking the pride of the parents. In the same way, angels are trying to help mankind, but unfortunately these hostile forces come and try to destroy all the angels’ good work.

Each individual is not only represented by divine forces, but also by hostile forces. Consciously we can take the side of the divine forces. Again, unconsciously we can take the side of the hostile forces. Here I am talking to the divine part of you, and you are listening to your Master, the divine part of you. You are not invoking the hostile forces, but I can see that there are undivine forces inside each of you — in some cases, absolutely huge hostile forces.

Again, every day it changes. The day you take more the side of the divine, the hostile force inside you is small. Another day if you do not take the side of the divine, it becomes huge. On the day you have not prayed and meditated, the hostile force becomes like an elephant.

Sometimes it may happen that the very day you have prayed and meditated, the hostile forces accumulate some power. You may be in a very good mood, but on that day the hostile forces can take the absolutely largest form to destroy your faith in God. Early in the morning you may get up to pray and meditate, but on that day you may hear about some calamity in your life. Then you may lose all your faith in God, in your Guru or in your spiritual life.

That is how the test comes. At that time you have the golden opportunity to make unconditional surrender to God’s Will. The day you have done everything good may be the day that you are getting all kinds of unfortunate experiences, devastating experiences. That very day is the golden chance, in a positive sense, for you to become truly spiritual. In the Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna says, “Do your very best. The results place at the Feet of God.” Here, also, you did your very best. You got up early in the morning and prayed and meditated. You sang spiritual songs. You took exercise. Everything divine you did. Then you got some absolutely unbearable experiences — a car accident or something else.

At that time, you have to say, “Oh, it could have been worse. I had a serious car accident; I could have died. At least I am still alive!” That is the divine way of looking at it. The undivine way is to say, “I prayed and meditated. Today of all days, instead of other days when I did not pray and meditate, I have had an accident! Why do I have to pray to God? Why do I need God?”