Friday, September 17, 2010

Reminiscences

A devotee asked, 'Maharaj, how do saints respond to the illusory material world ?' ShriMaharaj said, "If a log falls into the sea, it rises and falls with the waves. It is sure that no matter how turbulent the sea gets, it defi­nitely will not sink, and is therefore absolutely free of any apprehension. Saints respond to the illusoriness of the world in a like manner. Or, imagine that there is a big lake and one is walking on its shore. One's shadow travels over the water. Even then one does not believe that one is drowning, and one is therefore not frightened in the least. A worldly-minded person imagines the shadow to be the real self and flounders to stay afloat, screaming 'I am drowning'. A saint is completely assured that just as the shadow is not a real thing, the material world's appearance is also not a reality. Therefore he is not dis­tracted or frightened by the buffets and blows of the illu­sory material world."