Reminiscences

There was a postmaster. He used to chant Nama a good deal. He asked ShriMaharaj, 'If the abstract being of God is the real one, then is it necessary to worship a concrete one?' ShriMaharaj said, "When you are looking for a match for your daughter of marriageable age, you come to know of an eligible boy in another town, and you obtain the complete address of the boy's father. Then you go to that town and look for his address. A person there Informs you, 'Go further along this same street, turn right, and when you have walked further down that street, you will notice a pillarbox on your right. The house is just opposite the  pillarbox.' On hearing this, all your attention gets directed to that pillarbox. The pillarbox is not what you need, but because you know quite well what it Is like, you look for it. When you see the box, you locate the house you are looking for. An idol of God serves the same purpose. By worshipping the concrete, one acquires the eligibility to perceive the abstract. If a ladoo which has been formed into a round shape characterizes the form of God with attributes, the very same ladoo, crushed and amorphous, may be taken to be God's attributeless form*