Navarathri Programme -8-10-2010

Reminiscences

A gentleman came and stayed at Gondavale to acquire love for God. Two months passed well. Then one day there was an altercation with the priest on a trivial matter and he had to listen to very bitter words. Thinking that he had been needlessly insulted, and that there was no point in continuing to stay there, he decided to leave Gondavale and return to his village. He went to ShriMaharaj in order to apprise him of his intention. As soon as he saw him, ShriMaharaj said, "One plants a variety of flower - plants. There are many types amongst them such as marigolds, daffodils, zinnias, roses. Plants like a rose plant being of importance amongst them, one feeds it the best dung- manure. What if the rose plant were to complain why it alone was being fed the nauseous ma­nure ? Attainment of love for God is valuable like a rose plant If one wants it to bear the flower of love, then pride and ego have to be destroyed, for which the manure of insults has to be fed. This is the dung-manure So if an occasion arises to face an insult, swallow it, taking it to be an occurrence of God's grace. Nama helps one do it. The gentleman was convinced by the reasoning, and cancelled his plan to leave.