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When we come to childlike simplicity we will be blessed. We will
experience revelations and the mind’s clouds will scatter in no time,
regardless of the outer weather or our mental conceptions.

       Your surroundings, whatever they may be, will not be the cause of sorrow, suffering or dejection for you. When you learn how to forgive, how to be compassionate, how to see the point of view of others, how to claim the least, how to see God’s hand in all workings, then even hell is heaven. You would not mind to be in any dungeon—that would turn out to be blissful for you. This is verily true of any human being, not only ascetics or hermits but also common man. When you come in tune with nature, you are always joyful. You are always at peace whether you express it or not. This is the heritage of everyone, regardless of qualifications or disqualifications, sinner or virtuous.
       When I was young and living in the Himalayas, at one point I was staying with another sadhu who was a very staunch hatha yogi. One day I was reading a book to him while he was cooking. It was called How To Be a Servant of God, or something like that, and I was reading with fervor and gusto. I was liking it and I thought he was liking it too. Then all of a sudden he said—“Hmm . . . hmm . . . ”—something to draw my attention. I said, “What is wrong, Swamiji?” He said, “Leave off that book. Don’t read it to me.” He said this quite abruptly, in a very negative way. I looked at his face. The word of God, the name of God and being a worshipper and devotee of God—I was reading about that. And this was a swami—I was not yet a swami then and he was—and he didn’t like it. I wondered and asked him, “What is the problem?” He said, “I don’t like this—how to be a servant of God. I don’t want to be a servant. Servitude is a kind of defeatist policy and it has ruined India . . . ” and he began to lecture me on the whole plight of India. I was aghast. We are here to remember God, to meditate upon God, and he is saying, “I don’t want to be a servant of God.” I said, “For what did you become a swami?” He said, “Well, you can do everything within. Everything is within you.” I said, “I don’t argue with that point. But then you have to start somewhere.” And he discussed these things on and on.
 
I WASN’T AGITATED but I could not discuss much with him either. I was an acolyte at that time and he was a finished product. So I was listening. At first I got a little sad that such a swami, a religious man, was talking against God. I could not digest that. But somehow I had patience. Each time he said something I was getting defeated. I wanted to defend being a servant of God and he was trying to demolish all my servitude and even God Himself!



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