Politeness in Matters Spiritual
By Karmayogi
When people are introduced to
Mother, in the first few weeks they declare, ‘‘I have worked for
twenty years to buy a small piece of land. Now in the last forty days, ever
since I came to know HER, two big pieces of lands came to me.'' As
they see event after event happening, their natural GOOD WILL impels them to
speak of Her to everyone they know. This is not wrong, but leads one nowhere.
Some people disbelieve them, others ridicule, yet others ask why they impose
their faith on others. Most remain indifferent. The truth is to KNOW Mother is
a spiritual privilege. Not all people can listen to someone's enthusiasm.
There is one more factor. When your advice falls of deaf ears, later you become
ineffective in giving valid advice to those who deserve it. It is a delicate
situation or a ticklish question.
An employer was a devotee. His purchasing office called him at 10 a.m. to seek
half a day's leave. As the voice was tense and anxious, the employer
desired to now if anything was wrong. The Purchase Officer's daughter was
going in for an operation to have her appendix removed and the operation was
fixed at 11 a.m., hence the anxiety. The employer was a devotee. He desired to
suggest prayer, but very much hesitated. Instead, he asked his employee how
urgent the operation was. The answer came that at that time his daughter might
be inside the theatre and therefore he wanted to rush to the hospital. The
employer was at his wit's end and asked another question,
‘‘How essential is the operation?'' The feeling the
employer got was that the employee, though he was in a hurry, was anxious to
avoid the operation.
'‘If the operation could be avoided .'' said the
employer. The employee was in ecstasy to hear that. That made the employer give
him a blessing packet. On reaching the operation theatre, the father of the
girl listened to the discussion of the doctors about how the operation could be
avoided. It was avoided. The words Spirit and soul are different. Our whole
bodies, all their parts are made of Spirit. That is why it is Sarvam Brahman.
The inner developed part of it is the soul. In times of urgency, the whole body
rises in alert. The very Spirit of the being is awake. At those moments,
politeness is a bar. When you are addressing the MIND and its opinions,
politeness is essential.