Disbelief in Superstition
In earlier centuries all over the
world, superstition was a way of life, often an occasion for pride. Not to
believe things that are superstitious is the present way of life. Of course, one
must have the discrimination to know what is superstitious and what is
not.
An army officer, after retirement, ran the family industry. Being
pious, he built a temple for Kali where he sung bhajans for hours on end. Among
his establishments was a 175 bed hospital. Once he had an attack of suffocation
which turned his body blue. He was rushed to his own hospital where, though they
could not diagnose him, they restored him to health in a few days. These attacks
recurred periodically. No other hospital could handle the case. Friends
suggested it could be black magic. He refused the suggestion out of hand. After
some time he received a letter that said “I did black magic on you, lured by big
money. Now, whenever you sing at your temple it comes back on me. I am on the
brink of death. Please pardon me and give my life back to me.”
Still his
own attacks continued. Then he consented to meet magicians, but no help came
from any quarter. Except for praying to Kali he would not seek any other help.
His family and friends took him to several places on the sly. The ailment
remained. Being a powerful, rich man, no one dared to offer him help which he
might resent.
He was brought to Pondicherry a few times but he would not
pray for help. Once he consented to listen about stories of relief. As he was
listening, he inwardly felt relief and listened further. That led him to pray
for help. After he left Pondicherry, the one who had told him those stories
desired to know the result. Another reported, “Before he left Pondicherry, the
thing left him on the same day.”
When people get into a mind set, they
value that above everything. It leads to a position where they even
unconsciously risk their lives. Opinion rules. Its rule is the ultimate law.
Rarely do they reflect that to believe in superstition and to disbelieve in it
are equally superstitious.