too far?" Now turning to me, she said, "Go home, my son. It is quite common to have occasional hitches in family life."
A fellow disciple of mine, who had forgotten his
gayatri1Mantra, asked me to teach it to him. I wrote to the Mother in a letter, "Should one disclose a Mantra to someone else?" The Mother was then on a pilgrimage to the South and was staying in Madras. She wrote in reply, "A Mantra should not be disclosed to anyone. You can, however, tell it to a fellow disciple. There is no harm in that."
One day, being depressed, I went to see the Holy Mother at the Udbodhan house in Baghbazar. I bowed to her and said, "Mother, I am here to tell you something."
Mother: What's that? Come on, tell me.
Disciple: When will you bestow your grace on this unfortunate child of yours?
Mother: Child, remember the Master. He will certainly bless you. Keep only holy company and do your spiritual practices. Everything will be achieved if the Master is remembered.
Disciple: I have tried, Mother, but nothing has happened. I have not seen the Master, how can I remember him? I have received your blessings. Now that you are saying thus, you yourself kindly tell the Master about this unfortunate child of yours.
Mother: How can you achieve the goal without practising Japa and meditation? One must practise these disciplines.
Disciple: I don't feel like doing japa, etc. any more; for nothing whatsoever is of any avail. Desire, anger, delusion-these still hold sway over my mind exactly as they did before. The impurities of my mind have not decreased yet.
Mother: Child, the repetition of the name of God will gradually remove impurities. How can you expect results without such disciplines? Don't be foolish and neglect them. Whenever you find time, repeat the holy name of God. And pray to the Master.
Disciple: No, Mother, I do not have that capacity. Whenever I try to repeat the name, I find my mind agitated. Either you make my mind concentrated on God so that no evil thought assails me, or you take back the holy name! I do not want to be a cause
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1 Gayatri is a sacred Mantra of the Vedas that has become the holiest common prayer of the Hindus.