(RECORDED BY SWAMI TANMAYANANDA)
Once I was suffering terribly from colic. One day I was feeling drowsy, and in that condition I seemed to hear someone telling me to take water sanctified by the feet of my Guru. The next day I went to Jayrambati and drank a little water sanctified by the feet of the Holy Mother. I said to her, "Mother, I had a desire to worship your feet, but now I have drunk water." The Mother said, "What's wrong in that? Come into the room."
After worshipping her feet, I placed them on my head. At this the Mother said, "Ah, foolish child, should you place a person's feet on your head! The Lord resides there."
Disciple: Mother, I have not seen the Master.
Mother: The Master is God Himself.
Disciple: If the Master is God, then who are you?
Mother: Who else am I?
Disciple: If you so wish, You can show me the Master.
Mother: When the Master touched Naren (Swami Vivekananda), the latter got alarmed. Practise spiritual disciplines and you shall see him.
Disciple: What's the need of spiritual disciplines for a person who has you as the Guru?
Mother: Yes, that's true. But the point is this: the house may have all kinds of food-stuff for cooking, but one must cook them and take his meal. He who cooks earlier gets his meal earlier too. Some eat in the morning, some in the evening, and there are yet others who starve because they are lazy and reluctant to cook.
Disciple: Mother, I don't understand what you mean.
Mother: The more arduously one practises spiritual disciplines, the more quickly one will attain to God. Even if he doesn't practise any spiritual disciplines he will attain to Him at the last moment of his life-he will certainly. But the person who spends his time raising a hue and cry without practising spiritual disciplines will take a long time. You have renounced the world for performing spiritual practices. But as you are not able to practise them always, you should do work, looking upon it as the Master's work. Since you suffer from colic, you should avoid too austere a life.