never stretch out your hand for money before anyone. You will not be in want of simple food and clothing. If you stretch your hand for a pice before anyone, you will be selling your head to him. Yet to live on charity is better than to live under another's roof. Wheresoever your devotees may keep you in their homes and look after you, don't you ever lose your own house at Kamarpukur.' "
A boy named Manasa came to the Holy Mother. He wanted to be initiated and become a Sannyasin. The Holy Mother satisfied his desire with much pleasure. He was very glad and sitting in Uncle Kali's drawing room sang the two songs: 'There is nothing in the world, Shyama is the only essence!' and 'I cast your image in the mould of my mind, O Shyama!' The Holy Mother liked the songs very much. Sitting near him Radhu, Maku, Nalini, one or two aunts and many others were listening to the singing. One of the aunts said, "Sister-in-law has made a monk of this boy. Such fine boys she turns into monks. With what difficulty their parents have brought them up, and pinned all their hopes on them! All that is shattered. Now he will either go to Rishikesh and beg for his food, or clean the dirt of patients in the name of service! To marry and set up a family also is a rule of creation. If you keep turning out monks like this, Mahamaya will be angry with you. If they want to be monks, let them do so by themselves. Why should they do so through your agency, aunt?" The Holy Mother replied, 'Maku, they are all children of the gods. They remain pure as flowers in the world. Can you tell what greater happiness is there than theirs? You know yourself what happiness there is in worldly life! You know also the happiness of having a husband. Are you not ashamed to go to your husband again and again? What have you learnt, staying with me so long? Why so much infatuation, so much animality? What happiness do you enjoy? If you again approach your husband, I will send you away from here. Cannot a pure thought ever come to your mind even in a dream? Can you not even now live as brother and sister? Do you want to live like a pig? My bones burn in the fire of your worldly life."
1 All hung their heads in shame.
The Holy Mother continued, "Whether a man calls on God or not, if he does not marry, he is already half liberated. When the
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1 Some time before this, Maku's baby son had died, and after that she had another son born to her.