Inn of Madness

VIII

We should have respect for all holy places, but why were they made? They are there for the health of the soul.

If one’s physical body is sick, people say,

Go to the hills and recuperate.

A few months’ carefree relaxation in the high altitude and fresh clean air is very beneficial and health-giving.

So, the holy places had an ideal purpose: to strengthen the soul by allowing it to withdraw from all the worldly affairs, leaving all worries behind, and sitting at the feet of some Realised Soul. This was the true purpose of the holy place, but today we have made them into holiday resorts and have started our worldly enjoyments there also.

I have been to Hardwar (a famous place of pilgrimage on the River Ganges) many times. Once a large number of Satsangis gathered and requested a Satsang be held.

When the Satsang started, I said,

Brothers, this place is very precious because many great Rishis, Munis, and Mahatmas have visited here at one time or another. Guru Nanak came, also Guru Amar Das visited here off and on over a period of seventy years. It is, therefore, a most auspicious site – but what have we done to it? When one travels towards town from the railway station, one sees two cinema halls.

A man stood up and corrected me:

No, Maharaj, there are now three!

Now tell me, is it the fault of the holy place? Consider why they were built: was it due to thousands of the country’s population flocking there? No, the holy places became holy because a certain one or more Realised Souls placed Their Holy Feet there.

Millions of people have been born in Jerusalem, but today it is held holy by the whole of Christendom due to one Man – Jesus Christ. The greatness of each place of pilgrimage can be accredited to at least some Realised Soul. Now, what has more value? The Realised Soul, or the place that became known because of Him?

We do become devotees of the holy books, but we do not want that which the books recommend. We decorate our houses with photographs or pictures of certain Masters, and surround them with artificial flowers, etc.; but we have no respect for a Living Master. When the Masters come to the world, we call Them atheists or madmen. Many Masters have been treated like this during Their lifetime, but after They leave the world we start worshipping the very ground They placed Their feet upon.

So, very lovingly the Master is helping us to understand that the body is ours for a few days only, and eventually we must leave it behind. God is Love. The soul is of the same essence as He, and is, therefore, also Love. A True Human Being is one in whom Love exists and is expressed. How can a man be truly human if he does not express Love? He should have been the very epitome of Love; he should have loved the Lord and the Lord in all beings; but instead he became like a black cobra. Do you know what happens when the cobra strikes. The place that he strikes upon starts burning; it is very poisonous. A wound from a sword, for instance, can heal within ten or fifteen days; but the wound from the human tongue never heals.

When I visited the West, some people asked,

How can we stem the danger of atomic war?

I told them,

By living up to what your scriptures say.

And, what do the scriptures tell us? They tell us to love the Lord, and as the Lord is in each being, to love everyone.