The Founder had an abundant practice of self-control in his college career , which he has so strongly recommends , as indispensable, before a man takes to a religion in all seriousness.The first thing he invites attention to , is the clear constant remembrance , which he had viz., that he was neither the body, nor the senses, nor the mind. He was only a side spectator of all the different plays that were being exhibited on the stage of his individuality , under the rich maintenance and lurid right of his own soul.
Regarding his parents brothers , sisters, wife and children, either he was a guest in midst of them or anyone of them was a guest to him. The Founder’s mother so very often scolded him for living in the family as a foreigner full of courtesy, kindness and goodness, but , however, with no attachment or depth of intimate relationship. He neither knew nor played any games. Music, poetry, literature, conversation, discussion , philosophy and religion were the subjects of his pastime. He was extremely intellectually witty and jocular, and it seemed as if he wanted to do nothing else with others , except either to meet for merry-making or to be left to himself.The fun that he would introduce in his talk had very little of worldliness. He was fond of picturing the pettiness and the silliness of human nature. His patent word , for which his father scolded him was ” Kachra Peti ” or ” Kachra Patti ” ( Refuse-box or Refuse ). People would be talking with so much interest about worldly matters . He would be in midst of them but mostly absent-minded. His father would cross-question him to ascertain if he had heard what was passing for an hour or two. With a smile he would say , ” Kachara Patti ” . He meant, ” My brain, I do not want to turn a rubbish-depot for the worldly rubbish” He would rarely see his face in a mirror. When scolded for his shabby appearance , he would quote Kabir,” What are you looking in the mirror? see therein , whether you are man or monkey ? ” The question as to what he ate before going to school, by the school teacher and friends, was the point of great ridicule in his school days. Recently in 1943 , he was moving in the procession of his own son as a bridegroom. Some important officer of a repute , who had also been walking in the procession asked him,” Where have we to go ? ” He evaded exposure of his ignorance , saying ,” At the bride’s place “. He was bit nervous , quickly left him and got information from his relative as to the place and the name of the bride etc. He than began to answer and talk over the details. The man smiled and said,” I have watched you getting information “.
All this is mentioned here, not as an eulogy , but to give an instruction to an ambitious true spiritual aspirant, as to the extent to which he has to keep in his mind and brain blank, and unburdened’ if at all he wants to try for perfection. Founder says,” Two things can not occupy the same space.”
The Founder often speaks about,” Having the maximum energy , maximum leisure, maximum space and maximum lightness in the brain and in the heart. Have the maximum conversation , about every pleasure having its reaction of pain and exhaustion or tiresomeness “.
Your paying off your debts on one side , but incurring new debts of a different nature on the other, takes you nowhere. First plug up the hole, from which water is getting into your boat, and then start the work of removing the already collected waters. First divide your mind two ways .Regarding not incurring additional liabilities, you must be cent per cent active. No more sins , no more vices; no more degeneration.
Don’t think even of your good acts and merits. That attachment to the meritorious actions of your will again entangle you. If you are avaricious of getting the fruit of your merit, take my word, you will again be entangled.After kingship as the reward of the merits , comes the hell. After heaven, again one returns to the same rotten human world.So, leave the question of sins and merit and accept only the simplest forms of good actions and bad actions.The Founder sometimes quotes his patent line , which he was repeating at about twenty, near the stony bank counter fort of the river in Poona [Pune], in a Mahadev महादेव मंदीर Temple, on moonlight nights ,” Kahan Le Jau Do Gathadi, Khudaki Meher Kafi Hay ” – कहा ले जाउ दो गठडी , खुदाकी मेहेर काफी है – ( Where – why – should I carry these two heaviest packets of sin and merits on my head through the unknown tract between this world and beyond ? For me the mercy of God is quite enough.) He had reduced the question of sins and merits to that of bad and good actions and actions pleasing or displeasing to God , elevating or degrading for society and helping and hurting the persons dealt with.
Naturally enough, the departure from the average fundamental Hindu mentality made so much of his burden lightened and disappear. ” If by chance if your sacred thread is broken, for the word that you speak and for every step you pace , there is sin. Ant-crushing is sin and burning of germs while you ignite fire for food is sin “. So many sins disappeared from his dictionary.
They have already disappeared for the modern man as well, but in the latter’s case, even the religion itself has disappeared.
You first establish a stage by the constant thoughtfulness, association and remembrance of things , when, any bad actions that proceed from you are only because of the hankering for the pleasure delivered out of them, or out of definite wickedness. Let that stage be reached , when you do bad actions , only because you have not been able to resist the temptations. This stage means two things. For you to be systematically arranging an automatic series and a continuity of bad actions becomes impossible. The other thing is , you get hatred for your own self, especially the returns for good actions are not being thought of as stated before. What then remains , is only your sorrow and repentance for bad actions: You feel your are dirt in the Mother’s Good Universe ; you are a black sheep; you are a spot on the snow-white Universe of Mother. Where can any ego remain in the mind, which is full of sorrow for bad actions ?
Don’t work in desultory unsystematic manner. You make a point say, you want to master your wrathfulness. Let there be a definite programme , say, for such and such period ,” I will not simply curb my wrathfulness but invite and create occasions when people would provoke me to wrathfulness “. While you have fixed your programme , let all other things even though of much greater importance , have a quite secondary a place and value. Master it and leave it.
This was one of the innumerable instances of his ‘ wrathlessness practice ‘.He was in the college students quarters. Each room would have two students. Due to his absent-mindedness, he would put his clothes on the pegs of his companion, who a bit hot. The Founder was thrice warned , but where can the absent-mindedness go ? One day he put his clothes, dhoti, coat, shirt , cap, as soon a she came in the room after a tiresome outing on the companions peg. The latter flew into anger and threw away all his clothes with a wrathful and forceful insulting fling in to the gutter. The Founder swallowed up the most terrible insult, He told him in the most humiliating tone ,” I am sorry; what can I do ? Even tough I try my best, I can not remember your instruction.” Not a single line or spake of wrathfulness was there on his face. The companion gradually came down to coolness. As a matter of fact he was shocked to find no quarreling and no bandying of words ; not even a single word. At the end he said,” Are you bringing those clothes , or should I bring them ? ” The Founder with cool minded said,” Let them be there. I have got other spare ones,” said the companion,” Should I ask our servant to bring them and then send to the washer-man ? ” Founder said,” Don’t worry. Let them lie.” After a pause and a bit of repentance , the companion said,” On getting them washed, you will of course use it them, is it not ?” Said the Founder,” Cease to think about that. Let them lie to their lot. Let us order tea. I have brought a nice packet of biscuits, we shall enjoy “. The companion saw the Founder was resolute and any further talk regarding the clothes would be simply humiliating himself. Of course he refused the biscuits. The clothes were removed by the Bhangi. The crowd of all students was after the Founder, enquiring what had happened ; but he kept mum.
EXTRACT FROM THE BOOK : MAI-ISM AUTHOR : MAI SWARUP MAI MARKAND MAI NIWAS, SARASWATI ROAD END, SANTACRUZ WEST MUMBAI 400054 INDIA
God as Mother and Father in MAIISM AND HINDUISM 