Chapter 36: Interested In Remaining Disinterested
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From Hamirpur, the son of Bhavani Prasad Nigam sheepishly walked into the room. He had gone to Bombay without his parents' permission, and there had had his wallet pick-pocketed and lost all his money. Baba met with him for a while and arranged for Nariman to provide the train fare for his journey home.
When the boy left the room, Baba commented,
"His father is the head of a joint family, a very practical and loving man. But see how the son is! How worried his parents must have been, but what does he care? He was having the time of his life in Bombay! Is this not a film show? The day-to-day events of the universe are like a movie. Some feel happy and some miserable."
Aloba was called and Baba asked him to recite a few lines from Hafiz in Persian. The meaning of the couplet was:
Happiness and misery are the lot of life And are experienced in the circle of duality. Once one gets out of this circle, the duel of opposites in duality ceases. Hence, happiness and misery both mean nothing.
Khilnani commented to Baba, "We understand this quite well on an intellectual level, but we cannot live up to it, and we cannot help being miserable, even though this is all a game of nothing."
Baba replied,
"Mere verbal knowledge does not help much. But remember one thing: If misery and happiness are in the domain of Nothing and are really nothing, then why not always choose to be happy? Remain happy. Try to remain happy. Know that God alone IS, and all else is nothing."
Gajwani interrupted, saying that understanding derived through reading is vague and later on becomes confusing. Therefore, he had stopped reading books on spiritual subjects.
"This is only partially true," Khilnani observed. "When we are with Baba, our Master, reading becomes unnecessary, but when we are away from him, reading of his books and meditating on their themes are a real solace in life, at least for me."
Baba said,
"Truth can never be expressed in words. However, words have their own importance within certain limits. The effect of reading depends upon the kind of books and the value you attach to them. We find people quarreling in the name of religion over their holy books. Is it not like dogs fighting for the bare bones which have no marrow in them?"