“A small story.”

A small story. Once a man woke up from his bed early morning. As soon as he woke up, he saw his eyes were bulged and ears have protruded, heavy pain in the neck. Eyes have bulged, ears have protruded, heavy pain in the neck. Immediately he rushed to the doctor who diagnosed, checked him thoroughly and gave him some prescription and a warning. He said, ‘It is a very serious problem. You should take these medicines for six months without even one day gap. The side effect of this will be you will lose all your hair.’ The man religiously without even missing one day, took all the medicines. The side effect-losing all the hair happened, but not the main effect. The problem continued.

He went to the next doctor. Next doctor tried his best and told, ‘I think there is some serious problem in your left arm. It has to be amputated. What connection is there between the eyes and the ears, of left arm only God knows! It has to be amputated. The suffering is so much the man could not say anything except ‘yes’. He allowed. His hand is amputated. After the surgery, three months he was all right. After three months, again the problem started. Problem continued.

And he went to the third doctor who declared he couldn’t diagnose the problem. He couldn’t find the reason for it. ‘Hope you may be alive only one more month. The same situation continues, you will be alive only one more month.’ When he came to know that he will be alive only one more month, he was totally depressed. After two-three days, he recovered and decided to live his life. Wherever it is possible, whatever way it is possible, he started working. He started taking all types of loans. When he decided he is going to live only one more month, the first choice: he took all types of loans, got new bungalow, got new cars, furnitures, went to a tailor shop to have a new suit for himself.

When the tailor was taking measurements, he said, ‘make a fifteen inch collar. high neck.’ Tailor said, ‘No, for your size, it has to be eighteen inch.’ Man argued, ‘No, no, no. What do you know? Last six months, I am wearing only fifteen inch. That feels good. Tailor said, ‘Do you know instead of eighteen, if you wear fifteen, what will happen? Man asked, ‘What will happen?’ ‘Your eyes will bulge, ears will protrude’. Nothing else! Your whole life whatever solution you are trying to find from the outer world, it is just like this story. If you have missed the story, don’t worry. Don’t miss the laughter. I think she was enquiring. Even if you miss the story, don’t miss the laughter.

One more story just dedicated to you. In Bharat, Sardarji jokes are very popular. Any Sardarji, hmm? Oh! Maybe you don’t mind? That’s nice... There was a competition. Hundred jokes will be told. If you don’t laugh, you will have one million dollar prize. One man got into the stage. People have started cracking jokes. Fifty somehow he could manage but not more than that. He has to laugh. Next man managed seventy. Third, our hero got into the stage. He could manage ninety. Ninety five, yes, a slight smile, not even a laughter, a beam of smile entered his face. His wife was sitting just in front of him. Started shouting, ‘Hey! Keep quiet, keep quiet! One million dollar! At least for next two minutes, keep quiet: only two minutes! Don’t miss the one million dollar.’ But somehow, finally ninety eighth joke, nothing could be done, he laughed. He laughed uproariously. And he came down. The wife enquired, ‘What has happened? You waited patiently so long. You controlled yourself so long. What has happened? Last only two minutes you could have managed. Why did you miss? He replied, ‘No, no. Now only I understood the first joke!’ Even if you miss some jokes, don’t miss the laughter. Don’t laugh separately, don’t laugh separately after some half an hour.

Let us go to the first story. Our life is nothing but the first story. The problem is just here (shows the throat) Two inch, two-three inch! But you go round searching for solutions. You search exactly where solution cannot be found. You search everywhere except yourself. If you just look into yourself for a second, for a moment, only the two inch of relaxation, nothing else, just two inch of relaxation, the whole problem could have been solved: not only solved, dissolved! Instead of that, you go on asking for solution from all possible astrologers, all possible temples, all possible masters, all possible palm readers or whatever way it is possible, you try to find solutions. You go on searching for solutions in so many places, so many ways but except looking into yourself. If you just look into yourself for a moment, I don’t say to enter into your being totally, just for a moment. Then you will see, so many things gets transformed by itself.

These two days, you are not going to do anything else except looking into yourself. You are given place. No, space to look into yourself, just to look, just to see, just to turn inwards. You are given a chance, time and space to look into your system, into your being. So here, I wanted to give you few tips to use this two days maximum, few points to be remembered to have the maximum benefit, to have best out of this two-days program. The program is called Ananda Spurana. The meaning of that word is ‘Bliss flowering’. The ‘Spurana’ word exactly it has no translation. It can be translated as a fountain. Like a fountain, bliss or the energy is continuously bubbling in you, flowing in you, happening in you. Only thing, you hide it. You don’t let it happen to you.

Now for these two days you are asked or you are requested to take away your hands, allow that joy to happen, allow that bliss to happen just to have a taste of that ananda, taste of that bliss. The program is designed to have a taste of your inner being, taste of your inner bliss. You can attend this program in three days. One is just intellectually. If you just take this class as intellectual class, you will learn a lot, you will learn a lot. Intellectually means, just sitting with your head: nothing else! Just your head will be concentrated. If you want to take the intellectual knowledge just that is enough, nothing else is necessary. You don’t need anything else. If you are alert without sleeping in the class, that’s enough, nothing much is necessary. If you feel like sleeping, the last row is reserved for you. You can go there and sit and sleep. Please don’t sleep inside the class: not for your sake, at least for My sake. Why I say My sake, a small story.

Once a taxi driver from Chennai...anybody from Chennai, who lived in Chennai? Hmm, then you will understand. Taxi driver in Chennai, they lead you directly to hell! A straight way to hell. They don’t take you by short cut or they don’t take you by the long route or anything: direct way to hell! If you are expectant mother, never sit in Chennai taxi, and roads are also specially designed. Roads are also specially designed; the drivers are specially trained. Anyhow, one day morning, one taxi driver from Chennai and one great religious preacher-both of them died, directly went to the Court of Yamadharma. All of you understand the Yamadharma means he is the man who gives judgement. For people from West, I am telling. He is like a St.Peter who gives the judgement. Now I have little problem. I will have to use both cultural words but I will try to manage.

Whenever you don’t understand any technical terms, you are free to ask Me immediately. You don’t have to feel shy. Immediately just raise your hand. Then I will understand your question and answer you. So you can feel free to question anything or to ask anything. Don’t feel shy or don’t feel reluctant, ‘How can I ask or how can I question?’ because if you don’t understand, you will misunderstand. The one more big problem is you will go and tell outside that this is what I heard.

Both of them-the great religious preacher and the taxi driver, both of them reached the Yama’s court for judgement. First the taxi driver pushed himself into and came in. Yama enquired, ‘What is your name?’ He said, ‘My name is so and so’. ‘What were you doing?’ ‘I was driving taxi in Chennai.’ So he took out the list of merit and sins. Finally he gave the judgement. ‘Alright! Let you have silken robe, golden staff and first class AC seat in the Swarga, in the heaven.’ He sent. Next came this religious preacher. He was asked, ‘What is your name?’ ‘My name is so and so.’ ‘What were you doing?’ ‘I was preaching God’s word around the world, all over the world I used to go round and preach Lord’s name, preach the divine message.’ The list of the merit and sins is taken out and read. Yama gave the judgement. ‘Let you have cotton robe and wooden staff and third class room in heaven.’

The preacher got terribly angry, annoyed. He started shouting, ‘I will sue you’. Maybe he must have too much visited America. ‘I will sue you. What for a taxi driver you have given first class treatment and for me third class? I preach the divine message around the world. So many thousands of Satsangs I conducted. So many thousands of good things I have done. Everywhere I was speaking about divine message, divine glory. How can you give me third class, for him first class?’ The Yama said, ‘Here we don’t bother what you do. We bother only the results. When he was driving, people were praying for their lives. When you were preaching, people were sleeping. When you were preaching, people were sleeping; when he was driving, people were praying for their lives. So, we don’t bother what you do. We bother what is the result.

So may not be for your sake, at least for My sake, don’t sleep. Otherwise when I go there, I will be given wooden staff and third class room. At least for My sake, don’t sleep. If you feel like sleeping, sit in the last row so that I will have argument, ‘No, they have not slept in My class. They were sleeping only outside the room, outside the class.’ I can save My face!