Rama Chandra (the God Incarnate) once asked his great devotee Hanuman: "My son, in what relation do you regard me?" The devotee replied: "When I think of myself as embodied, I am Thy servant and Thou art the Lord. When I think of myself as the Jiva (Ego) I am Thy part and Thou art the Universal Whole; but when I think of myself as the

[paragraph continues] Atman, I am one with Thee. Then I realize 'I am Thou and Thou art I.'"

If the sense of "I" clings to one so persistently, let it remain like that of a true Bhakta who thinks of himself as the servant of the Lord.

[Ajnanam and Jnanam] "I" and "mine"--these two are the signs of Ajnanam, ignorance. My house, my wealth, my learning, my glory, all these are mine--this idea proceeds from ignorance of one's true Self, but Jnanam or divine knowledge means that state where Jiva realizes: "O Lord, Thou art the Master of all; house, family, children, friends, relatives, nay, whatever exists in the universe belongs to Thee." "Whatever is mine is Thine." "Nothing belongs to me"--such ideas rise from true knowledge.

It is good for everyone to remember that after death nothing of this world will remain with us. We have come here simply to perform certain Karma and gain some experience. Just as country people come to a big city like Calcutta to do some work, so we have come to fulfil our desires according to the tendencies with which we were born.

A rich man has given the charge of his beautiful

[Parable of the rich man and his Sircar.] garden to his Sircar (steward). When visitors come to see the garden the Sircar waits on them attentively. He shows them the beautiful parts of the garden with luxurious fruit-trees, flower-beds, palace-like buildings, lakes, etc., saying. "These are, gentlemen, our mango-trees. This is our orchard; this is our lake; how beautiful are our flowers! Here you see is our drawing-room with most expensive furniture, fine paintings by the best artists--all these belong to us." The same Sircar may be found fault with and dismissed by his master at any time with peremptory order to leave the garden at once. He will not be allowed sufficient time to pack up his trunk and take his own baggage with him. Such is the miserable plight of those who lay claim upon things which do not in reality belong to them.

Everything belongs to the Lord. It is ridiculous for man to say, "I am Karta" (the doer), "All these things are mine."

[The Lord smiles on two occasions.] On two occasions the Lord cannot help smiling: A person is taken seriously ill and is about to die. The physician says to the mother of the patient: "Mother, there is no cause for fear. I shall save