And the Bhagavan, placing Himself in the position of a man of the world laying the trouble of his heart before the Mother, sang:

THE DIVINE MOTHER AND HER CHILDREN

1. This is the grief for which I grieve.
When Thou, O Mother, art here, thieves (passions) rob me though I am wide awake

2. I promise to repeat Thy Holy Name, but at the proper hour I forget.
Now I have learnt and felt that all this is Thy trick.

3. Thou hast not given, so Thou hast not received aught to eat or to keep. Am I to be blamed for this?
Hadst Thou given, Thou wouldst surely have received; and I would have offered Thy gifts to Thee.

4. Fame or calumny, sweet or bitter--all is Thine.
O Ruler of all feelings, abiding in them, why dost Thou hinder when I enjoy sweet ecstasy?

5 Prasad says: Thou hast given me a mind, but by a glance of Thine eye Thou hast so bent it, that I roam through this world, Thy creation, seeking joy but mistaking bitter for sweet (unreal for Real).

[Delusive power of Maya.] Man has forgotten his true Self and has become worldly by the delusive power of Maya. Therefore Prasad says: "Thou hast given me a mind, but by a glance of Thine eye Thou hast so bent it that

[paragraph continues] I roam through this world, Thy creation, seeking joy but mistaking bitter for sweet."

A Brahmo: Revered Sir, is it true that God cannot be realized without giving up the world?

[Renunciation not necessary for all.] The Bhagavan, smiling: Oh no! You do not have to give up everything. You are better off where you are. By living in the world you are enjoying the taste both of the pure crystallized sugar and of the molasses with all its impurities. You are indeed better off. Verily I say unto you, you are living in the world, there is no harm in that; but you will have to fix your mind on God, otherwise you cannot realize Him. Work with one hand and hold the Feet of the Lord with the other. When you have finished your work, fold His feet to your heart with both your hands.

[Power of the mind.] Everything is in the mind. Bondage and freedom are in the mind. You can dye the mind with any color you wish. It is like a piece of clean white linen; dip it in red and it will be red, in blue it will be blue, in green it will be green, or any other color. Do you not see that if you study English, English words will come readily to you? Again,

if a Pandit studies Sanskrit, he will readily quote verses from Sacred Books. If you keep your mind in evil company, your thoughts, ideas and words will be colored with evil; but keep in the company of Bhaktas, then your thoughts, ideas and words will be of God. The mind is everything. On one side is the wife, on the other side is the child; it loves the wife in one way and the child in another way, yet the mind is the same.