As a point of moral obligation... I ordered some clothing down town. When I went to collect the clothing, the tailor had made two sets so the price was double. He says he will not give it to me for two weeks and I must take both sets.

    This is why I tell you, that you should not contact these people directly. Some are below average. Perhaps they think, "He is a foreigner, I could change his order," anything. This is wrong. So you should go through me or through somebody from here. They will charge you double, treble, four times, then say, "Why not take it." We will send somebody to go with you. I will advise you not to go directly for such like things. These people are generally below average--shopkeepers and other businessmen; they lie. They say, "He is a foreigner, change the order. They have got money." [Master directs someone to go with him. ]

It was an older gentleman, a tailor who came for your Darshan and is interested in taking initiation and because of this I thought to be friendly and give him some business.

    Call him [Master directs someone]. Let him come to see me. What nonsense is going on. If he is the same man, he should be ashamed. I told him I am not going to give him initiation. I refused.

He didn't tell me that.

    Sometimes, you see, one fish in the pond spoils the whole pond. This is wrong. Generally business men are the same. It is a shame. If they become moral then there is some hope. They make business the only aim of life. Business is not bad, but the way it is handled is shameful, [Explains to someone] He ordered two and is now being charged for four. This is wrong.

Master, in the case of this clothing wouM it not be better if I took it and paid for it because otherwise he may talk against you? I don't want him to talk against you.

    Those who speak without seeing, what is that? Don't believe when you hear anything about anybody unless you see for your ownself. Whatever we hear from others we take as Bible truth and go on dancing like anything. What is good is good and cannot be made worse by any uttering. So many people mocked Jesus, did they not? "Oh, see the garment He is wearing? It is made out of straw and he's a king, this and that thing." This is mocking Him. But that could not bring Him low, you see. He is what He is. Gold is gold, after all. Even if you throw it in mud, it is still gold.

Master, when some man has ill feelings for you, or for anyone, either for good reason or for no reason, and he is quite focusing on you with his thoughts, looking with very ill feelings towards you, what can you do to not feel that?

    You see, you cannot wash away blood by blood--only by water. If anybody sends such thoughts, don't accept them. Send love to him, that's the only way.
    Once, it so happened, one man came from Rishikesh to where I stayed, at four, five o'clock, and abused me. From morn till night he was abusing me like anything. Perhaps he was being paid for that regularly, day to day. Madam Hardevi was there. She said, "I cannot hear all that, I will kill him." You simply close your ears and eyes and go on doing your meditations. Don't accept, that's all. Turn your attention the other way. If dogs are barking at some far off place, do you hear them?
    If somebody is calling you names and you feel anger arise in you, just think it is not for you. Or you may examine yourself to see whether that failure is within you or not. If it is so, be thankful to him. If not, well, pray that God give him sense, that's all.
    Once a man came to Lord Buddha, and began calling names for an hour or two or three. He went round like anything. Then it got dark, so he was just going away when Buddha said, "Friend, wait. If a man brings some present for somebody, but he does not accept it, with whom will that present remain? .... Of course, with Him who has brought it." "All right dear friend, what you have brought, I don't accept." That's all.

Isn't that what Christ says, "turn the other cheek," and it seems there's a great power in doing that.

    That's all right, but you must not have aversion within you. If you have aversion and you turn your cheek, then...

It seems that if you do not cooperate, no one can hurt you. If you yourself do not cooperate.

    So long as you have not got a seed [of aversion] within you, nothing can hurt you. If the water wave comes, you see, and there's a rock against which it dashes, that will go back with the same force. If there is sand there, then, that will seep through.

In other words, if you are strong like a rock, then nothing can hurt it.

But that rock, what is it? What is that rock?

The rock is the good thoughts within you, to have excuses for everybody.

    Yes, all right, this is the outer thing.

To find reasons for everything, even as you said the other day, you must have respect for negative power. Negative power has got a job to do.

    Yes, the angle of vision must be changed. One thing more, if you just hear that Sound Principle reverberating, hear without closing your ears, that will work as a sheet anchor against all these things.

Without closing your ears you can hear it?

    Yes, that will work as a sheet anchor. Nothing will affect you within. When that Sound is going on it keeps your attention engaged always. Nothing outside can affect you.

Like _____ was saying that if somebody has hard feelings against you, what can you do? I think if you say Simran, it's a great power.

    The Sound Principle is always there, or if it is not there then repeat the Names. Put your attention into the sweet remembrance of Master, or God. That will help.

Use it as a shield. If you think of the Master nothing can happen to you but good things, and even what happens and seems bad, it isn't bad.

    You can become a good preacher. [chuckles... pause] When man becomes man then there is no difficulty in you. Have you gone into the City? Would you like to enjoy the City today? Yes. You'll see a very good scene there today, up to one or two. This day you see, reminds us of an event in the past, where Truth had victory over vice. This is the sweet remembrance of that event. There was one Prehlad, who was a Prince. His father was a despotic King, who wanted everybody to worship him as God. He said, "I am God."
He got everybody to worship him. But Prehlad, his son, did not do it.  He said, "God is to be worshiped, not you. I worship that God which is within you and withing  everybody." So, he was put through great adversities, you see. His father had him thrown from the top of a hill, so that he would die, but he did not die. God was with him and saved him.
    Then, what did he do? Holka; Holka was his father's sister, his aunt, who had a blessing from the god she was worshiping, that fire wouldn't burn her. So she asked the King to keep Prehlad in her lap and sat in a bonfire, you see, so that he may be finished. It was a very big bonfire, and in that Holka sat with Prehlad in her lap. Now those followers of the King, all enjoyed; for three days they enjoyed. They enjoyed by dancing --this and that thing. "Prehlad is going to be finished then." Now it so happened that Holka was consumed in fire and Prehlad was saved. So today those followers of the King are now beating, putting on dust and dirt and black things: you go and see.

In other words, these here that throw the chalk represent the king's followers?

    Yes.

Oh, I get the picture now.

    Yes, after this, the Sikhs enjoy the triumphant success of Truth over vice. They make a big procession to celebrate--and to know that Truth has had victory over the vice. Today after two o'clock you'll find the Sikhs carrying a big procession, this and that thing. Costumes, etc.

Do you advise us to see that?

    We are all followers of the vice: mammon. There are courts full of all these things. There are people hanged, the others are killing. What is going on? This is because we are worshipers of mammon, not of God. You see, a living theater, theatrical performance is going on.
    All the police stations are full of all these reports. Courts are full of all these discussions and debates and cases going on. Why is this? This shows that we are the worshippers of mammon.
    It so happened at Peshawar, in 1909, that one law was passed by the British government. The people revolted and that whole town was put under siege orders. Siege orders mean that all doors are closed. Cannons were brought in and aeroplanes were taking bombs all over the town. It so happened that for three days we didn't get a grain to eat from outside. The dead bodies could not be taken out of the town. No food came from outside the city to feed the people. I was there too. What happened? When trouble comes, men unite. They united: when one of the sons of one class (Hindu) fell down and hurt himself, a man of the other class (Mohammedan) would take it, "It is my child, I will serve him." They looked after each other like that. They were all one. Cases involving thousands of rupees were decided between themselves, without reporting to the police station or the court. It so happened like that. Siege orders are very strong, you see. Nothing can go out of that area, nothing can enter. And we had to eat raw barley. This is all a scene of worshipers of mammon, is it not so?
So negative power is there only to punish such people and set them right, that's all. That's his job.

So the negative power has its usefulness. It's very important.

    He's very just, you see. Be thankful this is with you.

Yes. It acts as a power-line,  it shows the danger, if you go any further, it will be even worse. Go back.

    You cannot serve two Masters, you see. God or mammon. Is it not so? Anything else, any questions?

Master, are ego and vice under the jurisdiction of the negative power?

    Surely, it is the law of as you sow, so shall you reap. No exception.

He tempts you and judges you at the same time.

    No, no. You must be wide awake, yourself. When I go to United States, I must observe the laws there; go by those laws not the Indian laws. I must live according to those laws, must I not? Similarly, those who are on earth, must obey the laws of nature.

I think the negative power induces, "Look this is beautiful" and you fall for it, and then you have to pay the price for it.

    He comes like a very good gentleman, like a good friend, and his work is only to keep you in the world, that's all. Give and take. Unless you become a Conscious Co-Worker of the Divine Plan, you cannot lose ego, and so long as there's ego, whatever you sow, so shall you reap.

Master, is it not a good analogy, when Christ fasted for 40 days, and then the negative power says, "I will give you all the world, and any food." But Christ answered, "No, you don't live only from food you eat with your mouth, but from the Word of God. "and Christ was strong enough to fight the negative power.

    Anyhow he's friendly with me. [He says.] "You are going on. You carry on that work, that's all." Is it not right? We go friends. It is also good he should punish. Saints' work is not to punish; it is to forgive and get them back. He warns them not to do more. "Do no more, of course." So God made both [positive and negative power], otherwise the world affairs could not go on.