A Stroke of Bad Luck
During the English part of the one month lecture tour in Europe, a challenging incident happened.
In another university we had another stroke of bad luck. There is
always one student who causes anguish to his lecturers and professors.
He started to say that Indians are beggars and rogues; they also don't
have any manners. "In India," he went on, "people are dying of hunger,
and yet Indians come here and speak about spirituality. Go home," he
said, "and give your spirituality to your own starving
people."
Now, I wanted to answer this English
boy's statement but, when I stood up, he would not allow me. I said,
"You have asked me a question, and now I want to answer you." But he
only started talking and arguing. He would not listen to me. It turned
out that this student was not allowed to enter into classes because of
his misbehaviour. It was a sad story. His sister was in love with an
Indian fellow who was sitting beside her. Everybody was shouting at
him, "Sit down, sit down!" The president of the club, the man who had
introduced me, stood up, but he could not control the situation. The
English boy just continued, referring to me, "He has not answered this
question." "I am more than ready to answer this question," I said to
the president, "but he is asking dozens of questions, and these are not
questions; they are only insults." I said to the English boy, "I am
ready to answer your question, but it has to be a real question and not
just berating words." But he continued haranguing for another three or
four minutes, and the president simply called an end to the
meeting.
The English boy had the audacity to
come up to me afterwards, and he said, "You know, you have deceived
me." I asked, "How? Why?" He said, "I thought that by insulting you,
you would give me some of your power. But you are a clever fellow; you
did not give me any power. Kindly tell me whether you are going to give
another talk. If so, this time I will keep silent, and I will receive
everything from you. But you have deceived me. You have deceived me.
Forgive me."
[...]
But
before we left, I said to the boy, "God is the only one who can forgive
you. I came all the way from New York to this university, and look what
you have done. You have created such a problem for the sincere seekers.
You have ruined the question period. Whether you receive power or don't
receive power, do not create this kind of problem ever again." Then we
departed.
The president had been so sincere,
so attentive and so devoted, and yet what an experience we had there!
He could not deal with this trouble-maker.
