SEX AND ITS BONDAGE

A gentleman of modern education was once arguing with the master that it was possible for family men to remain uncontaminated by worldliness. To him the Master said, " Do you know of what sort is your so-called ' uncontaminated family man of the present day ? Being uncontaminated by the world, and therefore having no concern in money matters, his finances and all his household affairs are managed by his wife. So if a poor Brahmin comes to beg of this master of the house, he tells him, " Sir, I never touch money. Why do you waste your time in begging of me?" If the Brahmin, however, be an importunate fellow, your uncontaminated family man, being tired of his entreaties, thinks that the man must be paid something, and tells him " Well, sir, come to-morrow. I shall see what I can do for you." Then going in, this exemplary family man tells his wife, " Look here, my dear, a poor Brahmin is in great distress. Let us give him a rupee. Hearing the word 'rupee ', the wife flares up with anger and says tauntingly. " Ah, what a generous man you are ! Rupees are to you like leaves and stones to be thrown away without the least thought. " Well, my dear," replies the master of the house in an apologetic tone, the Brahmin is very poor, and we should not give him less." M No," says the wife, " I cannot spare that much. Here is a two-anna bit; you may give him that, if you like." But as the Babu is a family man quite uncontami-nated by worldliness, he takes, of course, what his wife gives him, and next day the beggar gets only the two-anna piece. So you see, your so-called uncontaminated family men are not really masters of themselves. Because they themselves do not look after the family affairs, they think that they are very good and holy men, while, as a matter of fact, they are hen-pecked husbands guided entirely by their wives, and so are but very poor specimens even of common humanity.

In former days, the priests of the temple of Govindaji in Jaypur never married. Then they were supremely puissant with the strength of the Self. Once the king sent for them, but they did not go. They said, " Ask the king to come to us." But afterwards they began to marry and then there was no necessity for the king to send for them ! They of their own accord would go to the king and say, " Maharaj, Maharaj, we have come to bless you. Here we have brought the offered flowers from the shrine for you. Please accept them.' For they were now compelled to do so. What could the poor fellows do ? One day they had to build their houses; another day they had to perform the Annaprasana ceremony (giving the, first morsel of cooked rice to a child) of their sons, still another day they had to marry their daughters, and so on. All these kept them in constant need of money !

You can see for yourself what you have become by serving under others. Those of you young men who are quite learned in English and educated after the Western model, silently put up with the kicks of their masters ! Do you know what is at the back of all these humiliations and pangs of thraldom ? It is woman —subjection to the attractions of sex.

A poor man was in great distress for want of employment. He went several times to an office and danced attendance on the Bara Babu (head-clerk or manager) of the place, but was always sent back with such evasive answers as, " Not to-day, come tomorrow, " Come and see me now and then," and so on. The poor man spent much time in this way. One day he spoke about his lot to one of his friends. The friend at once said, " How thoughtless you are ! Why have you worn away the soles of your feet by going to that fellow ? Go to Golap and supplicate her, and believe me, you will get an appointment to-morrow. In great surprise the poor man exclaimed, " Is it so 1 Just now I shall run up to her. Golap was the mistress of the manager of the office. The poor man went to her and said. 4 Mother, I am in great distress, and none but you can save me from it. I am a Brahmin and have no other means. I have been without any employment for a long time, and my wife and children are starving. I can get a job if you say only a word."

Then Golap said, ' Yes, but on saying to whom can it be managed? " And she thought compassionately, " Ah, what a pity that the Brahmin is in such a plight!" The poor man at once said, " If you say one word to the Bara Babu on my behalf, I am sure to get a job." Then Golap promised to ask the Bara Babu that very night to give him a job, and lo ! the next morning a peon came to the poor man from the Bara Babu requesting him to attend his office from that day. The Bara Babu recommended the man to the chief officer with the words, " Sir, this gentleman, has very high qualifications, and thinking that it would greatly benefit our office to have his services, I have given him a place here. Such is the charm that woman weaves upon man. The whole world is mad after woman and gold.'

A poor Brahmin had a rich cloth merchant as his disciple. The merchant was very miserly by nature. One day the Brahmin was in need of a small piece of cloth for covering his sacred book. He went to his disciple and asked for the required piece of cloth ; but the merchant replied, " I am very sorry, Sir. Had you told me of this a few hours earlier, I would have given you the thing wanted. Unfortunately, now I have no small piece of cloth which will answer your purpose. However, I shall remember your requirement, but please remind me of it now and then. The Brahmin had to go away disappointed. This conversation between the Guru and his worthy disciple was overheard by the wife of the latter from behind a screen. She at once sent a man after the Brahmin, and calling him inside the house, said, ' Revered Father, what is it that you were asking from the master of the house? " The Brahmin related all that had happened. The wife said, " Please go home, Sir. You will get the cloth to-morrow morning." When the merchant returned home at night, the wife asked him, ' Have you closed the shop ?" The merchant said, " Yes, what is the matter? ' She said, " Go at once and bring two clothes of the best quality in the shop. He said, " Why this hurry ? I shall give you the very best clothes to-morrow morning.' The wife, however, insisted, 14 No, I must have them just now, or not at all." What could the poor merchant do ? The person whom he had now to deal with was not the spiritual Guru whom he could send away with vague and indefinite promises, but the ' curtain Guru ' whose behests must be instantaneously obeyed, or else there would be no peace for him at home. At last the merchant, willingly enough, opened the shop, at that late hour of the night, and brought the cloths for her. Early next morning, the good lady sent the article to the Guru with the message, ' If in future you want anything from us, ask me, and you will get it. (Therefore those who pray to the merciful Divine Mother and ask for Her blessings have better chances of having their prayers heard than those who worship God in the sterner paternal aspect). (fO7(|)) When asked why he did not lead the life of a householder with his wife, the Master replied : Kartikeya (son of Siva) one day happened to scratch a cat with his nail. On going home, he saw that there was a mark of the scratch on the cheek of his divine mother, Parvati. Seeing this he asked her, Mother, how did you get this ugly scar on your cheek ? The Mother of the universe replied, This is the work of your hand; it is the scratch of your nail/ Kartikeya asked in wonder, ' How is it, Mother ? I do not remember to have scratched you at any time.' The Mother replied, ' Darling, have you forgotten the fact of your having scratched a cat, this morning ?' Kartikeya said, Yes, I did scratch a cat, but how did your cheek get the scar ?' The Mother replied, ' Dear child, nothing exists in this world but myself. The whole creation is myself; whomsoever you may hurt, you only hurt me. Kartikeya was greatly surprised to hear this; and then he determined never to marry. For whom could he marry? Every woman was mother to him. Realising thus the motherhood of woman, he gave up marriage. I am like Kartiyeka. I consider every woman as my Divine Mother.'