Baba then confronted the men mandali, “Tell me one thing and be frank; I have a special reason to ask about it. Today I want you to disclose to me any wrong actions you have done before or after joining me. If you have done something, I want you to confess it with an open heart and without the least fear – whatever it may be.”
Each man candidly revealed his weaknesses before Baba which satisfied him. Afterward he remarked, “Now you do not have to repent for anything. You have been open with me and I have forgiven you for every wrongdoing. There are a few among you without any fault, but I have forgiven all the others.”
Baba then explained:
Just as I asked you today to confess openly your weaknesses, Jesus would meet daily with his disciples at a fixed time, and forgive their weaknesses and advise them. From this act of Jesus, the Catholics approach a priest for confession to this day. It is a good practice. But after a confession and pardon, the actions should not be repeated. If they are repeated, where is the benefit? It does no good if you commit seven hundred wrongs in seven days, and go to a priest to confess, only to repeat them later.
The priests, dasturs, mullahs and preachers give long-winded sermons, but they prove ineffective. People listen with one ear and it goes out the other, for they continue committing wrongs. The reason for this is that only a Qutub or Sadguru can deal with the consequences of human offenses, underline their seriousness and influence the offender’s mind. What impression can the words of a priest produce? It is the knowledge of a Qutub that creates a real impression and it his knowledge that has influence.
So be alert; do not make mistakes for which you will later repent. The intensity of lust has broken the penance and austerity of even rishis and munis. So, what about you? Your luck has brought you into my companionship and you have been forgiven with your confession. In fact, your hearts should turn to water by my loving forgiveness, and I am not angry at your shortcomings. But I have forgiven you under the condition that you do not indulge in the offenses again. How fortunate you all are that you have received my forgiveness today. It is my nature to forgive; and once I forgive, there is nothing to repent for.
Baba then made each of the mandali promise never to touch any woman lustfully. As for those married men, they were to promise not to touch any women except their wives.
The mandali, though happy to be forgiven by Baba, felt self-conscious and guilty about their past weaknesses. Baba then elaborated on what he had stated:
Lust is not bad. Because of this lust, you have been born as human beings. It is due to this very lust that you will turn from men into God! But even if lust is there in you, don’t put it into action. From the spiritual point of view, lust is the worst possible weakness. The real hero is he who successfully fights it. Fornicating with a woman who isn’t your wife is one of the worst possible sins. What had to happen, has happened; but from now on, beware of carnality. Follow my orders and stay away from lust. What lasting pleasure can one derive from such stinking parts? It can destroy your spirit and character, as well as infect the body.
I know each and every thing, but knowing everything, I keep on watching. Perhaps you might think, “Why doesn’t Baba save us from committing sins, despite knowing everything?” Before you do any wrong action, I already know that you are going to do it!
Then why do I not prevent you? It is my secret. The secret of my work is, though I know everything, I do not interfere. The fact is, you should have this lust, but you should do your utmost not to fall prey to it. You should put up a fierce fight, and though defeated a thousand times, you should again be ready to continue to fight the lust.
Were I to wish it, I could destroy the lust in you in no time. But what would be the use of destroying it? Inevitably I will destroy it. In the meantime, continue on with the battle inside yourselves. This is the law; it is necessary. Then joy will come in defeating lust. Without a struggle, there is no pleasure in fighting. The real pleasure lies in success after so many defeats. Wars won without obstacles, without sacrifices and untiring effort afford no pleasure. This should be a life and death fight! Lust is there to be fought. It is a lifelong struggle. It will be a conflict in you to the end of your days. It should be there to fight you, and you should always be alert and ready for battle – to kill.
He who has love for and faith in me will try doubly hard to obey me. If you touch any woman, tell me immediately; this is one remedy. Another is to think that in your last birth you were a woman and had connections with a man; now you are a man and you want connections with a woman. You have had enough satisfaction in previous births. What is to be had by more lust?
Foremost, you should try to get rid of lust, as all other vices are on account of it. For instance, if a parrot’s throat is cut, it dies. But if its wings are clipped, it does not die; after some time the feathers of the wings grow back. Lust can be compared to the parrot’s head. Therefore, when lust is still present and we conquer other evils, such as anger, the evils again revive – everything rises out of the head. But if lust is killed once and for all, every other evil is also destroyed – you have cut off its head.
Yet, in truth, lust is necessary for evolution. It starts developing in the vegetable forms. With the increase in lust, there is advancement in evolution, since lust means energy. And with the increase in energy, consciousness expands.
But these are points on this path which you will never understand. There are thousands of points thinner than hair. Remember it is no easy thing to eradicate sanskaras gathered during birth after birth, and lust is the hardest of all sanskaras. But be heroes and fight lust; you will defeat it. The real pleasure is to fight it and not succumb to it! Knowing this, I let it remain, but I will destroy it in you when the right time comes. Until then, go on fighting and never give up.
The very next day, Sunday, October 20th, (1929) Baba again asked all the mandali to gather together and openly confess to any misdeeds. One of the men became annoyed, asking why they had to confess again, when they confessed yesterday. This upset Baba and he scolded him, “You are a fool, an idiot! There is a purpose behind it. How can you know why I am having you confess again today?” Baba then explained at length:
How can you understand what is happening here? Do you know how evil vice is in this country? That is why I have come to Persia. Whatever I have to do, I am doing. How can you understand it? How can you ever understand my ways of working? Therefore, remain quiet and do as I tell you. Never ask why and wherefore. How can you delve into my mysterious ways? Everything cannot be divulged. For my own particular reasons, if I make you feel ashamed a thousand times, remain humble and bow low. You would be so fortunate if I made you feel naked in the eyes of the world!
The Master is always ready to pass on the treasure to you, but your vessel is not empty. It is filled with filth! I want to give you love, but your mind is full of lust. Unless you get rid of it, I cannot give you the experience of love. Therefore, conquer lust – drive it away!
Lord Meher, Bhau Kalchuri, Original Publication, Vol. 4, pp.1231 – 1235.