In English
It is not possible for us to describe our ancestors who were born earlier than us. It will not be possible for a grandson to describe where and how his grandfather was born. So it is with regard to great people, who were born and who lived much before us. How can we describe their faith in God and their relationship with God? There is one parallel for this. When we ask the question, who is your father? You give a reply that so and so is your father. How do you know that person is your father? You have accepted it because your mother has told you so. If you have no trust in what your mother has told you, there is no chance of your believing that that person is your father. Just as your mother’s evidence is useful in recognising and accepting a certain person as your father, in order to recognise and accept the existence of God: Veda is the authority. Further, if you are asked when you were born, you give the reply giving the time, the date and the place. How do you know the date when you were born? For this also, the elders, your father and mother tell you the date of your birth and you accept it. In all these matters, only such statements made by people who lived earlier than you can be taken as authority. You yourself cannot con-stitute an authority in such matters. When we take the people who lived before us as authority for this purpose, similar authority in the matter of God can be given only to people who understand what divinity is and who have the divine aspect in them. Only that person who has tasted the juice of cane sugar can describe the taste of the juice. To some extent, by experience, one can describe the taste, but one cannot describe its form. When we ask the question, how is sugar? We can say sugar is like white sand. But if someone asks you to describe the nature and the form of sweetness in the sugar, it is not possible to do so. In a similar manner only those people, who have immersed themselves in the experience of God, can even have the right to attempt to describe anything about God. Others cannot do this. God is present everywhere in the form of . His effulgence is shining in every heart. If such effulgent is not present, man cannot live in this world even for a moment. It is present in all of them and is at the same level in all the human beings. It is possible to establish and describe that kind of divinity only when we identify ourselves with divine features. Our names, our forms, our tastes, our likes and dislikes may differ from one person to another. These are simply differ-ences which arise out of our desires. There is one small example for this.