In plain words
For one who is a friend, to bring divinity within the other's reach is the chief mark of friendship. Giving money is not the worth of friendship. Helping out in troubles is not the worth of friendship. In hard times, to show God and to love God: this is the foremost Dharma. In the modern age this way has changed. ‘Give up God and you'll do well; earn money, and I'll give you good help’: in this way friends help in physical, worldly matters. ‘I will get you a job; I'll make you a partner in a business and put in the capital myself’: that is how they help. Help of this kind is like a noose for him. For the moment this fellow may be helping, but it amounts to plunging the other into needless mire. It comes to drowning him deeper in desires and deceiving him. Money, a house, comforts of every kind: by the ways of the world these must be there, true! But the chief wealth is the grace of God alone! So: ‘I will try every way I can and take you to Bābā. Get yourself ready,’ he said. Like this, for a month, two months, day and night he urged him. The friend said, ‘Don't drive me mad. Don't trouble me. I am in great unrest. Don't preach such things to me and drive me even madder. From tomorrow, if you preach any of Bābā's teaching, there will be no friendship between you and me; it will be broken off,’ he said. Śivadās was a very good man. ‘I don't need your friendship either. But if you enter the path of God, that alone is enough for me. Criticise me as you like, blame me as you like. But I will not stop teaching you the good path,’ he said. As he went on urging like this, the friend's wife heard it: ‘Why are you behaving so stubbornly? He speaks nothing but good words; he hasn't taught you any kind of bad path, has he! He is only telling you to go for the darśan of a great soul; he isn't giving you any bad advice. So what is wrong with it? Go and see,’ she said. This is how the world is now: if God Himself comes and tells them, they will not listen; but if the wife says it, they listen.