In plain words
What is the reason this newspaper comes to have this fragrance? Because jasmine that has this fragrance was wrapped in it, it gave out fragrance. When you wrap some pakodas in that newspaper, the newspaper too takes on the smell of pakodas. Through contact with the pakodas, the newspaper too got that same smell. When you wrap dry fish in that newspaper, this paper takes on nothing but the smell of dry fish. This paper has no smell of its own at all. Whatever thing we wrap in the newspaper, it takes on the smell of that thing. In the same way, when you set the mind on the good path, it takes shape as good.
What is the good path? When it comes into contact with good feelings, good thoughts, good conduct, good counsel and good company, with such pure and divine feelings, with activities of a spiritual kind, with moral feelings and with righteous deeds, how good this mind becomes! Through bad qualities, bad thoughts, bad company and bad conduct, it turns into a great evil. The mind turns into a wicked woman. Good and bad do not come to the mind of their own. Through the influence of this contact, the mind goes on taking shape as good and bad in this way. If we are to have a good mind, we must join good company. Yet at times the good looks bad. The bad looks good. To know who is good and who is bad is very hard. Good refinement, good ways, good words and good behaviour help us recognise, to some extent, who belongs among the good. So refinement is essential for every human being. In many ways we must drive away bad qualities and keep nourishing good ones.
Once, at Shirdi, Baba sat laughing out loud. No one understood anything. Some would think Him a madman. Some would take Him for a bairāgī. Some would believe He was a fakir. To those who thought Him a madman He appeared just as a madman. To those who thought Him a fakir He appeared just as a fakir. Laughing and laughing, Baba said, ‘Hey, Kulkarni, come!’