In plain words
So I am maimed indeed, am I not!” he said. What a great feeling this is! But under the influence of this Kali, devotees doubt the very power of God. “If God really has power, why does He not remove my troubles? Why does He not appreciate my Bhakti? Why does He not come near me?” So they think, fancying themselves great devotees of some kind, and God Himself powerless. If any troubles and losses befall them, they fall prey to weakness of this kind. It does not matter if you are weak in anything else, but do not become weak in faith in God. Faith in God alone can carry us across this ocean of worldly existence. So develop boundless faith in God.
Embodiments of the divine Ātma! For these three days the Madurai Pādukā Trust have been setting a fine example. From those who played the auspicious instruments to the paṇḍits who chanted the mantras, with the callings that perform the pūjās as well, everyone worked in unity, each following the other, and set a fine example. Whatever was to happen, at whatever time, by whomever, wherever, it all went off smoothly, as though a switch had been turned on. The sannāyi band played fine tunes to suit each time and occasion. The paṇḍits too chanted the mantras clearly in a good voice and moved the atmosphere with divine vibration. I hope that the people of every State will follow an example of this kind. But in some States there is very little unity. Where there is unity, purity enters; where there is purity, divinity shines. The Madurai Pādukā Trust have shown this truth well. Old as he is, and looking as though he knows nothing, Subrahmanya Chettiar has been working on, drawing everyone to himself with his words and bringing them all together as one. His son and his son-in-law, too, stand by him at every turn and are developing this work well. With unity of this kind, one can achieve anything at all. When the five fingers come together, any task, however great, can be done; what can a single finger do?! Because the devotees who came, the sādhakas and the members of that committee all worked in unity, they were able to carry this programme through successfully. In the pūjā of the Pādukās held early this morning, though so many thousands took part, there was pin-drop silence; nowhere was there so much as a child crying. The sound within this silence is itself the form of God. If you ask where Brahman is, He is there as the sound within the silence. As long as our ears are open, we hear every kind of sound. Close your ears completely, just once, and you will hear within the divine sound “Om”. So the sound within the silence is itself Brahman. God keeps walking along right beside you. Only when you are silent can you hear the sound of His footsteps. That is why they said, “The sound of silence is God.” You must be silent. The Madurai Pādukā Trust have kept this discipline well. In them all three are present: discipline, devotion and duty. Hoping that in the days to come, too, they will conduct themselves in this same way and give the world a fine example, and blessing them, I bring My discourse to a close.