| Many years ago, I visited a great sage | | | | that it was a lion. One day a lion came |
| of our own country, a very holy man. We | | | | across the flock and was astonished to |
| talked of our revealed book, the Vedas, | | | | see in it a huge lion eating grass and |
| of your Bible, of the Koran, and of | | | | bleating like a sheep. At his sight the |
| revealed books in general. At the close | | | | flock fled and the lion - sheep with |
| of our talk,this good man asked me to go | | | | them. But the lion watched his |
| to the table and take up a book; it was | | | | opportunity and one day found the lion - |
| a book which,among other things, | | | | sheep asleep. He woke him up and said, |
| contained a forecast of the rainfall | | | | "You are a lion." The other said, "No," |
| during the year. The sage said, "Read | | | | and began to bleat like a sheep. But the |
| that." And I read out the quantity of | | | | stranger lion took him to a lake and |
| rain that was to fall. He said, "Now | | | | asked him to look in the water at his |
| take the book and squeeze it." I did so | | | | own image and see if it did not resemble |
| and he said, "Why, my boy, not a drop of | | | | him,the stranger lion. He looked and |
| water comes out. Until the water comes | | | | acknowledged that it did. Then the |
| out,it is all book,book. So until your | | | | stranger lion began to roar and asked |
| religion makes you realise God, it is | | | | him to do the same. The lion - sheep |
| useless. He who only studies books for | | | | tried his voice and was soon roaring as |
| religion reminds one of the fable of the | | | | grandly as the other. And he was a sheep |
| ass which carried a heavy load of sugar | | | | no longer. |
| on its back, but did not know the | | | | My friends, I would like to tell you all |
| sweetness of it." | | | | that you are mighty as lions. |
| Shall we advise men to kneel down and | | | | If the room is dark, do you go about |
| cry, "O miserable sinners that we are!" | | | | beating your chest and crying, "It is |
| No, rather let us remind them of their | | | | dark, dark, dark!" No, the only way to |
| divine nature. I will tell you a story. | | | | get the light is to strike a light,and |
| A lioness in search of prey came upon a | | | | then the darkness goes. The only way to |
| flock of sheep,and as she jumped at one | | | | realise the light above you is to strike |
| of them, she gave birth to a cub and | | | | the spiritual light within you, and the |
| died on the spot. The young lion was | | | | darkness of sin and impurity will flee |
| brought up in the flock,ate grass, and | | | | away. Think of your higher self,not of |
| bleated like a sheep, and it never knew | | | | your lower. |