Q: Swamiji, someone once said never to trust an avatar…
(Swamiji laughs:) Very good!
Sometimes it seems everything Swami says is true; sometimes it seems otherwise. What is the correct attitude of the devotee to Swamiji’s way?
A: This is a complicated subject. You don’t have to believe in an avatar or in God; you should have faith in yourself. After you have mastered having faith in yourself, then slowly start to believe in God. These avatars just come and go in the middle. What you should believe in is yourself and, next, in God. If you have these two faiths then it is enough, there is no need and it is not a must that you should have faith in us. We are just here to explain that if you want to make rice cakes, then if you add this much rice and this amount of mung beans the idly will be nice and soft and not hard. We are able to say what will happen if you take this quantity of this type of rice, grind it, then mix it with this much water and boil it. We can tell you all this. Or I can also tell you that if you cut these fruits in this way, then it will make a nice and tasty fruit salad. So, like this, I have a complete and perfect training in making all types of food that you will find very tasty. And I believe that when I prepare this tasty food and give it to you, you will be able to eat it without any difficulty. You will enjoy eating it. Similarly, I have the capacity to teach you spirituality, to show you how you can enjoy it and grasp it, in an easily palatable way. I can train you beautifully but…it will be very slow! You need a lot of patience. Now what are you going to do? Try! Look at everything that is happening in this world and believe in the truth.
