HE HELPS YOU IN HIS OWN WAY

 
I tried to deceive Baba once, but it was myself I deceived. I told Him a lie. In Manzil-e-Meem He had us come for His darshan every Sunday. Dr. Ghani and I were supposed to sit near Him. There were all kinds of people who came for darshan: old people, young people, young boys, young beautiful girls and children.

Baba always had a way of asking us a question. At any time He would ask, "What are you thinking now?" and you had to unhesitatingly say the truth. Once a young, beautiful girl was bowing down before Baba's feet; standing behind her was her mother, and behind the mother stood the father. At that time Baba asked me, "What are you thinking?" I was thinking something which I did not like to tell Baba. But I said, "Oh, Baba, this is all right; very nice people come and take your darshan." I was really thinking something else. Baba said yes, it was all right.

I was staying with my Master who told me all the time that I should be telling the truth, and here I was lying to Him. But I asked myself why Baba should ask me this question in front of this girl and her mother and father. The thought was very different from the loving atmosphere of the darshan, and I wondered why should Baba have asked me like this? I searched within myself. I could not sleep at night. In the daytime Baba would tell me that I must tell Him the truth, I should not lie, and that He knows everything — every word that is said! His words went to my heart and pierced it.

This was not once, but quite a few times that I had told Him lies. This went on; people would come and He would ask exactly the same question of what my thoughts were. I was an eighteen-year-old boy at the time. One day Baba made Dr. Ghani and me sit down and said, "You two fools are lying to Me."

I said, "Yes, Baba, we are telling lies."

Then He said, "Shall I convince you that I know what you are thinking, that I know what you thought yesterday, that I know what you will think tomorrow?"

Then, Baba elaborated on an event that He could not have known. It was in my old school days, several years before, when I was captain of the hockey team, that something happened. Baba gave me all the details, the exact time and place, and what happened. I was wonderstruck. I started weeping, for I had been lying.

Similarly in the case of Dr. Ghani, Baba told him some past incident of his life, and Dr. Ghani was 100 percent convinced that Baba knew. Baba then said, "Since you know that I know, why should you lie to me?" I said to Baba that from now on we would not tell Him lies.

Then I continued, "But why do You ask this question when the girl is there with her mother and father?" Baba said not to impose this restriction on Him, that He could ask anything. He said otherwise I could leave the place — pack up my luggage and depart. I was frantic! I did not want to go. Likewise for Dr. Ghani. I said, "Baba, whatever happens, we will not lie to You; You can ask any question at any time."

On the next similar occasion, as a beautiful girl was bending down, I got the same thought of a typical eighteen-year-old boy. Baba asked me, "What are you thinking? Please tell Me your thought in My ear. Whisper into My ear so that nobody hears."

How He adjusted beautifully. He did not say that He would not ask me that question in front of these beautiful girls. He stated that I could not impose anything upon Him, that He would ask a question at any time. But He adjusted and helped me by getting the answer through my whisper. There you are. The problem was solved. He helps you in His own way, but I expected the help to be given in my own way.