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when the primary urge for self-development exists deep within the listener's own being, be it even in an infinitesimal form. Then would that tiny seed of inner longing invariably sprout forth into a blossom.”
Now, whenever Jewo has a chance to tell people his story, he speaks tenderly of Gurudev, “He is the one who made me a human being.
Liberation from Prejudice
In his walking journeys, Gurudev met many fine, noble, and liberal-minded persons who were eager to grow. At the same time, he came across some limited and narrow minds. It pained him to see instances of prejudice and sectarian thinking. He saw that for a person to categorize himself as higher or lower than anyone else was a form of violence. Such an attitude violated the dignity of the individual; moreover, it invited those karmas which would place the person in a position to be discriminated against in the future and experience the suffering he himself was causing.
Whenever it was possible, Gurudev tried to melt away such mental walls and barriers. In his talks to the people, he often told them, “The realized state is not the monopoly of a handful of saints. It is open to all who long for that and who work for that. Everyone is worthy to experience his or her own innate divinity." He felt this way even before he became a monk, when he was still called Rup-Raj.
Once as a young college student, Rup was taking a train from Bangalore to Tiruvennamalai to spend time meditating at Arunachala, the ashram of Ramana Maharshi. Sitting next to him was a very well-dressed gentleman. He and Rup struck up
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