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her youth many years back, was now ready to keep his promise. It was the full moon and he went to her. He took her head in his lap and washed her sores and gave her soothing healing vibrations. The former dancer was moaning, “Now I don't have anything to offer you.” His reply taught her the truth.
“No, at that time, you had something to offer which was only ephemeral, which was not really you. My need is not that. Mine is the need of the soul. That soul is what I love." Upon hearing these words she wept, washing away her shame and low self-esteem. Under the benign rays of his love, she recovered and became Upagupta's disciple.
It happened that some women, living lives of prostitution, and lacking in self-respect, overheard Gurudev's talk. When they heard this story, they too wept as the dancer did. They later sought out Gurudev and asked him how to change their lives. Gurudev was glad to help them find a new place for themselves in weaving, sewing, or other cottage industries, and in particular, to give them the chance to discover their own inherent divinity.
Toward the end of 1962, India was being shaken by a border skirmish with the Chinese. In 1965, the Pakistani army attacked India. At these times, Gurudev inspired people to understand the root causes of war.
"Wars are not fought by national governments. They are fought by you and me every time we compete for something which is not our own, every time we cling to a concept, dogma, or ideology. The real enemy is within the unenlightened mind. Those who will not face this enemy despise themselves. They are the people who initiate wars. What we see as an outside war is really an expulsion of their own self-hatred onto the world at large.
"In the process, there are many innocent victims, widowed women, orphaned children, peace-loving citizens, unprotected living beings. It is this majority who bears the brunt of the suffering and carries the painful scars of war. With these innocent victims in mind, I appeal to you for funds to provide for
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