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FULLER PORTRAITS
37 "He held that India was the only country in Asia which had stayed unconquered by the materialistic civilisation of the West because she could still boast her great saints' holy aura to guard her like an armour. Sometimes, when the detractors bridled or scoffed at the sadhus as parasites, he would retort with a smile that if the West had a galaxy of such parasites today, the next Worid War might be staved off, and said provokingly: "The ones you call parasites I
would rather endow with the epithet, salt of the earth." 45
Many of Dilip Roy's friends found intellect as the best antidote to faith. Krishnaprem answered them :
“But the proof of the pudding is in the eating thereof, my friends ! If blind faith could dower us with the Shivanetra (the Third eye) I would rather be blind to drab chimera and have
angel glimpses of the thrilling Reality.":46
Krishnaprem, like an Indian, realized that he could reach to the feet of Krishna only with the help of an enlightened and divinely-appointed guru. In Yashoda Ma he found his true guru. He always remained loyal to his guru, followed each of her instructions, took a great care of her when she was sick and dying. His guru too had great love and affection for him. In one of his letters to Dilip Roy, he said that there could be many teachers in this world from whom we might learn a few things, but a true guru is one:
“Akhandmandalakaram vyaptam yena characharam Darshitam tatpadam yena tasmai srigurave namah.” ('The Guru by whom is shown to us that Highest pervading all
that is with its indivisible gyre—I salute."47) He added :
"Every initiated sadhaka- who has taken diksha-should nail the flag of Sri Gurudeva to his mast before everything else. Fifty thousand people may have taught me, but one alone is my Gurudeva-matprananathastu sa eva naparah, he alone, and no other, is my heart's Lord."48
This fellow-pilgrim' always guided Dilip Roy wisely with the warmth of friendly love during his moments of doubts and confusion when he was staying at Sri Aurobindo Ashram. He learnt many good aspects of spirituality from the illustrious life of Krishnaprem. Through his letters and speeches, Krishnaprem taught him how to live up to any difficult ideal, to be steady in his faith in guru and Krishna and also, to remain quiet after listening to others' comments about his sadhana. He always inspired Dilip Roy to keep progressing in all situations of
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