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Main Index
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| | | Book Name: The Dhammapada - The Way of the Buddha, Vol 3 | Previous Next | |
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he was looking all around; he must have felt something. And Chetana, you heard rightly.
Jugal Kishore Birla was the manufacturer of Ambassador cars. He has died. We had met a few times. He was a Hindu chauvinist, and he wanted me to become an ambassador to the world for Hinduism. For that purpose he had met me a few times; that's how we became friendly. He said to me, "I can help you with as much money as you want." In fact he was the richest man in India.
I said, "I can take more money than you have, but with one condition."
He said, "What is that condition?"
I said, "I will take it unconditionally. You cannot make any conditions with me. I can take all that you have."
He said, "Unconditionally? But one condition I have to make; that's why I am ready to give all support."
I said, "Please, don't mention it." But he still mentioned. He said, "My condition is very simple: can't you become a messenger to the world for Hinduism? Hinduism needs somebody to propagate it in such a contemporary and modern way that it appeals to the world mind."
I said, "Then I cannot accept a single PAI from you."
He said to me, "This is strange -- because even Mahatma Gandhi had accepted my conditions."
I told him, "That's why I never call Mahatma Gandhi 'Mahatma' Gandhi. I call him the so-called Mahatma Gandhi; otherwise how can anybody accept your conditions? If he knows, he will not accept any conditions from anybody just for money. I know what the world needs. It is not Hinduism, it is not Christianity, it is not Islam. Enough of all this nonsense! The world needs a purely religious consciousness, with no adjectives attached to it."
But he was a good man in a way. When he was old he tried many times; whenever I would go to Delhi he would invite me to his palace and he would again bring up the subject in some way or other. I said to him, "You have done enough service to humanity; now there is no need for any more service. You have made this Ambassador car -- this is really something wonderful! All the parts of it make noise except the horn. What more service do you want to do to humanity?"
So naturally when
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