Chapter 6March 21, 1964

(Mother makes some remarks on the

disciples' "understanding,"

then adds:)

Do you know the story?

It's a story told by the Muslims, I think (but I am not sure). Jesus is said to have raised people from the dead, made the dumb speak, restored sight to the blind... until he was brought an idiot to be made intelligent – and Jesus ran away!

Afterwards, people asked him, "Why did you run away?" He answered, "I can do anything – except give intelligence to an idiot." (laughter)

It was Théon who told me the story.

(About a letter from the "doctor," who had gone to the U.S.A. for a brain operation: "The operation was torture for four hours; it is done under local anaesthesia but not effective. They cut and scraped my skull and drilled it without any anaesthesia.... Nursing is not so good, my [nurses] are far better. They have no feeling and do not do things honestly.... Surgeons are also slack...." It may be noted that

the doctor was himself a surgeon of repute in Calcutta.)

...And they want to come here to teach everything to the poor Indians who know nothing!

It's disgusting.

If they cure him, it's all right, but I have my doubts.... Those Americans are nothing but bluffers – they bluff, bluff, bluff for everything. They come with grand airs, they will right all wrongs, correct all mistakes, enlighten all minds – and they're just at ground level.

Those doctors, when you fall into their clutches...

(silence)

And here he kept complaining that his nurses weren't up to the mark – now he'll understand! At least, after that experience, he will understand that what's here is exceptional – they always have to go outside to have this experience, they aren't sensitive enough to feel that here there is something that isn't found elsewhere. In order to compare they have to go elsewhere, and then be "tortured" a little.

It's too bad – that's the way the world is, it needs to be tortured to understand that there is something else.