Question: The people who are interested in Your teaching are very often asking why we should not eat eggs, because the eggs these days have no living germs in them and cannot be developed into chickens.

Sant Kirpal Singh: First of all, where is the surety that every egg does not have that element in it? Are they sure? There are so many eggs mixed together. When they sell eggs in the shops, you see, there is no differentiation. You cannot earmark definitely what is infertile or fertile – first thing. The other reason – eggs are not to be used because they flare up passions. Any food which flares up passions is not to be used. That's all. They say it is very cold in .... I have been there for three months and never used any eggs. I never felt the necessity for it. If your stomach is all right – Eat less than you actually want – no disease will overtake you. So that is the reason for that. What else? Yes?

Question: Often times you are invited by non-initiates and they offer you certain foods which we are expected to take; if you do not take that food they will be offended, she thinks.

Sant Kirpal Singh: If anybody offers you poison are you going to accept? Politely refuse; especially poison.

One man came to me. "There is something in the Bible which says whatever is offered should be accepted." He quoted something like that and said, "If anybody will offer me any food, I will accept." And because of that condition he was not initiated. I did not give him initiation. If anybody gives you meat and you eat it, then? You are to see to what you are taking. A friend would not like to give you poison if he comes to know that it does not suit you. If a friend offers you something, and he knows fully well that that does not suit you – will he press you to take it? No. Common sense. These are only lame excuses, I would say. Those who reason in this way want some excuse to have that food, that's all.

So far it has never happened that I was invited anywhere and they pressed me to eat meat. Sometimes even the other people did not have it. If they ate it themselves, they never invited me. But even if they would invite me, if that flesh food was there I should not take it, that's all. Only take what is necessary. In America we were invited by ... to a banquet hall so sumptuous that even the kings could not offer so many kinds of dishes, so many kinds of meat. Plates were passed out to us. I took one cup of tea! Others who were with me did not partake. They were also passing on the dishes. More than fifty, seventy, eighty kinds of plates were passed on. And ... was wise enough, as he also did not take things. He did not know that I was not taking meat or fish. With all that, he did his best to prepare a very sumptuous banquet the likes of which even the kings could not offer. It is your choice. I think never in life, even the kings gave a spread that way. With all of that, I took only a cup of tea. He also did not take any. It happens many times, but it is for you to decide lovingly; you are not to antagonize anybody.

Question: Sometimes I'm invited not by friends, but by some colleagues, or by your chief in some place where you are working. And if you will not accept the invitation, will you hurt them?

Sant Kirpal Singh: If they invite me, I will go. I will take only what is required of me. They cannot force the food in your mouth.

Question: We also go sometimes to cocktail parties; it's very important. We take only ginger ale, or some nuts or something.

Sant Kirpal Singh: Yes, take what suits you. Generally if they know, they don't prepare dishes you cannot eat. If they're ignorant then that's another reason. Even then you need not show your distaste; take only what you want. These are very little daily dyings, you see. We must use our common sense. As I told you, if somebody gives you poison, would you accept it, even from a friend? So politely send off, politely refuse. "Well, it does not suit; thank you so much anyhow." When once they come in contact with you and know, they don't force. If out of ignorance they prepare something, well, don't hurt them. Send it off in a polite way. What else?

Question: Master, if you suddenly have to start cooking meat in your job, or sometimes they ask you to do things which you're not accustomed to do...

Sant Kirpal Singh: Look here, if it is part of your duty, do it, but don't take it yourself. Baba Jaimal Singh, the Master of our Master, was a military man. He was given the duty of distributing the meat to the soldiers. All right, he kept his own food. If your duty binds you to cook, you are not to partake, you see. In due course, avoid such duty. Somebody wrote to me, "Well, it is my duty to taste." [Master chuckles.] They're paid for that, you see. Sometimes hundreds of thousands of rupees are paid for that, only for tasting food. Then what to do? Well, if you taste it, certainly you ingest it, and have the effect of it. Yes?

Question: Someone here in India, a Sikh gentleman, asked me if I would mind sitting at the same table with others who were taking meat, and I said, but not on my plate.

Sant Kirpal Singh: What do you do in the planes? In the airplanes you can have vegetarian food if you tell them you want it. One time there were no arrangements provided for vegetarians and every few hours they kept running up with biscuits, with fruit, with this and that. "We are sorry, we did not know." These are lame excuses given, that's all. When they come to know, they never press you. This is our weak point, you see. At heart of hearts we want it and want some excuse. "How could I hurt his feelings? He may not be able to take it..." Be a man of principle!

Well, being a man of principle, we also need to know how to speak. Last night I was telling you about this. There are ways and ways to refuse a thing without hurting anybody. Kabir said, if a man knows how to speak, it is of such great value which cannot be comprehended. This is a man who simply knows how to speak. Remember I told you there are two different ways of addressing a blind man: "Oh, blind man," and "Well, when did you lose your sight, please?" The same thing – but with vast difference in effect. One is crowing over, "Oh, blind man!" And the other, "Well, dear friend, when did you lose your eyesight?" Is it not the same thing? The difference lies in the mode of expression. One phrase makes our friends enemies. The other phrase makes enemies our friends.

These are common sense things not laid down in books. How many things can you write in books? So in the physical presence of the Master, you learn many things which are not given in books, in detail, because He has passed through life like you as a man; He has not been a recluse. He knows all these difficulties, He has met with them, and He can tell you how to meet with them. How can a man who has no experience of the world advise you? We need somebody to guide us who has been like us, passed through the world, and knows the ins and outs of the world. Yes? Come on up. I learn many things from you people, too.

Sweet words imbued with humility is the panacea for all ills. Sweet words imbued with humility washes away so many difficulties.

Once a man came to Satsang in Delhi and approached me. I was just doing my best; I was a man like you. He said, "When is the Satsang going to be held?" I told him, "I think it will be between 8:30 and 9." "What is the exact time? You do not know when the Satsang is going to be held." "It may be so," I told him, "but that's all I can tell you." When he came I was giving a talk. "Oh!" He was surprised. I told him it was between 8:30 and 9 because I did not know the exact time. How could I ensure that it would be exactly between 8:45 and 8:40? He was right, too. I told him "It may be so," that's all. He exclaimed, "You are Him – you are a man!" Of course I am a man, you see. I cannot be ex-communicated from the category of man. Sainthood does not lie in outer dress, but in simple living and high thinking. So learn the circular I wrote about humility. I meant something. That is a very long circular – five, six pages.

 

* * *

 

Question: So then if according to the laws of nature, we eat something like cookies that might contain eggs, it will have its influence, whether one knows it or not?

Sant Kirpal Singh: If you are in meditation regularly, even one – you will be affected by the littlest thing. When I was an accounts officer with some regiment in the firing line, it was given an orderly to help me, to cook for me and look after me. I told him, "Look here, I cannot be responsible for your life but one thing you must guard strictly. Let nobody enter the kitchen when you cook the food. And you will only go on with the repetition of the Name of God or read some scriptures – nothing more. He obeyed. For two or three days it was all right. My system was at midnight, while people were sleeping, I was awake, meditating. One night, I found something in my mind – some ramification. I called him about one in the morning. "Look here, who was in the kitchen?" "Nobody." "Why do you tell a lie?" Then he agreed. "Yes, there was a man; we were talking."

So if there is much filth within you, a little more filth won't affect you. But if you've got no filth, even a little grain, half, one-fourth of a grain will affect you. Just see it. So money should be earned by hard dint of labour – honest earning. And the food earned that way should pass through the hands of those who are pious and righteous. Every thought of the man bringing food, will have effect. The quality of the food should also be pacifying. Then the one who cooks it, his effect is also there. In the old days in India, they did not allow anybody to enter the kitchen before taking a bath, and when they were cooking they were only doing remembrance of God. The result was that whoever ate the food was changed. So we don't care. If we would care for the farthings, pounds would be saved, would it not?

We don't care for what we consider trifling things, but they do affect us. Even your honest earnings are affected by the many stages through which it has to pass. And all things arise where? Well, I'm talking from a common sense point of view, you see. If man has a good thought and food passes through him, that food will carry good effect. When you eat that, it will add to your good. If it passes through some lusty man, those same thoughts will come up. Also evil thoughts – thinking evil of others – will have its effect. You now know how we should be cautious about our kitchens.

Question: Master, then when we travel and eat in other kitchens, restaurants, and things, if we do our Simran, is that enough?

Sant Kirpal Singh: Well look here, haven't you strong will force? Infuse your thoughts into it. Once we were in the hills with our Master. There was nothing else to eat except meat and bread in that town. We asked Master, "Well, what shall we do? There is no shop that can sell us vegetarian food." "Never mind," He said, "Buy the loaves of bread from one place and buy milk or curd from somewhere else." It is we who have to guard it. Food that goes in defiles you, and what goes out of you also affects you.

So if you will understand the principle of thought, right thoughts will come from right understanding. Right understanding is very clear. We're all equals as men, as souls. We are brothers and sisters in God. The same power is controlling us, called by any name. Man-body is the temple. Have It – become a conscious co-worker of that Power. For those who have become the conscious co-workers, there's no high or low; there are no Hindus, Mohammedans, or Christians, you see. We're all companions, that's all. Long yarns or lectures won't help you, I tell you. You have to come to right understanding. No lecture will help you unless you lecture to your own self. We know so many things – so that is why it is said, "Wanted: Reformers, not of others, but of themselves." If you reform your life, then...

* * *