Excerpts from Ma Devaki's Diary on Yogi Ramsuratkumar's belief that Beggars should not be treated in India like they are in the West. Sanskrit should also be given importance. (Courtesy: Yogi Ramsuratkumar Bhavan)
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Begging is not a crime in India. Beggars are not criminals. Beggars should be permitted in India. This is a holy Land where Sadhus have always been protected. This is the land of GREAT MASTERS. This is our PLAYGROUND. Great Masters come in the form of beggars. If you arrest beggars in this country, they will leave this land (tears) ... That's all (tears) ... They will not come here ... (His voice broke) ... The great Masters will not come here.... If they are protected, they will do their Leelas here. India is their Leela Bhumi. Beggars are permitted by VEDAS. Vedas were made by great Rishis who knew about everything. The ancient Rishis knew the best and they made the social structure of India with KNOWLEDGE. They knew how to run the society. Vedas and Vedic Brahmins must be protected. The Varnas, Brahmins, Kshathriyas... etc were all made by the great Rishis who knew everything. The discipline of division of labour is necessary for the society. They knew how to run the society. If you arrest beggars like me, where will we go! 'Of course, it is very difficult to distinguish the Masters from beggars. Grihasthas (house holders) cannot under-stand whether a beggar is a good man or a bad man. They may give food. But they will not allow beggars like me to sleep in their house (tears). For people like us, Temple is the only shelter. It is big and if we go and sit there, no one can question us. They say, " Why should temple have lands? Give them away" (Sternly). That should not be done. TEMPLE IS OUR REFUGE. If you say, "Why, this man can do some work and earn. Don't give him anything,"-- if you say, "India should be like Europe."-- If you want to make India like Europe, that is not good. If you throw one meal to a beggar, it is not going to make him a millionaire! Nor would you lose your fortune! (tears). Vedas are everything. They must be protected at all costs. They say ' We don't understand Sanskrit. So why commit slokas to memory? Sanskrit must go." NO, NO, That's WRONG. Even if you don't understand Vedic chanting, go to the place and merely listen to it. That will do good. Chanting without understanding is also good. Where Vedas are pronounced, go and listen. (Emphatically.) It will do you good. This beggar was wandering at one time. He could not enter Bombay. One constable told him 'if you enter Bombay, I will arrest you." So this BEGGAR could not go into Bombay. In Tiruvannamalai also, this beggar had the same experience. In Madras, this beggar was sitting and smoking outside a house, when two constables came and put him in a horse-cart and took him to the police station. Then some friend came to know about it and brought me out. Beggars should not be arrested in THIS COUNTRY. INDIA SHOULD NOT BECOME LIKE EUROPE. THIS IS OUR PLAY--GROUND. The play-ground of Great Masters. "
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Begging is not a crime in India. Beggars are not criminals. Beggars should be permitted in India. This is a holy Land where Sadhus have always been protected. This is the land of GREAT MASTERS. This is our PLAYGROUND. Great Masters come in the form of beggars. If you arrest beggars in this country, they will leave this land (tears) ... That's all (tears) ... They will not come here ... (His voice broke) ... The great Masters will not come here.... If they are protected, they will do their Leelas here. India is their Leela Bhumi. Beggars are permitted by VEDAS. Vedas were made by great Rishis who knew about everything. The ancient Rishis knew the best and they made the social structure of India with KNOWLEDGE. They knew how to run the society. Vedas and Vedic Brahmins must be protected. The Varnas, Brahmins, Kshathriyas... etc were all made by the great Rishis who knew everything. The discipline of division of labour is necessary for the society. They knew how to run the society. If you arrest beggars like me, where will we go! 'Of course, it is very difficult to distinguish the Masters from beggars. Grihasthas (house holders) cannot under-stand whether a beggar is a good man or a bad man. They may give food. But they will not allow beggars like me to sleep in their house (tears). For people like us, Temple is the only shelter. It is big and if we go and sit there, no one can question us. They say, " Why should temple have lands? Give them away" (Sternly). That should not be done. TEMPLE IS OUR REFUGE. If you say, "Why, this man can do some work and earn. Don't give him anything,"-- if you say, "India should be like Europe."-- If you want to make India like Europe, that is not good. If you throw one meal to a beggar, it is not going to make him a millionaire! Nor would you lose your fortune! (tears). Vedas are everything. They must be protected at all costs. They say ' We don't understand Sanskrit. So why commit slokas to memory? Sanskrit must go." NO, NO, That's WRONG. Even if you don't understand Vedic chanting, go to the place and merely listen to it. That will do good. Chanting without understanding is also good. Where Vedas are pronounced, go and listen. (Emphatically.) It will do you good. This beggar was wandering at one time. He could not enter Bombay. One constable told him 'if you enter Bombay, I will arrest you." So this BEGGAR could not go into Bombay. In Tiruvannamalai also, this beggar had the same experience. In Madras, this beggar was sitting and smoking outside a house, when two constables came and put him in a horse-cart and took him to the police station. Then some friend came to know about it and brought me out. Beggars should not be arrested in THIS COUNTRY. INDIA SHOULD NOT BECOME LIKE EUROPE. THIS IS OUR PLAY--GROUND. The play-ground of Great Masters. "