Mockery returns home

The minister once went to visit a Muslim friend of his, The Muslim was eating when he went in and, just to create fun, the minister asked him, “Khajee” — that is a respectful term for the Muslims — “what are you eating?”

The Muslim said, “I am eating rice and I am eating your second Avatar.”

According to Hindu tradition, the second Avatar was the Lord in the form of a fish. So, instead of saying, “I am eating rice and fish,” the Muslim said, “I am eating your second Avatar,” in order to insult the minister who was a Hindu.

The minister, who was not to be defeated, immediately replied, “Oh, do you think it is our second Avatar? No, you are wrong. I see clearly that you are eating our third Avatar.”

Now, the third Avatar was the Lord in the form of a boar and Muslims never eat the meat of the boar.

The Muslim said, “No, no, no! I don’t eat it! I don’t eat it!” He was so disgusted at the very idea, that he threw all his food away, he simply threw it. He said, “You have insulted me!”

The minister replied, “You have insulted me. You told me that you were eating our second Avatar, so I told you that you were eating our third Avatar.”

Spiritual comments

What do we learn from this story? We learn that when we criticise any religion, consciously, unconsciously, or just to make fun, immediately God will inspire the followers of the other religion to make us conscious of our stupidity. God wants us to see and feel His living Presence in all religions. One man was a Muslim and the other was a Hindu. Followers of these two religions are always at daggers’ drawn. When the Muslim attacked the Hindu, the Hindu immediately retaliated. No matter what the topic may be, if you attack someone unnecessarily, at that time there will be divine Power to take his side and challenge you.

In the spiritual life we always see that if you just want to find fault with somebody else, if you want to criticise someone and make fun of someone, God will immediately give the other person the necessary capacity to make fun of you. If the Muslim had said the right thing, then the question of making fun, the question of insulting and abusing might not have arisen. If he had said “rice and fish,” then who knows what the minister would have said. But instead, the Muslim had to make fun of Hinduism by saying, “I am eating your second Avatar.” That is why the minister gave him a reply which contradicted his own religious beliefs and made him lose his appetite.

We have to be very careful in this world. When we make fun of people, they will pay us back in our own coin. Attack them and immediately you will be attacked. Like a tennis ball thrown against a wall, your attack will bounce off and come back to you.