Question: Jesus spent very few years with his disciples. Even considering the circumstances of his passing, do you ever consider him fortunate?

Sri Chinmoy: When I am in my human consciousness, when my disciples compel me to swim in the sea of frustration and despair, I consider the Christ fortunate that he lived for only thirty-three years, whereas already I am double his age. But when I am in my divine consciousness, then I will say that God Himself was fortunate and happy to have such a supremely choice instrument as Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ died at the age of thirty-three. Swami Vivekananda was thirty-nine. Lord Buddha was eighty, and Sri Aurobindo was practically eighty. Sri Chaitanya and Sri Ramakrishna did not reach even sixty years. So if God was able to fulfil Himself in and through these spiritual giants without paying any attention to the earthly calendar, then I am very happy. In my case, whether I have to live on earth a few more years or quite a few more years in order to serve and fulfil God is entirely up to Him. In His Happiness is my happiness.

The real question for us as spiritual seekers is how sincerely and devotedly we can pray to God so that we can realise Him as soon as possible and then take away some of His burdens. If I see that my father is suffering badly because he has to shoulder the full responsibility for the family, then I will go to school, I will get a degree and I will get a job so that I can help my father with the family affairs. In exactly the same way, the sooner we can realise God, the sooner we can relieve our Creator of some of His responsibilities.