Question: Does the spirit get mad if you claim it as your own?

Sri Chinmoy: That is a question that is difficult to answer. When the spirit writes through you, it hopes that you will give it credit. But if you are like me, then it will be just inner credit. I ask all of you to do things for me, and I take the credit. When I publish a book, I know how many people have helped me in so many ways; but it goes under my name: 'Sri Chinmoy.' I may not give outer credit, but there is also something called inner credit. You do something outwardly for me, and inwardly I do something for you, for all of you. Again, sometimes I do tell others what you have done: you have typed, you have corrected and so on. This I tell quite often, although sometimes I do not. But you know I do something. In the inner world I do something and also in the outer world I do something. If I really don't do anything for you and only take your help in a one-sided way, then naturally you people will be angry with me.

But, to be very frank with you, sometimes when undivine forces enter into you, then you don't feel what I am doing for you. You think, "I stayed up the whole night working for him and he does not even smile at me; he does not even give me a word of appreciation." Forces attack you, and then how hard I have to work to remove those forces. But when you remain in a divine consciousness, in the consciousness of gratitude, you definitely do feel that I do something for you. But if you don't feel that I am doing something for you, then you curse me and my forefathers: "He is only taking advantage of me. When the book is out, only 'Sri Chinmoy' is there; there is no mention of all those who helped print and publish the book. But if you are sincere, then you see that our giving is mutual, reciprocal. I am giving and you are giving. You may give in the outer world, and I may give in the inner world. But if you are not sincere, then you will not know that each of us is giving something.

To come back to your question, from the spirits' world, the spirits give help and the people on earth get the credit. If the spirit works very hard through the person who was the medium, then the spirit will say, "All right, I have given my contribution, and he is getting name and fame on earth. Now this person has to give me a push to go up." Spiritual Masters can help spirits in this way if they want to. But ordinary people also sometimes become mediums. A spirit comes and writes through them. But they aren't able to help the spirit to go up. If they take all the credit, then naturally the spirit will be so disappointed and furious: "Look, I have done that and he doesn't give me the credit." So either in the inner world you have to do something for the spirit, or you have to outwardly mention the name of the spirit so the spirit gets some credit in this world. Most people don't. Then the spirit takes revenge. At night it comes and does something. It may take away your hearing or your eyesight, or give you an ulcer or something else.