Divine enterprises

We have several divine enterprises. Only a few of these are doing well and have done well right from the very start. Some of the other enterprises had wonderful promise, but they failed because the owners' attention was diverted to other channels; they had more interest in something else. In the beginning they promised that they would serve the enterprises most devotedly. Then, unfortunately, pride entered. This is human nature.

In one of my distant Centres, when some disciples first started a restaurant, it did not do so well. They said it was all my fault. After a few months, when the restaurant started doing very well and they were finally making money, they left the Centre and left God. Now spirituality has totally gone out of their lives. The owners have gone back to drugs and hippie life. Here it was a matter of money versus God. Money comes and then people throw God out of their life.

Money-power can take us to the animal life or it can take us to the divine life. If money-power is properly used, it is an additional help in the spiritual life. If it is not properly used, look what can happen! When their business does well, some disciples forget the spiritual life. At that time, they think that it is they who have made their business successful. They forget that by the Grace of the Supreme I inaugurated their divine enterprise. As soon as their business goes well, as soon as money comes, they throw away God. Money-power takes them to the animal life.

Some people blame me when they fail; but when they are successful, they feel that they have done everything. Then their success very nicely becomes their downfall. But I wish to tell you that no divine enterprise will fail if we have two things. One thing is proper management. In daily life, we see that if there is no proper management, it is a sad situation: failure after failure. The second thing that is necessary is patience. We sow a seed. The seed may take three or four days to germinate. Let us call the divine enterprises spiritual seeds. It will take three or four months or even four years for these seeds to germinate. So patience is needed. Sometimes it happens that our patience is not enough. After three or four years, by this time if there is no success, we want to give up. But I say, even if you think that your enterprise is a failure, please stick to what you have started. Wait and see what will happen tomorrow.