You Cannot Paint the World Green

Before you experience the divine in every being in the universe and in every cell and atom, you have to experience it in yourself. Each act, word and thought must be charged with that awareness.

There was a millionaire once who was bothered by two aches, one in his stomach and the other in his head! He was examined and treated by a galaxy of medical experts; he consumed heavy loads of drugs, and underwent centuries of injections. But the aches persisted with greater vigor then ever before!

At last, a svâmî arrived at the scene of his agony. He spoke very kindly to him and pronounced the fault to be in his eyes! Set right the eye, and the head on top and the stomach below, would both behave very sweetly! To improve the eye, concentrate on only one color. Concentrate on green, he suggested. Do not let your eyes fall on red or yellow, or any other color.

The millionaire got together a group of painters and purchased barrels of green color and directed that every object on which his eye was likely to fall to be painted thick green. Just as the ashtagraha calamity (the ominous astrological phenomenon of eight heavenly bodies reaching a straight line in space, which was sought to be avoided by superstitious persons through ceremonials of exorcism) resulted in a rich harvest for priests, the millionaire's malady resulted in a rich harvest for paint-craftsmen.

When the svâmî came back to him after about ten days, the craftsmen ran toward him with a bucket of green paint for he wore a red gown! He wondered why, and got the answer that their master dared not cast his eye on any color other than green, lest the aches may return.

The svâmî reprimanded the patient and said that he had wasted lakhs of rupees as a result of his monumental stupidity. "If only you had purchased a pair of green spectacles, worth perhaps four rupees, you could have saved these walls and trees and pots and pans, and chairs and sofas and also a pretty large share of your fortune! You cannot paint the world green".

(Chinna Katha from Baba)