Champaklal Speaks

Replacement not the Solution

Once someone asked for a copy of the Bulletin from me. It was, he assured me, for Mother's work. I did not ask Mother about it for I knew the person and it was for her work. After some time he returned that copy. I saw that it was not in a good condition and looked at him rather closely but I did not say anything to him. For I saw that he did not feel any regret about returning the copy in that condition.I remained quiet. I opened the journal and looked at the pages. Seeing that in some places he had marked lines in red, I could no longer remain quiet and exclaimed: “Oh, you have spoilt the Bulletin!” One can understand someone marking in his own copy; there is nothing to say then.

“Oh! It is nothing. I will replace it with a new one,” he replied in an off-hand manner.

“How can you replace something once you have spoilt it?” I asked him. “Once it is spoilt, it remains spoilt. It cannot be unspoilt. To replace it does not restore the situation. To bring a new one does not make any difference to what is damaged.”

I doubt if he understood what I meant. However, I did not tell Mother what had happened. But one day something similar took place and at that time I told the Mother of this incident and said: “It is impossible to replace what has been spoilt. But the man wouldn't understand.”

“Yes, Champaklal,” Mother said softly. “You are right.” She looked so happy at what I had said; her expression was beatific.

True, in the ordinary life I too might have reacted in the same way as the other man. But to have lived with the Mother made all the difference in my outlook: Things are living entities and it is an insult to damage or misuse a thing and throw it away in favour of a new one.