Yoga: The Alpha and the Omega, Vol 8

CHAPTER 1

Secrets of death and karma
11 April 1976 am in Buddha Hall

23. BY PERFORMING SAMYAMA ON THE TWO TYPES OF KARMA, ACTIVE AND DORMANT,
OR UPON OMENS AND PORTENTS, THE EXACT TIME OF DEATH CAN BE PREDICTED.
24. BY PERFORMING SAMYAMA ON FRIENDLINESS, OR ANY OTHER ATTRIBUTE, GREAT
STRENGTH IN THAT QUALITY IS OBTAINED.
25. BY PERFORMING SAMYAMA ON THE STRENGTH OF AN ELEPHANT, THE STRENGTH OF
AN ELEPHANT IS OBTAINED.
26. BY DIRECTING THE LIGHT OF THE SUPERPHYSICAL FACULTY, KNOWLEDGE IS GAINED
OF THE SUBTLE, THE HIDDEN, AND THE DISTANT.
27. BY PERFORMING SAMYAMA ON THE SUN, KNOWLEDGE OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM IS
GAINED.

I HAVE heard one beautiful story. Once there was a great sculptor, a painter, a great artist. His art
was so perfect that when he would make a statue of a man, it was difficult to say who is the man
and who is the statue. It was so lifelike, so alive, so similar. An astrologer told him that his death is
approaching, he is going to die soon. Of course, he became very much afraid and frightened, and
as every man wants to avoid death, he also wanted to avoid. He thought about it, meditated, and
he found a clue. He made his own statues, eleven in number, and when Death knocked on his door
and the Angel of Death entered, he stood hidden among his own eleven statues. He stopped his
breathing.

The Angel of Death was puzzled, could not believe his own eyes. It had never happened; it was so
irregular. God has never been known to create two persons alike; he always creates the unique. He
has never believed in any routine. He is not like an assembly line. He is absolutely against carbons;
he creates only originals. What has happened? Twelve persons in all, absolutely alike? Now, whom
to take away? Only one has to be taken away. Death, the Angel of Death, could not decide. Puzzled,
worried, nervous, he went back. He asked God, ”What have you done? There are twelve persons
exactly alike, and I am only supposed to bring one. How should I choose?”

God laughed. He called the Angel of Death close to him, and he uttered in his ears the formula, the
clue how to find the real from the unreal. He gave him a mantra and told him, ”Just go, and utter it
in that room where that artist is hiding himself among his own statues.”
The Angel of Death asked, ”How is it going to work?”

God said, ”Don’t be worried. Just go and try.”

The Angel of Death came, not yet believing how it is going to work, but when God had said, he had
to do it. He came in the room, looked around, and not addressing anybody in particular, he said,
”Sir, everything is perfect except one thing. You have done well, but you have missed at one point.
One error is there.

>   Downlod Book Here