questioned him with a view to knowing his real intentions. But on being convinced of his earnestness, she said, 'What is there in the worldly life? What an inordinate attachment people have for it! See how out of one so many come out, and how one's attention and energies are all dissipated! Is it possible for a person placed under such conditions to attain spiritual greatness? Have you not seen crabs? The mother crab peeps out of her hole again and again, and then goes down. She struggles hard repeatedly to free herself, but fails. And why? Because of her attraction for her numerous progeny living in the hole. This attraction drags her into the hole in spite of all her efforts. Such is the case of those who are immersed in worldly life.'
In fact, the Holy Mother respected both the ideals - that of the Sannyasin and that of the householder - but disliked the vanities of the followers of either. Whether accompanied by the garb or not, renunciation was the essential thing. Provided that was present, both the ideals took one to the highest goal. But her conversations in the Gospel of the Holy Mother show that she always encouraged a person to lead a celibate life, if she found him fit for it. In the case of girls too she would recommend celibacy to such of them as were drawn to the ideal of complete renunciation. One day a devotee requested the Holy Mother to order her daughter to marry. But the Holy Mother replied, 'Is it not a misery to remain in life-long slavery to another and always dance to his tune?' She said that though there was some risk in being a celibate, if one was not inclined to lead a married life, one should not be forced