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GOD'S SENSE OF HUMOR

Bal Natu

 
It was a day for light talk and it seemed most appropriate that Baba touched on the subject of God's sense of humor. He stated that Creation is God's Lila (Divine Sport) and that it is sustained by His sense of humor. He also explained that the expression of God's humor varies with the scope and range of work that is ordained and accomplished in each Advent through the Avatar, Sadgurus, saints and masts. In fact, God's sense of humor is so pervasive that there is not a person who is totally devoid of it.

Baba began in a humorous vein. "Whether I am the Avatar or Shaitan (Satan) one thing is certain and that is I have a great sense of humor. It is my sense of humor that makes me rejoice to see Anna 104 and happy to listen to the irrelevant talk of Babadas. Anna's type of personality is more than enough to exhaust the patience and forbearance of rishis and munis (saints and sages). Yet, I cannot help but humor them both, and going out of my way to keep them near me. Both of them have rendered great and unique service to me and I know that they both love me sincerely."

Baba then referred to incidents from the different lives of the Avatar that expressed a deep sense of humor. He continued:

"It is said that once Rasool-e-Khuda (the Messenger of God) felt indisposed and someone suggested that that was due to an evil eye and that he should sleep on a pillow with an open knife underneath it. He did so, and thereafter declared himself to be all right. Call it ordinary or call it Divine; it was Mohammed's sense of humor.

"It is a fact that, during the childhood of his grandsons, Hassan and Hussain, the Prophet predicted the Moharram "Karbala" to his daughter Fatima, the mother of (the) martyrs ... the Prophet did not try to avoid (or avert) the ... tragedy and ... that was only because of God's Divine sense of humor in Mohammed.

"Likewise, the strife between the Kauravas and the Pandavas and the consequent bloodshed was not only due to the Divine sense of humor in Krishna, but its height was reached when Krishna himself died through an arrow that accidentally struck one of his legs from the bow of an ordinary hunter who never had any intention of harming the Rangila (playful) Avatar in any way.

"The kind-hearted Jesus knew very well that his nearest disciple would betray him and thus lead to his crucifixion; but, because of the Divine sense of humor, Christ could not help getting himself crucified, although the world rightly continues to look upon him as the Savior of humanity.

"The funniest Divine sense of humor was on the part of Buddha when he simply died of simple dysentery, though his "medicine" for the spiritual beemaries (illnesses) of mankind holds the field to this day.

"In short, save for a change in the circumstances, the atmosphere and the surroundings, the same old, old story goes on repeating again and again which by itself proves the Divine sense of humor....

"The manifestation of the Divine Fun (Sport) or Lila, however, depends upon the Great Ones (Perfect Ones) of God who achieve Oneness with God; and, thus, in spite of raising themselves above the Law of Duality, they still retain the Divine sense of humor to uphold the universal law of ignorance through which Knowledge Divine is achieved for all eternity.

"Those who were with me at the spot at the time of my car accident in America can alone well describe my own sense of humor as to how thoroughly battered, bruised and literally helpless and hopeless I was when lying with broken bones in a pool of my own blood together with my dearest ones, I yet maintained my silence and my consciousness throughout the crisis and the long period of convalescence."

 

GLIMPSES OF THE GOD-MAN, Vol. 3, pp. 155-157, Bal Natu
1982 © Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust

               

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