One day the manager of a well-known bank in Poona came to see Baba. He did not believe in Baba, but consented to come just because of the goadings of a Baba lover, who happened to be his friend. On the night previous to his seeing Baba he prepared a bundle of questions to ask Baba.
The first one was, “Why do you call yourself an Avatar?” The next morning he arrived at Guruprasad fully equipped for a battle. He was introduced to Baba. Baba, knowing very well what was brewing in his mind, said, “What do you want to ask Me?.” The man sarcastically replied, “Since you are the Avatar, answer the question that is in my mind!”
Baba then conveyed with His signs, “Til you crave for answers you will not get answers. Since time immemorial the been only one question, “Who am I?” This first question God asked Himself. He got the reply, ‘I am stone,’ then ‘I am metal . . . fish . . . bird . . . animal,’ and finally, I am Man.’ But the very final reply He got was ‘I am God.’
The original question and the final answer are of importance; all other questions have no value. Logically you may show that you are God, but you do not experience it. Once you get the experience then no other answers are required. But to get the experience is not easy, and it is not got for the asking.”
The conversation lasted quite some time and ultimately the ego-inflated manager got tears in his eyes and repented for his folly.
-Awakener 22:1, p39 (by Bharucha)