Take another example. Imagine a man without any teeth. Now, if a fine stalk of sugar cane were brought to him, what would he do? Although he cannot enjoy the pleasure of chewing and eating this sugar cane, he would nonetheless wish with all the sincerity of his heart he could do so, and he would say to himself, “Would to God, I had teeth!” In just the same way an old man, though unable to enjoy, would at least feel attracted by, a beauty standing near him, and he would say, “Would to God that I were young!” This is Maya.
And how can one free oneself from Maya’s clutches? Only by the grace of a Guru! If one would surrender to a Guru and serve him heart and soul, the Guru, for his part, would burn up and destroy all his Maya in a moment—in as much time as it would take to light and burn a match. Such great powers, such lila, the Guru possesses!
But one must first be prepared for and deserve his grace. Otherwise, you may continue in your rounds of births and deaths for ages, and no fragrance or whiff or wind of the Truth would come to you. But if one wins the Guru’s grace, not only will he destroy all one’s Maya, but he will grant Mukti setting one free from these ceaseless rounds of births and deaths and enabling one to see God in an instant, all with a mere tap on the head. What idea have you of the powers of the Guru? None at all! Since you are still in the clutches of Maya your hands are rapped and tied. They need to be released from this confinement.
Bandhya se bandhya mila, chhute kon upay?
Sangat kariye nirbandh ki, pal me diye chhuttay.
If one in bonds were to seek help from another whose hands were tied just like his own, he would never get freed. But if he were to approach one whose hands were free, he himself would be freed immediately.
– “Meher Baba’s Tiffin lectures”, p37
22-May-1926; Meherabad