I asked him, “Then tell me about the Hindu gods. How many children has Shiva produced – two…? That’s what the Indian government has been saying, ‘Don’t produce more than two!’ Brahma has not produced any – being wiser!”

He said, “I have never thought about it.”

And I said, “You don’t understand anything of the whole process of the birth of a child. One million people die, then one child is born – and that too once in a while. Every time you make love you don’t create children, otherwise every woman would be carrying so many pregnancies together. Once she is pregnant then you cannot do anything to make her more pregnant; the door is closed. People come and knock – and not a small crowd. In each love affair, loving a woman, millions of male sperms rush to knock on the doors. But if the doors are closed, their life span is only a few hours. So much violence is happening.”

You will be surprised that Mahavira, who was teaching nonviolence – his concern about celibacy was not the concern as it is of other religions. His concern was that in each love act you kill millions of people without even knowing it! Just think of a man, normal…it seems in his whole life he can kill four hundred million people. All Adolf Hitlers and others don’t matter; even normal people are killing!

So birth control will not make much difference. In one million, if one more is added, it will not make much difference.

I told him a story….

A very famous noble emperor, Akbar, was bringing swans from the Himalayas. It must be the highest point where a lake exists of the purest water, Mansarovar. And strangely, in Mansarovar live the biggest swans and the whitest swans. They come to India when it becomes too cold. For nine months it is frozen: you can drive on it without any fear; it is solid rock. For only three months it melts. So for three months those swans go back to Mansarovar. Akbar had seen those swans – and they were so beautiful.

He said, “Make a beautiful marble lake in my garden. Make every arrangement so that those swans don’t have to go to Mansarovar again.”

The lake was made and it was the season when the swans would be coming soon. He said, “It is not an ordinary lake. It is a royal reception, so inform the whole capital: Tomorrow morning fill the whole lake with milk. Bring as much as you can, at least one bucket per person.”

Birbal, his friend and adviser, laughed.

He said, “Why are you laughing?”

He said, “In the morning you will see why I’m laughing. I know what is going to happen!”