But he loved me. He said, “I also think that it is useless. Nobody else does it, but my father used to do it, and because of him it has become almost a heritage: I am doing it, my children are doing it. And now there is great fear…my father has left it with me, perhaps his father had left it with him. The fear is that if you pass the temple of any god without paying respect, he may be angry at you. And gods are very revengeful; they are not going to leave you alone. You will suffer. So the fear is, why unnecessarily make enemies, powerful enemies against whom there is no other defense? It is better to pay respect – it costs nothing.”

I said, “Then you can do it, but you cannot come with me.”

And he loved to come with me, so he said, “Tomorrow I will try – just give me one chance, because I can see that you don’t pay any respect, and nobody takes any revenge. Nobody else is paying respect – thousands of people are passing and only I am…. It seems all the gods are waiting for me to pay respect, otherwise I will suffer revenge. They are not concerned with anybody else.”

I said, “That’s what I am saying – they are not there. There is nobody in the temple; all temples are empty. There are no gods and there is no need to be afraid. You come with me, but tomorrow this habit has to be stopped; otherwise our friendship for this morning walk is at an end.”

He said, “Just one day….” He tried hard, and I could see how psychological chains exist. He had promised me, and I was with him so he could not deceive me. On one side was the god…and he was caught between the two sides. I could see his feet stopping; I could see his hands getting ready to pay respect, but seeing me he would drop his hands.

It took almost double time that day, because he was stopping…almost an automatic break. And I had to stop and look at him severely, so he would say, “Okay, I will not do it. But are you certain there is no god?”

I said, “You just forget all about gods. We have come for a morning walk, and this continuous stopping…and there are so many temples; I am fed up!”

But you will be surprised. In the evening he came to see me. He was looking very happy. He said, “Do you know what? I had to go another time. When I left you I went again to pay respect because I was so disturbed that so many gods would be angry. And I am a poor man, how am I going…? But now I am feeling at ease.” So he said, “That’s perfectly good: With you I will come and will not pay respect. But I can go twice – the second time just to pay respect to the gods.”

I said, “It seems you are incurable. You see me every day with you – nobody is being angry, nobody is taking any revenge. You see thousands of people passing by.”

He said, “I see everything, but what am I to do with my own mind?”

I said, “Then it is better you go one time and pay respect, and I will stop going on that street. I will go on another street, because I will not force you to go twice, wasting your time.”

When people are psychologically in such a bondage they always find reasons. One day he came to me and told me, “Now I go alone, without you, and the whole joy of the morning walk is gone. And I know you will not come with me unless I leave these gods; I have to choose. So today I tried it – perhaps you are right. I tried it on my own. I didn’t pay any respect. And when I came home my mother was dead. Now it is absolutely certain that I angered so many gods.”