But the deeper you go, the further you are from language. Even dance is a language, even gestures are a language, even your eyes – without saying anything – can say much. But as you go deeper and deeper, there is the world of sachchidanand, there is the truth and consciousness and bliss. Everything becomes utterly silent. Mind is left far, far away. The mind cannot hear even faraway echoes of what is happening in the being.

Yes, mind can hear something of what is happening in the heart. The heart is very close to the mind, although deeper. Mind can feel that a certain harmony is arising, a certain peace, a certain joy. It can understand the heart dancing with abandon. But mind cannot express it in language. So it has a certain feeling from the heart, just a cool breeze passing through the mind. It can have a little taste – something sweet is happening somewhere deep, but how to say it?

I have told you the story, which is an ancient story, especially made for such a question…

Two beggars live in a forest, near a city. Naturally they are enemies, because they are in the same profession and in competition. One is blind and one is lame. And they are always quarreling about their clients. You don’t know what beggars say about you. They have their clients, they have their territories.

I always used to give one rupee to a beggar whenever I went in or out of the railway station. And in those days I was traveling for almost twenty years continuously. One day I found that the old beggar was gone and a young man was standing there. I asked him, “What happened to the old man?”

He said, “I am his son-in-law.”

I said, “You may be his son-in-law, but what happened to the old man?”

He said, “He has given this territory to me in dowry. And he has moved to another place, to the bus stand.”

I said, “I had no idea that I was being given in dowry to somebody.”

And he said, “He has informed me about you, that you will give me one rupee. You are on my list.”

I said, “People don’t know that they are somebody’s property, that they can be given in dowry.”

Beggars are continuously fighting. There is great struggle and competition. And those two beggars had been enemies for years. But one day the forest caught fire. The blind man was perfectly able to walk and run, but it was dangerous. He could not see whether he was going in the right direction, where there was no fire, or whether he was running through the fire towards more.

The lame man could not run on his own. And the fire was spreading so fast and the winds were so strong, but he could see that there was still a possibility to get out. There were a few places where the fire had not reached yet. But soon it would be reaching there. Soon, they would be covered by fire from all over the place. They both forgot all their antagonism, competition. This was not the time to fight, this was a time to unite.