It used to be that monkeys only made faces and threatened from the trees. But in Lucknow – perhaps somebody had hurt them, nobody knows the cause – for fifteen days they made such a chaos that the whole market had to be closed. And the government could not decide to shoot those monkeys, because if they were shot the whole Hindu population’s religious heart would be hurt. But since nobody came on that road anymore, those monkeys came to their senses – because now no more food was available. So finally they decided not to harm people any longer. They could see the point – if nobody passes on the road, nobody comes to the temple, they don’t get any food or flowers. Otherwise they were the blessed monkeys, very rich.

Seeing the situation, after fifteen days they had to surrender. Slowly, slowly people started opening their shops again, moving on the street, cautiously at first. And the government had alerted the people that nobody should shoot a monkey. Rather than calling the army to shoot the monkeys, they ordered people, “If you shoot a monkey you will be thought a criminal, and you will be treated just as if you have shot a man. No distinction will be made!”

These poor politicians are ruling all over the world, and they are ruled by all kinds of superstitions and stupidities.

“Zoolatry, or the worship of animals, is not uncommon in the East. The monkey is among those animals worshipped, like the tiger and the snake, out of fear.

It is said that the monkey is a symbol of the lower mind which imitates or reflects the higher, or represents the automatic mind. The monkey god, Hanuman, son of Vayu, the god of winds, is worshipped today in India. He is a symbol of the intellect which comes from the higher mind, Vayu.

And in the orthodox villages in India the monkey is always free from harm and is magic. Its magic influence is implored against the whirlwind, and it is also invoked to avert sterility. The bones of monkeys are said to pollute the ground. Mentioning a monkey brings starvation for the rest of the day, but it is regarded as lucky to keep one in the stable.

It is seriously believed in Africa and South America that monkeys can talk, but do not for fear of being made to work.”

That is really good…if they talk there is every danger man will force them to work. It is better to keep quiet.

I have heard about a small child who would not talk. He was taken to this psychologist, to that psychiatrist, to a psychoanalyst…nobody could get him to utter a single word. He could hear perfectly well; he was checked, his ears were perfect. But he would not show even a sign from his eyes or face that he had heard anything.

But one day at the dining table he said to his mother, “Where’s the salt?”

The mother said, “My God, you have never spoken before.”

He said, “Nothing was ever missing before, why should I have spoken? I heard all those psychoanalysts and psychiatrists and all the nonsense they were talking. But to speak means going to school, and I hate school. It’s just because of the salt that I had to speak now, in spite of myself. But this is just between me and you, don’t tell anybody. I am never going to speak again, so nobody would believe you anyway.”