People have suffered their whole lives in a strange, tricky slavery. Now, nobody can directly call them slaves, but the fact is they are bonded laborers; they will die, they will never get the money to pay the advance. The advance is given just the same way as in the past human beings were auctioned.

You will not believe that neither Buddha nor Mahavira nor Krishna nor Rama…nobody has said a single word against slavery. People, particularly women, were simply auctioned in the marketplace, and all these great religious leaders had nothing to say about it. Perhaps they are suffering from their evil acts of a past life.

And the most amazing fact is that not only did they not oppose it…

I am reminded of an Upanishadic Hindu seer – of course, self-styled and so-called – who was known as Gadiwan Raikva, because he used to travel in a bullock cart. Raikva was his name, gadiwan means a man who owns a bullock cart.

He was also in the marketplace bidding for a beautiful woman, but a king came – and of course against the king he could not win. He went ahead as much as he could, because Hindu seers were not poor people; they had many wives, they had plenty of land, and their disciples worked on the land to pay for their discipleship. They gathered much money, and that money was used to purchase women.

Gadiwan Raikva was one of the most famous self-styled, so-called saints. What kind of saint is ready to purchase human beings as a commodity?

But because he was defeated and the king gave more money for the woman, he was very angry – and all these people have been saying, “Don’t be angry, don’t be greedy.” He was waiting for his chance to take revenge – and these people have been talking about, “Drop all revengefulness, be kind, be compassionate, love your enemies.”

After many years the king who had purchased the woman became fed up with his kingdom and riches and the whole crowd of women, and he wanted some peace of mind.

Forgetting the incident that had happened twenty years before, he went to Gadiwan Raikva to find some peace of mind, taking lots of money, diamonds, emeralds, rubies, to offer to the saint. He had taken with him his prime minister.

He touched the feet of Gadiwan Raikva and offered the whole lot of money. But Gadiwan Raikva was still boiling with rage. Twenty years had not made any difference, the fire was still alive. He pushed aside the king and said, “Get lost, and take all your money!”

The king could not believe it. He asked his prime minister, “What is the matter? Why is this man behaving so angrily? I used to think he was a great saint.”

The prime minister said, “He is a great saint, but you don’t remember…. Twenty years before you were both bidding for a young woman, and you defeated him. Bring that woman, offer that woman to the saint, and he will give you peace of mind.” Peace of mind, my foot!

And he brought the woman, and Gadiwan Raikva accepted the woman, and he agreed to initiate the king into peace of mind.