Render yourself unsuccessful; but how is it possible?

During discourse Ma-Mahajnan expounds, “You’ve come into my life. You listen to what I tell you. Here is a mass of people sitting, who have filled up the whole temple. Perhaps I note some fault or offence. I go up and hold you by the ear or give you a slap or rebuke you with a word or two--”What’s this! Insulting me before so many people!” So?
Gossip there must be. Where you get your training, you will find chastisement there. You only take note of that cherishment of yourself on that day. But how could you in a moment forget all that long-continued affection, fondness, exhortation, love? In that case what sort of ungrateful wretch are you? What a wretch, indeed! You’ve not being chastisement has at bottom to do with training. Both the ends are eroded.
[Who are being asked to cast away their past life? Life of reckless indulgence is meant, not ordinary life. Those who enjoy a worldly life are not meant. Those leading a way-ward life are meant. Thieves, sharper, robbers, womanizers—such people are meant.]
Ma-Mahajnan: Well, it is said here—you’ve dipped your feet into the drain water; go and wash your feet into the pond. That is go and live in the midst of the family. What’s this you are doing? The pond is equated to the family. Get back into the family. You may not set up your own family. Still you get back into the family.
What does getting back into the family mean? Wherever your parents, brothers, uncles, and aunts live—you get back into that family. You go and stand into the midst of their seeking and getting. Watch what they do and don’t do. If after watching, still you feel an urge, then come.
You’ve come. Sprinkling the holy-water over you I’ll receive you. That’s from my side. I’ll initiate you with a knowledge-begetting mantra (advice).if with the aid of that you remain bold you’ll be able to take your stand in the tradition of knowledge.
There are so many suggestions, converging on him. What will it avail, if you straightaway come to me? You had been a thief or sharper can you change into a complete holy man just by coming to me? No, you can’t.
Then wash your feet into the water of the pond and come. Do come. Immerse yourself into the family. By family is not meant your own family. Here, however, you are not asked to become a house-holder.
Once you go to wash your feet in the water of the pond, that is to say, you get back into the family of your parents, or that of your elder brother and his wife or that of your uncle and aunt. Well, there you observe how they lead their married life.
Observe how they earn and spend. Observe how they wallow in the world. Observe how they pray to God. There you build up a kind of experience. So coming away from the drain water you wash your feet in the water of the pond.
Now if you still feel an urge in your mind, then come. You have behind that “you” eh? –“Well, I dipped my feet in the drain-water. But I have come to wash my feet in the water of the pond. O my goodness! What’s this I find here? These people are also wallowing in the same manner in the world!”—There you’ve given a long interval.
Brought over you are from way-wardness to discipline. Then if you feel something worth learning in that discipline—if you think so for yourself, you come away under the dispensation of super-discipline. Come away under the dispensation of well-ordered discipline.
Prosad: Do you forbid them to set up a family in the case of those who’ve turned way-ward?
Ma-Mahajnan: O no, I asked them just to get back into somebody’s family. Not, however, to become a house-holder.
I asked you not to become so, for you dipped your feet into the drain-water, eh? How can you come to the pond straight away? Where is that knowledge in you which will make you come to the pond?
Next, what will you do on digging the pond? What will you do? You won’t put in fish-spawn there. You’ll leave behind everything slime, muddy hollow and mire. What is going to happen? That is to say, you will just bring in another family and make a hush of it, eh?
Family life means a kind of religion. Know this, it is an exalted religion. You fancy you’ve just bred a spawn of a few bed-bugs. You don’t feed them or groom them or clothe them—you don’t perform any of your duties. Your wife—she moans and groans. You don’t spare her a glance. Thus you entangle a few other souls. It is said, “You get into the family; don’t be a house-holder.”
Now, if after getting into the family and observing its ways, you feel a desire to become a house-holder, you go in for that kind of life. Or if you feel like coming to me, come. You look there and judge. If you desire to become a house-holder, you be. I have no objection.
First train yourself up. For, the very first step is this—get into the family. If you then can turn into a house-holder, that has my consent. I desire it, too. You go. Further, if you wish to go up a step higher, there are severe austerities to be practiced. Once there, you cannot maintain a habit of gobbling up this or that.

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