Sri Sai Baba`S:Charters And Sayings

FIFTH TALK 89

will get the full result of the devotion which has been
so much hampered by these other feelings. Where-
fore it behoved us to be charitable in dealing with
these other people and to try, so far as'may be, in
all cases, to fix our thought upon the good things.
4f Pounce upon the pearls," as the Master said. " In
your criticism pounce upon the pearls instead of ever-
lastingly flying at the flaws," as so many other people
do. So that then is the one important thing. If a
man is on God's side, he is one of us. You see how
the Master put it:

If he is on God's side he is one of us, and it does not
matter in the least whether he calls himself a Hindu or a
Buddhist, a Christian or a Muhammadan, whether he is an
Indian or an Englishman, a Chinaman or a Russian.
Those who are on His side know why they are here and
what they should do, and they are trying to do it; all the
others -do not yet know what they should do, and so they
often act foolishly.

You see, there again is a touch of the teaching of
His predecessor, the great Lord Gautama, that all
evil comes from ignorance. Those who do not know
often act foolishly. There is the fundamental fact
which makes it true that the wicked man is always a
man to be pitied because he is acting in ignorance.
The fact that impresses itself most upon one is
generally that he is acting in selfishness—that he is
acting for his own interests, as he thinks. This tends
to make us forget his ignorance of the facts.
Take the case of those great millionaires whom you