7. You say that the present Gayathri Mantra is not Gayathri at all?

[In your childhood did you not perform the Gayathri Mantra? Did you not worship statues and photos? Did you not perform the Sacrifices? Why have you changed like this in the last part of your life?] I performed Gayathri Mantra in My childhood. But I never recited the present Gayathri Mantra, which is not at all the Gayathri because the present Mantra is not a song. While doing Gayathri I used to recite several devotional songs in My mind and people thought that I did the Japa of the present Gayathri Mantra. I used to tell the people that I have chanted Gayathri, but I never told them that I chanted the so-called present Gayathri Mantra. I worshipped statues and photos. I also performed sacrifices because I could not open My knowledge in the beginning itself. Had I opened this knowledge in the beginning itself people could not have digested it? When a bull runs with high speed, I have to follow the bull for some distance and then control the bull. Similarly to become close with the people I ran along with their tradition for sometime and became close to them. Then slowly I opened the true knowledge step by step. Shankara followed Buddhism and was called as ‘Pracchanna Bouddha’, which means “A Buddhist in disguise”. He was called so because His Maya Vada was similar to Sunya Vada. He followed the Sunya Vada of Buddhists but slowly brought them under His control and made them accept the Brahman. Due to Him only the Buddhism which was born in India does not exist in India. He saw that Buddhism crossed the borders of India. How can you call Him a Buddhist in disguise? Therefore the Gita says ‘Sarvarambhahi Doshena’, which means that in the beginning ignorance is inevitable. When you jump into the mud pond to lift the people you will be also covered by mud. It is inevitable even to the human incarnation. I never condemned the Gayathri Mantra. I only told what Gayathri Mantra is. I never condemned temples, statues and photos. I advised to preserve these models of knowledge for the future ignorant devotees. They have limited purpose of vision and meditation. I only condemned the service to the statues (Ijya) as per the Gita. The statues and photos are good but have limited use. In the name of statues and photos, people try to fool the ignorant public and do business and cheating. They say that the statue has life, which is absurd and is not scientific and logical. I condemned the aim of the rituals but not the rituals. I condemned burning the food in the name of sacrifice but sacrifice in its real sense, i.e., to feed the guest should be performed. I never condemned the school and college but I asked the people to come out of school to college and to university in course of time. One must come out of all these rituals as a Grihastha and come to the Sanyasa at the end. One should become the Sanyasi and reach the Brahmaloka without dying as a householder. When a person dies as a Sanyasi, the rituals are not done, which means that he does not go to the hell. But when a householder dies, the rituals including the donation of cow clearly prove that he goes to the hell. I never condemned the lower steps but I advised to come to the highest step before one dies. I climbed all the steps in My life to be an example to others. Even the very tradition itself proves this, which is supported by the scriptures. You have no argument in this matter because I proved with the help of both the scriptures and the ancient tradition. Lord Shiva came as Hanuman to show how to serve the God. Therefore He acted as a servant to God. That does not mean that He is really the servant. To set an example for others He acted like that.