Chapter 74 Chapter Eighteen: One Month with Gokhli (Part 2)

When I was living at Gokhli's house, I was out a lot.I once told my Christian friends in South Africa that when I return to India, I will get to know some Indian Christians and understand their situation.I had long heard of Bab Karicharam Bannazi and had great admiration for him.He actively participated in the work of the National Congress Party, which is very different from the general situation of Indian Christians who do not participate in the activities of the National Congress Party and are alien to Hindus and Muslims, so I have no criticism against him.I told Gokhli I would love to meet him.He said, "What good is it for you to see him? He's a very nice man, but I'm afraid he won't please you. I know him very well, and if you want to see him, of course you can." I asked him to make an appointment, and he Immediately agreed.When I went to see him, his wife was lying on the hospital bed, dying.His family is very simple.At the convention, I saw him in a suit, and this time I was delighted to find him wearing a Bengal mop and a shirt.I liked his modest attire, although I myself was wearing a Bosch coat and trousers.I calmly told him about the difficulty, and he asked, "Do you believe that there are sins in life?"

"I believe it," I said. "That's good, Hinduism can't get rid of it, Christianity has solved this problem." He went on to say: "The price of sin is death, and the Bible says that the only way to be saved is to turn to Jesus." I suggested the meaning of the devotional path of the Bhagavad Gita, but to no avail.I thanked him for his kindness. He did not satisfy me, but this meeting was beneficial to me. In these days, I used to walk up and down the streets of Calcutta.I go a lot of places on foot.I have met Justice Mitt and Sir Gurudas Banerjee and I need them to sponsor my work in South Africa.It was at this time that I also met Sir Raja Piari Mohan Mukchi.

Karicharam Bannazi had already told me about the Kali Temple, and I was eager to find out, especially after I had read many books about this temple.So one day I went, and Judge Mitt lived in the same area, so I went to the temple on the day I visited him.Along the way, I saw flocks of sheep being driven to sacrifice to the god Kali.Crowds of beggars begged along the alleys leading to the temple, mixed with some fakirs.Even at that time I was firmly opposed to giving alms to those beggars who are physically strong.They followed me in groups, and one of them was sitting in the corridor.He blocked me, accosted me and said, "Where are you going, my boy?" I told him.

He asked my partner to sit down with me and talk to him.We sat down and talked with him.I asked him, "Do you think this kind of sacrifice is religion?" "Who would kill animals as a religion?" "Then why don't you promote people against it?" "That's none of my business, all we have to do is worship God." "But won't you find another place to worship God?" "All places are equally good to us. People are like a flock of sheep, following the leader. This is not our 'Shatuo' business." Without entanglement, we walked towards the temple.We had a bloody reception.I couldn't stand it there, it was both disgusting and uncomfortable.I will never forget that scene.

I was invited to a dinner party with Bangladeshi friends that night, and I was talking to a friend about this brutal form of worship. "The sheep don't feel anything," he said. "The noise and the beating of the drums froze all painful feelings." I can't believe that.I said to him, if the lambs could talk, they would say something else.I feel that this cruel custom must be stopped.I thought about the Buddha's story, but I also knew that I was powerless for this task. I still hold the same views today as I did then.I think the life of a lamb is as precious as a human life.I cannot bear to sacrifice the life of a lamb for my own.I think that the weaker and helpless a creature is, the more entitled it is to be protected by man from the brutality of man.But those who are not entitled to such services, of course, can afford little protection.I must go through more self-cleansing and sacrifices before I can hope to save these lambs from this unclean sacrifice.Today I think I should die for this self-cleaning and sacrifice.I have been praying to God that great beings (male or female) be born into the world, with the mercy of the gods burning in their hearts, to save us from this deep sin, to save the lives of innocent creatures, and to make this temple clean stand up.How could Bangladesh, with all its knowledge, intelligence, sacrifice, and affection, endure such massacres?