Standing Up!

Years later, during the Depression years, he gave a lecture in New York. Certain rich people were taking advantage of poor ones who lacked the means even to protect themselves. In his lecture, Yogananda spoke out very strongly on the subject. He actually named a few names, accusing those he named of causing great suffering to others.

After the lecture, several people warned him, “Don’t go back to the station alone. Let a few of us, at least, accompany you.”

“I’m not afraid,” he said. “God is with me.”

He was in a dark alley, approaching Grand Central Station, when he felt a gun in his back. A menacing voice said, “Why did you say such things against those people?”

Yogananda turned around and confronted his assailant face to face. “God,” he said, “is as much in His poor children as in His rich ones. And He is not pleased when the rich ones take advantage of the poor.” Imagine speaking like that to someone who is pointing a gun at you! 

Yogananda then gazed at the man with the spiritual power of Bliss. Suddenly, the other began to tremble violently. His pistol fell to the ground. “What are you doing to me?” he cried. “I was sent to shoot you!”

“You can never win,” Yogananda told him. “Pick up your gun.”

“I can’t go back to my old ways!” cried the other. Then, terrified of what had happened, he ran away into the night.

Wisdom Gem

When fear comes, tense and relax, and exhale several times. Switch on the electricity of calmness and nonchalance. Let your whole mental machinery wake up and actively hum with the vibration of will. Then, harness the power of will to the cogwheels of fearless caution and good judgement. Continuously revolve these to produce practical ideas for escaping your specific, impending calamity.