Adversity & Awakening by Swami Satchidananda

to accept that, and they interpret the scriptures in distorted ways.

Here is a story to illustrate this point: Once upon a time, there was a condemned prisoner who had been sentenced to death and was about to be hanged. Right at that moment, a message came to the authorities in the form of a telegram.

Unfortunately, there was no punctuation in the telegram.

One of the authorities read: “HANG HIM. NOT LET HIM GO.” Another one of the authorities, who had a kind heart, who was sorry for this man, said: “We are ready to hang him; why should they have sent such a message? There is something wrong with that. Let me read it.”

He read the telegram like this: “HANG HIM NOT. LET HIM GO.’” Each person read the same message from his own perspective. That is how “interpretation” occurs. And, that is why we have “Holy” Crusades and Jihad. In the name of God, some 40