Y'dig?

The first trick is complete humility when you talk to another person. It’s the sign of greatness, it’s the sign of fulfillment. As the trees, when they are laden with fruits, they bend down. So, first of all, if you say “I am no one. I don’t understand anything, but I would like to hear” – this is first. The first quality of communication is to be extremely humble about yourself.  The other person should not know who you are.  And there’s a lot of fun in it. Say for example now – I can say about myself that my husband was very highly placed in India.

I met a friend in Delhi – she was studying with me in school and in college – and she asked me “where do you live?”  So, I told her, “In Meenabagh,” which was just a useless, small, little place meant for very ordinary officers.  Because they had not allotted us any house or anything so, temporarily, we were there.

She said “What? What is your husband doing?” I said “He’s some government servant.” – I didn’t tell her [his position]. He came down, he just looked at me and he smiled.

She said “do you know him?”

I said, “He’s my husband.”

She was shocked, “He’s your husband? Oh my God! Why didn’t you tell me?”

Immediately the whole thing changed and she felt so ashamed of herself.  She had started looking down upon Me, “Ah, married to some clerk or someone.”

So the best thing is to play down. Play down everything. Practice this at home, first practice and then do it.

That is one of the greatest qualities of communication with others.

- Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, Cabella, Italy, 1991