The parents said that he should get educated to be able to earn a living. Mansur said: ‘Mother! Have I to study only for earning a living? Are not dogs, birds, ants and many other creatures able to get their food without any education? Am I to waste my divine life for the sake of filling my belly?’ He walked out of his home. He was a young lad, but there was effulgence in his face. He sought nothing from any one. People seeing the effulgence on his face offered him things of their own accord. One old lady offered him food. The purity of his heart secured for him the food. His pure love was feeding him.
Wherever he went, he was declaring: ‘I am God. I am God’. (Anul Huq! Anul Huq). This corresponds to the Vedantic declarations, Aham Brahmasmi (I am Brahman), ‘So-ham’ (I am He). This declaration was treated with ridicule by some persons. The elders reviled him and asked: ‘You little fellow! How do you claim you are God? How can you be God?’ Foolish people ask such questions in this world out of their ignorance and lack of faith. Why should they undermine the faith of others? Mansur’s answer to them was: ‘I am uttering these words because I am God. There is divine energy in everyone. But some use it for good purposes and some others misuse it. I am using it for good purposes’. He went on declaring ‘I am God. I am God.’
Meanwhile all the pundits came together and observed: ‘We have studied all the Vedas and Scriptures. We dare not make a declaration of this kind. How is it a young student goes about making such a claim? How did he dare to make such a claim?’
It is not scriptural knowledge that confers the courage to make such a declaration. It is the faith in the heart. Whatever others may say, one should not allow one’s faith to be shaken. Students should have such firm faith.
The pundits came together and went in a body to complain to the king. ‘Oh King! This boy is insulting our scholarship. In spite of all our knowledge, we are not able to declare that we are God. This illiterate fool goes about saying that he is God. How to account for this? Either he is a lunatic or an arrogant fellow’.
The Pundits somehow wanted to put an end to this. It is the nature of the evil minded to cause harm even to those who are innocent and good. They make no distinction between the bad and the good, just as white ants make no distinction between an expensive sari and a torn piece of cloth. People who criticise others are like these white ants.
‘When the pundits complained to the king, the latter ordered the boy to be brought to him. When the King summoned Mansur, he declared: ‘I am God’. The King drew the boy near him and tried to appeal to him in soft words. ‘Child! You are an ordinary human being. You are illiterate and ignorant. You should not boast that you are God.’ Mansur replied: ‘I will continue to do so. I am proclaiming the truth. I am God. You are God. All are God. The In-dweller in all is the one God. The Muslims say: ‘Allah Hu Akbar’. The Christians say: ‘God is great’. The Hindu say: ‘So-Ham’. God is one. He is Brahmasutra . He is the one thread running through all beings who are like beads in a rosary’. Mansur went on arguing with the King in this manner. The King’s words did not appeal to him. He said: ‘Oh King! you are seeking to divert me to a wrong path away from my royal road. This is not proper on your part.’ Mansur continued to assert: ‘I am God’.
The King got angry. ‘You are despising my words’, he said. He summoned a doctor and ordered him to gouge the eyes of Mansur. ‘This will force him to remain in one place and he will not disturb others’. The doctor took away the eyes of the boy. But he continued to shout in joy: ‘Anul Huq! Anul Huq! (I am God. I am God). The boy was free from body consciousness. The king then summoned a butcher and asked him to cut off the hands of the boy. Continuing to laugh, he exclaimed: ‘Anul Huq! Anul Huq!’ The people in the audience hall could not bear to see the gruesome sight. But there was no sign of grief on the face of the boy. He continued to laugh. His faith was unshakable. He was unaffected by what others said. Of what use is education if there is no firm determination? Is the amassing of wealth and secreting money abroad, the purpose of education? No. Earning of money may be necessary, but it should be limited and the money earned should be used for good purposes.
Seeing the determination of Mansur, the King ordered that his legs should be cut off. After this maiming, Mansur died. But the blood flowing from his tortured limbs was proclaiming: ‘I am God. I am God’. The dead body was cremated. But from its ashes rose the cry: ‘I am God. I am God’ This happened three centuries ago in Northern India. The people were astonished at the phenomenon. The king felt repentant, but of what use is repentance after a grievous wrong had been committed? (SS May 96, pp. 117-118)