It is said that libel and slander, censure and criticism are the ornaments of those who pave the way for truth. Attacks from backbiters and faultfinders make a pioneering soul more strong and determined. When Abhedananda became popular in New York, some Christian missionaries could not bear it. Out of jealousy some fabricated scandalous stories to defame the swami’s character. Undaunted, Abhedananda paid them no heed; he continued to work with his usual vigour and sangfroid.
Abhedananda later told his disciples how he faced the trials and tribulations in his life: “When I was in America, I would try to forget my sorrows and sufferings by singing or praying to the Master. I would spend my time practising japam and meditation, or studying books. There was none with whom I could open my heart, so I lived in my own world… . If a person upholds the truth, he encounters more obstacles; but one should never give up the truth. One should hold the post [i.e., God] with might and main. Don’t you see how I have confronted the storms of obstacles? I don’t care even if the whole world stands against me. I am holding onto the Master.” (Source: God Lived with Them)