"In fact, it was obvious that there was nobody else except Judas to succeed Jesus. In every way he was qualified. In every way Jesus showered his love and his blessings on him.

"But the day Jesus said, 'Nobody is going to be my successor. I have not come here to create a dynasty, because my kingdom is of the other world. It is the kingdom of God,' that distance of just one foot became a distance of thousands of miles. The same night, Judas betrayed Jesus. He sold him to the enemies for only thirty silver pieces. Of course, it was done in a very emotional, hasty way – again unconsciously.

"This is the trouble with man. His actions are not conscious. Hence you cannot even condemn him. He is groping like a blind man in darkness, not knowing where he is going and why he is going. He becomes a little alert when it is too late, when he has done it. And then, there is no way to undo it.

"When Judas sold Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, he was not aware exactly of what he was doing and what it was going to lead to. On the day Jesus was crucified, Judas was in the crowd with tears in his eyes and he threw away those thirty pieces of silver. He had never thought that this was going to be the consequence of an act done in anger, rage, frustration – he was not thinking that this would mean crucifixion.

"And twenty-four hours after Jesus' crucifixion, he hanged himself in a tree, committed suicide. Christians don't talk about Judas much. In fact, his psychology should be understood more clearly, because he is not alone. It has been happening almost always, with every great master. Strangely enough, those who were very close have gone far away. And those who were far away – had never thought, dreamed, of being very close – came close.

"There is some very subtle psychological background to it. Gautam Buddha was betrayed by one of his cousin-brothers, Mahavira was betrayed by his son-in-law. And in both cases the situation is the same as with Judas. Because they were so close, they naturally hoped – without being conscious of it – that they were going to be successors."