"There seems to be a great contradiction.

"But the devil persuades Eve to eat from the tree of wisdom, and his argument is absolutely rational, human and tremendously significant. He says to Eve that if you don't eat from the tree of wisdom and from the tree of eternal life you will always remain animals; and God is afraid that if you eat from the tree of wisdom and the tree of eternal life, you will become gods. He is jealous, jealous of his own children. He is afraid. He does not want you to transcend your animal existence, he wants you to remain ignorant, unconscious, dependent, while you have the potential of being equals of God.

"His argument is so profound that it seems the Christian god is not behaving the way a god is supposed to behave. On the contrary, the devil is behaving in a more divine way. In fact, the word devil comes from a Sanskrit root which means divine. The word divine also comes from the same root.

"But Eve and Adam rebelled. And as God became aware that they had eaten the fruit of wisdom, he immediately expelled them from the Garden of Eden, afraid that now they will eat from the other tree which will make them eternal beings, immortal.

"The story is significant in many ways, because the whole history of man is nothing but an inquiry into gaining more and more wisdom, and an inquiry into finding the eternal sources of life.

"All the religions have been trying to make it that man should not go against the commandments that are coming from God, although the commandments are ugly. Man is expected to say yes in spite of himself; only his obedience and faith are going to deliver him. This has made the whole of humanity remain retarded, unevolved. Having all the treasures and yet living in misery, having all potential to reach to the stars, but still crawling on the earth.

"All the religions without exception have deprived man of his pride. And the moment man loses his pride, his dignity, he loses his very soul; he falls below the human level of life to sub-human levels."