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The Thoughts of P.R. Sarkar The thoughts of p.r. sarkar Original filename: THOUGHTS.PRS this version: is the printed The Thoughts of PR Sarkar, 1st edition, 3rd printing, version (spelling mistakes only may have been corrected). I.e., this is the most up-to-date version as of the present Electronic Edition. SPIRITUAL DISCOURSES EVOLUTION TOWARDS PERFECTION Life is a movement from imperfection to perfection. When inanimate objects become animate there is progress. There is further progress when animate beings become multicellular metazoic organisms, more and more complicated structures. The human being is the highest being, the being most perfect in structure. The human being is thus a perfected animal. But this is the beginning of progress for humanity. Humans still have to achieve further physical, intellectual and spiritual perfection. Movement towards perfection - God - is a human's true nature (dharma). Movement towards imperfection is against one's true nature (adharma). The former is life, the latter is death. Human movement towards animality is therefore not life, it is death. No movement is free from friction or obstacles. Even when you walk, the force of gravity obstructs you. Movement towards perfection is obstructed by all the forces of imperfection, of evil. The sinful, the crude, the narrow, obstruct all movement for the expansion of the human mind. But perfection being a God-ward movement, do not be afraid - move on. Obstacles will go down the drain, where they belong. You will progress. The mission of human life is to move towards perfection, towards God. This is one's duty. In this struggle the forces of evil are bound to be defeated. This has been the case all along, and history will repeat itself. You have no right to rest until you have fulfilled your mission of being perfect, of being divine, of establishing yourself in perfection. Rest is sin as it puts a stop to this movement. Do not rest until you have reached your goal. (Baba's Grace, 151) From the inanimate to the animate goes the process of evolution. Consider a piece of stone for instance. It has neither the power of action nor the sensation of mind. What is the reason? It is because hitherto there has been no manifestation of mind in the stone at all. Consider the trees and plants that are more animate than the stone. There is activity in them. They grow, draw the vital juice from the earth, maintain their species by creating seeds in their own bodies, and enjoy and suffer pleasure and pain when taken care of or hurt. We see in them the manifestation of counsciousness, for mind has awakened in them. Thus progressing on the path of mental development, we see in humanity its greatest manifestation. Just as evolution takes place from the subtle to the crude, similarly the unit entity reverts step by step from the crude to the subtle, towards the same Absolute Consciousness from whence it came. It is just like the waves of the sea, rippling back from whence they have come. (Subha's'ita Sam'graha II, 50) The darkness of evolutionary night began to fade centuries ago when the first ape-like creature deserted his tree-branch kingdom and shambled out into the light of the plain. He was guided by something he could not understand: something un-apelike and impossible for his comrades. Somehow, somewhere in his seething body chemistry, something had changed. In his brain lay the seed of humanity; in his strangely bright eyes, the dark shadow of a hidden dream. Time passed slowly. The new creatures developed and multiplied. The wonderful changes in their bodies and minds continued; their brains, nerves and glandular systems grew in complexity and specialization. New behaviour patterns evolved and after some time, emotions and feelings unknown and denied to all previous forms of life found their means of expression. The Dawn of Man was reached at that auspicious hour. The waves of thought generated by that first human expression vibrate even to this day in the unconscious mind of every human being. Everyone of us carries within him the hidden memory of that first sunrise, and even beyond it into the darkness of antiquity. We are, by means of this primordial memory, which is part of our human heritage, intimately connected to all forms of life. (Supreme Expression 1, 328) Humanity, standing as it does at the top of the evolutionary ladder, may sometimes feel proud and in a weak moment commit an act of meanness. Yet one should always remain vigilant against this. The evolutionary forces have not stopped. The theatre of action has shifted to the psychic level. Evolution is now expressing its power in the daily struggle of men and women everywhere to attain dignity. (Supreme Expression 1, 73) THE SUPREME CONSCIOUSNESS You know, there is nothing disorderly in this Universe. Everything moves according to certain rules. In this solar system of ours, the sun is the nucleus, and so many planets are moving around the sun. In this etherial system, the earth is the nucleus, and the moon is moving around it. Similarly, in the atomic system also there is a nucleus and electrons move around the nucleus. In our cosmological order the Supreme Consciousness is the nucleus and so many animate and inanimate objects are moving around Him, knowingly or unknowingly. Human beings move knowingly and other animals, other less developed living beings, and also inanimate objects even some human beings - move unknowingly, unconsciouly. The radius of those who move unknowingly remains unchanged, or even, due to their mean propensities, their radius may increase. But spiritual aspirants always try to lessen the length of their radius. They come closer and closer to the Supreme, and when they come to the nearest proximity, they become one with the Nucleus, and that is the stage of Salvation. Now, so many entities, so many individuals are moving around Him; they have so many physical structures - long, short, white, black, learned, illiterate - but the common goal is the Nucleus, the Supreme Consciousness. There should be no shyness, no hatred, no complex in human beings because that Nucleus is the bigger "I" of everybody - that Nucleus is the Supreme Progenitor of all. (Baba in Fiesch, 35) In this universe there is nothing beyond the Supreme Consciousness. You always remain within His circle. Imagine that a cow is tied to a peg with a rope. The rope may be short or long, but the cow has to move around the peg. Similarly, human beings are moving around the Cosmic Nucleus. They go round without knowing that they are tied to a peg, without knowing Who is at the center. They think that they are everything, and that they know so much. They think they are not ordinary creatures; this creates pride in them. Then, while moving, suddenly a question comes in their minds. They ask where they are going, from where is the inspiration to move coming? When this realization, this question arises in their minds, then they know that they are moving around a peg, and that they have to go towards the center, towards the Supreme Nucleus. The day this realization comes they become spiritual aspirants and the radius starts decreasing. When the radius becomes nil, then they merge into the Supreme Consciousness. Human beings will have to go on moving as long as they have the feeling that they and the Entity which has created them, the Supreme Consciousness at the Nucleus, are two different entities. When they realize suddenly on reaching close to the peg that they and the Entity which has created them are not different, the distance between the two will disappear and both will become one - they will merge in the nectar of Cosmic Consciousness. This is the ultimate aim of all beings, of plants, of anything which has life. Therefore, the person who comes onto the path of spiritual practice early is wise - and also fortunate. ("Prajina Bharati" June 1980, 32) Now, the Supreme Consciousness is the Supreme Witnessing Entity. Whatever your individual consciousness is seeing or feeling - everything - is being witnessed by the Supreme Entity. Suppose you are imagining a rhinoceros in your mind, and that rhinoceros is moving within your mind - whatever that rhinoceros is doing you are seeing; whatever that rhinoceros is thinking you are hearing. Whatever the rhinoceros does, then and there it is being witnessed by you. No activities, no thought waves of that rhinoceros are a secret for you - you know everything. So whatever is being done in the universe is nothing but a mental creation of the Supreme Consciousness; everything is within His mind. He is the Macrocosm, and everything is microcosm. Each and every person is moving within His mind. Everything is within Him, nothing is without. So whatever is being done, He sees, He knows, He feels. This universe is nothing but a mental projection of that Supreme Consciousness. Hence, because everything is His mental creation, so everything, everybody is His child. He is not the ruler, He is not the administrator, He is not the boss. He is the creator. He is the generator, He is the operator, He is the destroyer. When He withdraws His thought waves within Himself then nothing will remain. You came from Him, you are moving within His mind, and finally you will become one with Him. That is why I said, He being the generator, is represented by "G"; He being the operator is represented by "O", and He being the destructor is represented by "D" - "GO-D." He is the GOD. (Baba in Fiesch,54) God is the controller of that vital force which keeps the organisms alive. He is our friend Who saves us from the jaws of calamities by His affectionate and tender touch. He exists everywhere. He is present about us sometimes as sound expression, sometimes as thought or emotion, and then again sometimes as individual entities. There is not a place in the universe where His Entity is not manifest. What we apparently take to be a void is also full of His Entity. He is even where the human intellect cannot reach, and where the imagination bounds back, thwarted and baffled. In the planetary world, it is His glory that shines as the sun. The backbone of the nervous system, the praising of the dead ancestors, the truth of the sages, the controller, the friend, the sun - are all these separate entitites? No, all is He, all is He, all is He. (Subha's'ita Sam'graha II, 25) There is one moon, but its reflections, falling in countless puddles of water, appear as countless moons. No new moon is born. The same moon is being reflected in many receptacles. Similarly, the one and the same Supreme Consciousness is being manifested as limitless individual entities, in countless mental receptacles, in countless minds. (Baba's Grace, 167) Is He moving? No, no, He is not. He lies motionless like the stump of a tree. Is He far away? No, no, He is not. He is very close. He is the Life of my life. He is within you, within me. He is within and without all and at all places. When a spiritual aspirant gets adequately acquainted with His Blissful Entity, we say that he is established in the Supreme Consciousness. At that stage both inside and outside attain unity. Mind then remains aloof from the attraction of trifles, and real acquaintance is made with the Supreme Being. While the body remains in the mortal world, the soul is merged in the Supreme Soul. (Subha's'ita Sam'graha II, 10) Any energy is invisible. We see the operation and action of electrical energy through lights, fans, etc. Similarly, no one has ever seen the sun - only its action. It looks round, but from a short distance it is simply something burning. So electricity and the sun are to be felt only. The same is the case with the mind. No one can show his mind, nor can one see one's own mind. One can only feel. Similarly, the Supreme Consciousness is only to be felt and realized. When the whole mind is filled with the feeling of the Supreme Consciousness you can hardly bear it - nor can you express the bliss. You feel it - you can only enjoy it! (A'nanda Vacana'mrtam, 27) The concept of God and Satan is defective. If we accept the existence of Satan it means that there are two Gods, one God positive, and one God negative, i.e. Satan. And that challenges the authority of the Supreme Consciousness - that cannot be. So there is no Satan. Everywhere there is the rule of the Supreme Consciousness; nowhere is the rule of Satan. Satan is the centrifugal force that drives an aspirant, a human being, away from the Supreme Nucleus. (A'nanda Vacana'mrtam, 54) The Supreme Consciousness is the shelter of all entities, the only Entity who requires no shelter for maintaing His existence. This town of Patna is sheltered within the state of Bihar. Bihar is within India. India is within Asia. Asia is within this planet. This planet is within this solar system. This solar system is within Him. So nobody shelters Him. He does not depend on any shelter. His existence does not depend on the compassion of any second entity. (Ananda Vacanamrtan, 17) The Supreme Consciousness is there in you as the oil is in the oilseed. Crush the seed through spritual practice (sa'dhana') and you attain Him; separate the mind from Consciousness and you will see that the resplendence of the Supreme Consciousness illuminates your whole inner being. He is there like butter in curd; churn it and He will appear from within. Churn your mind through spiritual practice and God will appear like butter from curd. He is like a subterranean river in you. Remove the sands of mind and you will find the clear, cool waters within. (Subha's'ita Sam'graha IV, 126) The Supreme Consciousness has concealed Himself within your mind. He is hidden behind the curtain of your "I-ness". You need not go to the Himalayan mountains to find out the thing that is concealed in your own "I". Does one need a mirror to see the bangle on one's hand? The Supreme, therefore, is within you. There is need only of removing the veil of ego. ("Niti and Dharma") We have to wipe out this ego, this "I-hood". All burdens, all confusion, all considerations of respect or disrespect are connected with this "I". When someone does not agree with you, you file a suit in the court. Why do you take such trouble? Only to vindicate your ego. All troubles and frustrations are solely due to the unit ego. The fact is that even after surrendering everything to God, the arch enemy "I" remains. You will say, "I have surrendered everything to God." -- I,I,I! My friend, surrender this "I" also to God and then alone your surrender will be complete. All the trouble is due to this "I". ("Mantra Caetanya") Now, when does a person feel that he or she should love the Supreme? When one frees oneself from egoistic sentiments. But one will say, "They say God is gracious, but I am an unfortunate fellow. I am not realizing His grace." There are many persons who talk like this. But you know, my sons, you know, my daughters, there is no partiality in Him. His heavenly shower of Grace is for all. He is for each and every creature, but one feels His Grace while another does not. What is the reason: There is a heavenly shower of grace. But suppose you are holding an umbrella over your head. Will you be drenched by the shower? Oh, no. He who wants to enjoy this shower of grace must remove the umbrella of ego from his head, and he will be drenched by the divine shower. So a spiritual aspirant, a Yogi, must give up all his egoistic sentiments. And in the next moment he will be in the proximity of the Supreme Father. ("Man and His God") MERGER WITH THE SUPREME In simple terms, what we have to do is to return home from where we came. We have all come from the Supreme Entity, the Nucleus of the universe. We have to return to the same destination. The child has played throughout the day away in the fields, and now that evening has come, he returns home. He thinks that his father must have returned home: "Let me return home and sit near him." When one is tired of this world and worldliness, one yearns to go back to spirituality one's home. And what is our permanent abode, our home? The Supreme Consciousness. Spiritual practice (sa'dhana'), therefore, is the process of returning home. It is a simple task. It requires no scholarship, no knowledge, no intellectual faculty, no long and tedious lecturing. ("Mantra Caetanya") When a knower of truth merges in the Supreme Being, his petty sense of existence loses itself, and attaining unity with the Supreme Entity, he becomes Supreme himself. Spiritual practice is the means for expansion of the soul, not for its annihilation; so absorption in the Supreme (samadhi) does not mean suicide but self-transcendence. One who has known the Supreme Consciousness becomes Supreme himself, for the individual entity takes on the very form of his object of ideation. One who has the Supreme as his object of ideation, becomes the Supreme himself. If a salt doll goes to fathom the sea, it will certanly melt and become the sea itself. Similarly, if the knower of the Supreme Consciousness goes to fathom the Supreme, he merges in the sea of Consciousness and becomes Supreme himself. Be constantly absorbed in the thought of the Supreme Consciousness and you too will become Supreme. (Subha's'ita Sam'graha II, 67) The union of a spiritual aspirant with the Supreme Consciousness has been expressed with an excellent example. A river, giving up its name and identity, completely merges in the sea and thereafter cannot maintain its own existence except as the sea. Similarly, a spiritual aspirant, after merging himself in the Supreme Consciousness, can no longer think of himself except as the Supreme. Seeing the Ganges River, we can tell that is the water of the Ganges. We can tell the water of the Yamuna River, or the water of the Sarasvati River; but once they merge in the sea, we cannot separate them, nor can we distinguish the one from the other. Nevertheless they are all there. They all have lost their respective name-entities in the entity of the sea. (Subha's'ita Sam'graha II,60) For each and every human being there are two "I's". The name of a person, say, is Solomon. Then the name of his little "I" is Solomon and the name of his big "I" is that Supreme Entity. The name of the little "I" is Mr. Joseph, but the name of his big "I" is the Supreme Consciousness. The big "I" for all created beings is the same, but the little "I" varies - so many bodies having so many names. The big "I" is one and indivisible: for the entire universe there is one big "I". What is Yoga? It is to become one with that Supreme Entity. When you become one with the Supreme you are getting everything, you are losing nothing. You are losing only your little name, the name of your little "I", and nothing else, and in return you are getting the Supreme "I". This is Yoga in the spiritual sphere. Some people think that Yoga means a particular exercise. No, no, no. Yoga does not mean exercise; Yoga means unification. (Discourse in Haifa, Israel, 1979) In order to realize the Supreme Perfection, a human being will have to give up his or her "I-ness"; that is to say, s/he will have to merge his or her petty "I-feeling" in the Great "I-feeling". What is this petty "I"? It is like a pot full of water in a pond. Now if the water of the pot is to be unified with that of the pond, - actually, both the waters are intrinsically one - the pot intervening between the two waters has to be removed. After the removal of the pot, there will remain no distinction between the water of the pot and water of the pond - both become one. The cause of this apparent distinction between God and the unit being is this pot - the individual mind. The long and short of the whole thing is that He is infinite. If you want to realize His characteristic Self, you have to earn limitlessness yourself. (Subha's'ita Sam'graha III, 62) Identify your mind with Him and you will realize that even the minutest objects are you. You are the Pacific Ocean. The universe which is the manifestation of the Cosmic Energy will appear as your own manifestation. The universe which is the play of God also gives Him ecstatic Bliss. You meditate on Him and He meditates on you. ("Bhakti Rupa Setu") Ultimately only one entity exists. That entity may be "I", that entity may be "He", but the differentiation between "I" and "He" disappears. "I exist" or "He exists" - the two ideas disappear merely "exists". This is the stage of non-attributional consciousness. It is the Supreme Stage of Yogic practice, it is the Supreme Stance for a Yogi. But for this, one requires divine help; and I know further that one is getting divine help. And I know still further, that for infinite time and infinite space, one will be getting this divine help. You are all spiritual aspirants, you will certainly attain the Supreme Stance and enjoy that Divine Blessedness. You are sure to enjoy it, my sons and my daughters. (Discourse in Philippines, 1969) SPIRITUAL PRACTICE Spiritual practice is the conversion of the small object into that infinite object. Now, you think that "This small body, this unit consciousness, is mine." But when you think "That vast universal body is mine," then you are the Supreme. When this individual body and mind is yours, you know all the secrets of this individual physical body and mind. And when this vast cosmos is your object, you'll know everything of this cosmos, you'll know everything of this infinite space. So your spiritual practice is the practice of conversion - conversion of small into big. This process of conversion makes a person universal. One's very existence goes beyond the scope of time, place and person. At that time, one becomes omnipotent and also omniscient. One knows everything without going through any book. When an individual wants to acquire any knowledge, one will have to go through practical experiences, books, etc. For the individual, there are so many worries and anxieties, so much optimism and pessimism, so many clashes and cohesions; but in the case of the Supreme there is no complex, no optimism, no pessimism; there is no question of clashes or cohesions, because in the case of the Cosmic, everything is internal nothing is external. Everything is within and nothing is without. The entire universe is in the range of His mind, so there remains no second entity, no second individual. Thus the question of any clash doesn't arise. If one wants to attain peace, what is one to do? One is to convert one's small objectivity into the infinite objectivity. There is no other alternative. Simply teaching the gospels of peace won't give you any peace. You have to convert yourself from small into big. Spiritual practice is the practice of increasing one's own psychic radius. When it becomes bigger and bigger, the range of mind is bigger. And when in this way the radius becomes infinite, the aspirant becomes one with the Supreme. This becoming one with the Supreme, the Supreme Union, is called Salvation or emancipation - liberation of permanent nature. Each and every spiritual aspirant should know this and attain liberation. (Baba in Fiesch, 109) There is a common desire in each and every human mind, and that desire differentiates a human from an animal, a human from a plant. What is that difference? It wants to expand. Secondly, it wants to become one with the Cosmic Entity. Thirdly, it wants to do something noble; and fourthly, it wants peace, supreme peace, undisturbed peace. These are the four special qualifications of human beings. So Yoga is the path of progress, the path of development for each and every human being. In individual life we should practice yoga, and in collective life we should encourage others to practice yoga. It is the panacea of all human ailments, in the physical realm, in the psychic realm and also in the spiritual realm. (Discourse in Haifa, 1979) What is Tantra? The process of transforming animality or latent divinity into the Supreme Divinity is known as Tantra. The spiritual practice which liberates the aspirant from dullness or animality and expands one's self is Tantrik practice (sa'dhana'). So, there cannot be any spiritual practice without Tantra. Spiritual practice means a practice for expansion, and this expansion is nothing but a liberation from the bondage of all sorts of dullness. Irrespective of caste, creed or religion, one who aspires for spiritual expansion, or does something concrete, is a Tantrika. Tantra in itself is neither a religion nor an "ism". It is the fundamental spiritual science. ("Tantra and Its Effect on Society") Who is your nearest person? You try to know so many things, but you should know first of all your nearest object. What is your nearest object? Your hands? Your fingers? No, no, no. Your arms? No, no, no. Your chest? No, no, no. What is the nearest point? Your "I" is your nearest entity. And the distance cannot be measured. First of all you should know all the characteristics of your own "I". In your books, in your laboratories, you try to learn the characteristics of oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen monoxide, hydrogen peroxide, and so many elements and compounds, but you don't know the characteristics of your nearest object. Try to know all the characteristics of your nearest object in your mental laboratory. Now how to do it? In the laboratory, a theoretician won't be able to help you in your research. You require a practical demonstrator in the laboratory. In the realm of spirituality, whom to follow? You may or may not follow the scriptures, you may or may not follow the social codes, and you may or may not follow the intellectuals. You are to follow those practical demonstrators; that means you are to follow the Yogis. And certainly, according to His direction, you will attain that Supreme Stance, and you will enjoy that Supreme Beatitude. (Discourse in Philippines, 1969) There are some people who have the correct desire but do not have correct direction. They know that the Supreme Consciousness is the goal, but they don't have real direction. It is said that spiritual practice should not be performed by studying from books. For it, a preceptor is essential. If a person starts doing spiritual practice by reading a book or hearing from another, that too is dangeous because in that case a clear conception about the goal is not formed. Hence one does not know where one is going. The boat is sailing but the sailor does not know where the boat is going. In the long run the sailor witll become exhausted and have some accident. ("Astitva and Shivatva") Whoever attains the wish to merge into Him, the Supreme Consciousness in the form of Sadguru (the Perfect Master) appears and trains them how to move forward towards the Supreme Consciousness and to merge into Him. All the arts, the rules how to merge in Him, are known to no one except the Supreme. So it is He who teaches the spiritual aspirants in the form of Sadguru. There is no other alternative to this. (Seminar Notes 1980, 16) Even a gold vessel needs polishing occasionally. Unmaintained, it gathers dust and dirt and loses its lustre. Similarly, even a good person, a spiritual aspirant needs proper maintenance, for in a world of constant change, care must be taken that the change be always towards the better or the higher. Keeping good company is essential for this positive development. While bad company strengthens the bondage of the soul, good company is conducive to liberation and salvation. (Seminar Notes 1980, 137) When an infant starts walking, the parent first guides him to walk a little. He tries to walk but falls. Then the parent advances and lifts him up in his lap. So also, God. Make the slightest efforts and He will pick you up and place you in His lap. ("God is With You") Human life is a small bubble in the ocean of consciousness. One who rejects the waves of this ocean, can never be successful. However big an ego one has, one day that ego will be shattered, as big rocks are churned to dust. If one wants to move on the path of the Supreme, one will have to dive into the ocean of the Supreme Consciousness. During this movement one will enjoy the sweet beauty of the Divine Play. Those who move towards the Supreme, their vital energy and their mind will flow in the same rhythm as the Cosmic Wave. It is not surprising that they will dance, they will laugh, they will weep - people will say that they are mad. In Ananda Marga, this wave of the Supreme Consciousness is to be attained in the process of meditation (sa'dhana'). That is why, in present or future, if anybody does this sa'dhana' with great determination, they will also dance, sing, laugh and weep, and thus they will move on towards that Supreme. In this way, by moving and moving, establishing themselves in morality, becoming "Sadvipras" (Spiritual moralists), in the true sense of the word, they will become one with that Supreme form of Bliss. Human beings will have to dive into this waveof the Supreme. This is the true success in life. The is the A'nanda Ma'rga (Path of Bliss). ("Brahmabhava and Human Life") My work is not to look towards the past of anyone. I only see how much one is advancing towards his destiny and I help them. You are to look ahead, you are to look forward. If you look back, if you look behind, you are wasting your valuable time. Fools, not wise people, do like this. The nature of human beings is to think of the so-called "sweet" memories of the past; one thinks more of the past and less of the future. But spiritual aspirants think of the Lord Who is their goal. When they start thinking of the endpoint of life, the very goal of life, the Supreme Consciousness, then the past with all its glory becomes pale. The ordinary person is one who thinks of the past and also of the future. Higher than that is the one who thinks only of the future. But the perfect person is the one who thinks neither of the past nor of the future. S/he thinks only of the Supreme Consciousness - the Lord. (Supreme Expression I, 48) You say so many things, but the major portions of what you say are meaningless. Simply a wastage of time and energy. And not only do you speak aloud, but you speak in your mind also. That is also a waste of energy. Before going to Stockholm you may say within your mind a thousand times, "I have to go to Stockholm, I have to go to Stockholm, I have to go to Stockholm!" ... a mere waste of time and energy. What is thought? Thought means to speak within. Thought is clearly related to soliloquy. Some of your thoughts are of such nature if others hear them, others will say you are insane. So what am I to say within my mind? What am I to speak to myself? I should speak regarding You, the Infinite One, and not this or that, so my time will be properly utilized, and there won't be any waste of time and energy. And then comes memory: "Oh, when I went to Alaska, my host served me a very delicious meal." Or you think of a story of a near and dear one from twenty or twenty-five or thirty years ago. It is a very sweet memory. But what is the use? Memory should be of the actual experience of the mind in the course of meditation (sa'dhana'), the bliss that you enjoyed during kiirtan (spiritual chanting) - memory should be like this. That is, never should it be centred around yourself. In that case there won't be any waste of time and energy. (Baba in Fiesch, 147) If spiritual aspirants think they will attain occult powers through meditation, they are in illusion. It is possible that they may get some supernatural power, yet they cannot attain the Supreme Consciousness in that way. While sitting in meditation, if they think that the occult forces should come to them, they are simply whiling away their valuable time for nothing. A devoted spiritual aspirant never aspires for these things. Even if the Supreme should come to someone and say, "My child, take these celestial forces," that person replies, "Supreme Lord, keep these forces with Yourself. I don't need them. I want You, and You alone. I am restless for You and not for Your forces." A mother tries to coax and cajole her crying son and offers him some toys to divert his attention. The child stops crying and forgets his mother for the time being. But if he persists in his effort to cling to the breast of his mother and continues crying, "No, Mummy, I want to be on your lap. I will not take those toys," finally the mother finds no other way than picking up the child and holding him to her breast. A devoted spiritual aspirant is like this latter child. S/he will say, "My most lovely Father, this world that I see all around is a plethora of toys. They are ephemeral and will not remain for ever. Tell me, my Lord, are You giving these to me for all the time to come?"" And then the Lord will be answerless, for He never gives these things for ever. He gives them by His left hand and takes them back by His right one. ("Niiti and Dharma") The process of Cosmic Ideation (Madhuvidya') teaches you that you can endeavour to attain liberation even while leading a worldly life, provided, of course, that before dealing with any object of gratification, you do so with Cosmic feelings. While feeding your son, you should contemplate that you are not feeding your son, but you are doing your duty to the manifestation of the Supreme Consciousness in the shape of your son. When you plough your land, you ought to contemplate that you are doing the proper action to the manifestation of the Supreme Consciousness in the form of your land. If you properly follow this Cosmic Ideation you can keep yourself aloof from the shackles of actions even though you perform actions. This practice will pervade your exterior and interior with the ecstasy of Cosmic Bliss, and will alleviate permanently all your afflictions. Then the force of ignorance (avidya') cannot devour you in its ferocious jaws. The glory of the One and only One benign Entity will shine forth to you from one and all objects. (Subha's'ita Sam'graha I, 42) Your every action should be with the Supreme Ideation. Without Him, all your actions are as nothing, no matter how great they may seem. Yet if you do even a little with His ideation, you will have done a great deal. He is like the number one and your actions are like zeroes to the One; it is like multiplying by ten with each action. But if that One is not there, your zeroes are added to each other, and the net result is only zero. So go on multiplying; do not let all be zero. You have taken a human form to realize Him: let not your life be wasted. (Baba's Grace, 139) Both spiritual practice and success are within your easy reach. The result is alrady secured with me; I shall give it to you at the appropriate time. Do not bother about it. Whether you are sinner or virtuous, those who come to God are all one for Him. He makes no distinctions. All will be liberated. You are all my beloved sons and daughters. Sometimes I appear harsh to some. But that is for love. If I were indifferent, there would be no need for scolding or punishment. I want to see you all laughing. It gives me great pleasure to see you laughing. Leave all cares unto me. O be blessed. (Baba's Grace, 191) The Cosmic Father is the Supreme Subjectivity; that is, He sees everything - everything is within His mind. He is the Supreme Subject and everything else is the object. The Seer is the subject and the seen is the object. So how can you accept Him as your object of meditation? During meditation you should remember, "I am the object and He is seeing me." You can never be the subject and He can never be the object. You must remember the fact that the Supreme Subjectivity, the Supreme Consciousness, is seeing what you are doing. This is the secret of meditation. And if you are to say anything, you should say only one sentence: "Oh Supreme Father, guide my intellect unto the Path of Bliss. I want nothing else, nothing." (Baba in Fiesch, 68) The Supreme Creator, the Hub of the Universe, is the Supreme Guardian. He knows what is your requirement. A babe of three months doesn't know its requirement, but its mother knows. The babe is solely dependent on its mother. Similarly, you are also a babe, and He is the Supreme Guardian. He knows your requirement. You need not say, "Oh, God, give me food, give me water, give me this or give me that." Let Him do His duty. You need not tell Him, "Oh, God, it is your duty. You should have done like this." He knows His duty. And you are to learn your duty from Him. (Baba in Fiesch, 67) Oh tranquil spiritual aspirant! Spiritual practice (sa'dhana') is your great bow. Set the arrow of your mind, sharpened with meditation, on this bow. Now, inclining your mind toward Him, pluck and twang the string of the bow and pierce your target - that indestructible Supreme Soul. (Subha's'ita Sam'graha II, 34) MENTAL BALANCE There are three categories of human beings. The first category comprises those whose thoughts, words and deeds are the same - which means whatever they think, they speak, and whatever they speak, they do. Such people are A-class people. The second category comprises those whose thoughts and words are different, but whatever they speak, they do - which means they think one thing and speak another, but they do whatever they speak. Such people are B-class people. The third category comprises those whose thoughts, words and deeds are different from each other and never the same. Such people think one thing, speak another, and do something altogether different. Such people are C-class people. Most of the leaders of the present-day world fall into this category. You should try to become A-class people. You should speak what you think, and you should do what you speak. (A'nanda Vacana'mrtam, 3) Suppose your boss arrives; you will welcome him and say, "Please come, sit down and have something to eat." You flatter him but inside you say, "What a trouble has arrived! When will he go?" This is not known to your boss. Thus, two "I's" are within you; one performs action in the external world, and the other is inside. You are well-acquainted with this inner "I", but others do not have the correct information about it. Spiritual practice (sa'dhana'), therefore, is to unify the two, the internal "I" and the external "I", into one. Two-ness in one single personality of human beings is their disease. The greater the gap between these two "I's", the more you will undergo psychic torment. You must remember that in this second half of the 20th Century there is a great gap between the internal "I" and external "I". And because of the trouble in adjusting these two "I's" there is an increase in the number of lunatics. This is the greatest disease of the 20th Century. ("Paramapurusa") Lord Buddha said: Win falsehood by truth, win the miserly with generosity, win anger by nonanger. The intelligent thing for you to do would be never to get angry. Be moral in the midst of immorality and falsehood. If you have this skill, you will triumph in any battle. You will remain unassailed. (A'nanda Vacana'mrtam, 48) In reality, human beings want neither joy nor sorrow. They seek mental peace and quietude. In daily life, a person comes in contact with different kinds of people. At times one even fights with some people. How will one find mental peace? Those who do injustice will also suffer injustice. The people who do injustice will lose their mental balance in any fight. Those who do no injustice wil be able to maintain their mental balance in their fight against injustice. This is the characteristic of a person who has attained mental quietude. (A'nanda Vacana'mrtam, 47) You see now that Ananda Marga's fame is on the rise. What should we do? We must maintain our mental balance and remain indifferent to both praise and slander, to both joy and sorrow. When I was in jail, I was subjected to a lot of calumny by some people. These very people now praise me. But I was indifferent to all their slander, and now I do not want their adulation. (A'nanda Vacana'mrtam, 47) To understand my nature you must do meditation. I keep no ambiguity, I am clear, concrete, conclusive. My philosophy is a complete philosophy, a complete way of life. I am complete in myself, and I want every person to be complete in themselves. I am like an arrow - clear, pointed. (Supreme Expression, 310) To attain complete success in life, one must have mental equipose, mental balance. There must not be any complex in the mind - neither superiority nor inferiority complex. Now, to bring about mental balance, you should behave with every human being in such a way that this superiority complex or inferiority complex develops neither in you nor in those with whom you behave. Complex of any sort - superiority or inferiority - is a psychic malady, a mental disease. You must maintain a psychic balance. That balanced mind will be able to move towards the Supreme Consciousness. That's why it has been said, "One should be humbler than the grass." Usually superioity is found more in humans than inferiority complex. Even those who possess mere knowledge of the alphabet, feel themselves quite superior to those who are totally illiterate. (Discourse in Calcutta, December 1979) The one and only Supreme Father of the universe is playing with His innumerable children, remaining Himself with them. This play (Liila') may appear sorrowful to many and delightful to others. It is a great play in which everybody wants to play a happy part, but some must play sorrowful parts also, otherwise the drama does not become interesting. In this world of His, the Supreme Consciousness is staging a big play. Whenever He wants He will call us nearer to Him He will make us merge into Him. This is His Drama. So everyone must remember to play their different parts in His drama. Actually, in happiness or in sorrow, no one is miserable or wretched, no one is blessed. No one is wise, no one is a stupid fool. Everyone has to play their parts and nothing else. Whoever can remember this, will suffer no sorrow and will not be overwhelmed with happiness either. (Seminar Notes 1980, 15) THE UNIVERSAL FAMILY In short, whatever was created in the past is the original creation (sambhu'ti) of God. The sum total of all creations is the Cosmic Order (Brahma'n'd'a). This includes the sun as well as the small ant which crawls on the earth. Whether it is a dead star or a living star, whether it is a nebula or a milky way or a galaxy - all belong to one universal family. The Milky Way is vast from one end to the other; an ant is a very small creature, but the role of both of them in maintaining the balance of the universe is equal. If one ant meets a premature death, it will disturb the balance of the entire cosmos. Therefore, nothing here is unimportant, not even an ant. Suppose, an ant is sitting on the edge of a rock and it moves even one inch from east to west, and this disturbs the balance of the rock, it may cause a big earthquake - because after all, the ant is also His original creation. ("Sambhu'ti and Maha'sambhu'ti") These days we are discovering many fossils from excavations. They show that in the distant past, age after age, huge creatures were created. Similarly, there were innumerable varieties of trees and creepers; all these are not available today. We see their bodies only in the form of fossils. Every age had its own flora and fauna and it disappeared with them. Every tree and every creature of every age and stratum is His creation. None is unimportant. What is happening in the universe is the gradual death of one created being and the gradual emergence of another. Therefore, whatever will come, it will only be God coming in that form. No one is insignificant, no one is small, no one is low. Suppose there is a drunkard, a fallen man. You have no right to hate him. You talk with him, persuade him - if necessary scold him for his regression. All these efforts are alright, but you have no right to hate him. Hating is not a courageous quality or a creditable tendency. When every being is His own creation, how can you hate anyone? How is it possible that you meditate upon one form of the Lord and abuse another? ("Sambhu'ti and Maha'sambhu'ti") God has the same care for an ant, a mosquito and a mammoth. There is no special importance to a mammoth because it has a big body. The amount of care that He devotes to an ant is the same which He devotes to the entire cosmos - not less, not more. The entire universe, consisting of all the realms, is so complex and vast, yet it does not require any more headache to God than a white ant. Behind every created being there is a flow of energy from God ... So a mammoth cannot move without His Grace, and a blade of grass also cannot move without His approval. Nobody is unimportant, nobody is insignificant. Each and every existence is valuable. So you must not develop the psychology of helplessness or hopelessness, defeatist complex or fear complex, because the Supreme Father is always with you. (Baba in Fiesch, 123) The sweetest part of God's play is that He is hidden in everyone and everyone is searching for Him. He wants His children to go around, and He plays hide-and-seek with them. This gives interest and pleasure to both the Creator and the Created. Thus all things are one. There is no distinction due to sex, age, or anything. Male and female, young and old are all actors playing different roles in the drama of this universe. Their forms differ, but their substance and purpose is one. God is male, female, child, youth and old age. God has His faces in all directions. No one can hide anything from Him. He sees both our external and internal actions. Do not hate those who are small. You have no right to hate anyone. Do not be afraid of nature either. The thunder and the roar of the oceans hide His sweet music within their apparently frightful sounds. Fear none and hate none. All are One. This Universal Form of God, unity in all - you will be able to see in this very life. Strive on - go on doing your meditation intensively, you will succeed. (Baba's Grace, 33) YOU ARE NEVER ALONE You are never alone or helpless. The force that guides the stars, guides you too. (Baba's Grace, 51) He appears to you according to your feelings toward Him. If you are subtle, He is nearest to you; if you are crude, He is farthest from you. Do you feel whether the Supreme Consciousness is in India or in America? He is so near as to be in your feelings, and so far as to be in a distant country. When you think He is here, He is nearer than here. He is so near that it is difficult to measure the distance. You go on searching for Him in the cavesof the Himalayas and wander here and there, and He is nowhere. But when you attain awareness of Him, you find that He was all along with you in your search. He was seated in your heart. ("God is With You") He is the witness of all the worlds, all the deeds done in this universe. Nothing is secret for Him. You cannot do anything nor think anything without being witnessed by Him. If anyone says, "I am not being witnessed by anybody," He will be witnessing this utterance. So as the witnessing Entity He is always with you. This is the greatest assurance, because when you know that He is with you, your mental strength will increase a thousand-fold, because He is always with you to help you. The only demerit is that as He is always with you, you cannot do anything secretly, you will be caught red-handed. But the merit is that because He is with you, you are never alone, you are never weak, you are never helpless. So the duty of a perfect human being, the duty of a spiritual aspirant is always to remember this supreme truth - that one is never alone, one is always with Supreme Father. He will always help you, and He will always accelerate the speed of your progress. (Discourse in Istanbul, Turkey, 1979) Whatever you do, the Supreme Consciousness sees everything. For Him no part of your being is closed or shut. He is the innermost part of your being. "Today I am very busy and have to attend a party so I shall do meditation (sa'dhana') for three or four minutes only." He knows that you are placing a party above sa'dhana'. He hears both your spoken words as well as the thought words. Actually He hears them first, before they become mental. He is, therefore, in full knowledge of all that goes on within and without and beneath the mind. Don't try to hide anything from Him - you will not succeed. (Baba's Grace, 103) He is with you always. You are never alone. Sometimes there arises in the mind a defeatest complex: "Oh, I am defeated in this project! Oh, I am defeated in this struggle for existence!" When your father is the Supreme Father, when your father is the most powerful entity in the entire universe, why should you think that you have been defeated in this struggle for existence? No! A bright future awaits you - your future is glorious, your future is luminous, your future is effulgent. (Discourse in Caracas, Venezuela, 1979) Now I am leaving this country and I am leaving you physically. I am always with you; I will always be with you. Physically I am leaving you, my sons and daughters, but I can't forget you, and mentally I will always be with you. I want all of you to be ideal human beings. All of you should attain the pinnacle of human glory. Let your existence be successful. I have nothing more to say. Peace be with you. My sons and my daughters, I have one more sentence to say. I do not belong to heaven. What I am, I am to express this truth in a single sentence - I am yours. (Departing message from the Philippines, 1969) No power in heaven and earth can separate me from my children. Even if this universe comes to an end, I will be with them in the expressionless Cosmos. My children - be they gentle, be they naughty - they are mine. (Supreme Expression I, 60) DEVOTION Devotion means longing for the Supreme. Now the question arises, is devotion natural or unnatural for living beings? All the conscious or crude things we see in the manifested universe bear attraction for one another, and as a consequence, the continuity of the thought-projection of the Cosmic Mind is maintained. It is on account of the mutual attraction of myriads of heavenly bodies oscillating in the infinite space that balance is maintained in the firmament. In this attraction, there is effort for self-preservation. The bee flies around and around flowers in quest of honey, just for the sake of preserving its existence. It can be seen that every entity runs toward that abode which is more lasting and secure and which can provide it greater and longer safety. People run after money for the only reason that they believe they can maintain their lives under the shelter of money; that is to say, money alone can save them. But they do not know that money can provide them neither permanent stability nor a securely-founded shelter. Even during the span of their lives, money will come and go several times. At times its glamour will dazzle their eyes, and sometimes it will make them cry, hunger-stricken. Not to speak of money alone, all finite objects have this characteristic. What is not infinite cannot permanently remain the object of your enjoyment. It cannot be your permanent resort, since the existence of all these finite objects is dependent on others, bounded by the limits of time, place and person. If the terrific speed with which the extroverted person runs after finite objects is introverted towards the Supreme Being of his or her life, s/he can attain the Supreme Consciousness, can achieve the Supreme State. The world is a changing phenomenon. Therefore, it is unwise to be attached to any object in this ever-changing world. The very name and form will undergo changes with the change in time and place. The child changes into youth, the youth into the old, and the old into the corpse. But if wise people take every object of the world as the expression of the one and single Cosmic Consciousness, then on seeing the changes in the name and form of any particular object, they will not be affected by pain or pleasure. Cosmic Consciousness to them would remain Cosmic Consciousness; they would lose nothing. (Subha's'ita Sam'graha I, 69) Now what is devotion? Leaving all the relative things, when mind moves toward the Absolute, that alone is known as Devotion. When the mind moves toward the Supreme Soul, the nearer it comes to Him, there is an unknowing change in it. The caterpillar does not know when it becomes a butterfly. The mind does not know how changes occur in it. Thus, one day it sees that it is no longer an individual being and hence the individualistic feeling disappears. When the mind is free from individualistic feelings, that alone is the Supreme State. ("Karma Samnya'sa and Para'bhakti") Devotion is that bridge which connects the individual with the Cosmic Consciousness. Before crossing the bridge of devotion, one feels, "You are that Supreme Consciousness". But while crossing the bridge, one feels, "I am That". ("Bhakti Rupa Setu") When a person is established in devotion one becomes able to understand the greatness and magnificence of the Supreme Consciousness The understanding at this moment is born of real experience through taste. Sweet things, mango and sugar, can be distinguished only by taste. One cannot enjoy the flavour of mango by seeing its reflection in water. One will have to climb the tree, pluck the mango and taste it. Similarly, experience in the spritual realm also can be had only after climbing a step on the tree of devotion. Only then can one understand the brilliance and greatness of the transcendental Cosmic Entity. ("Bhakti Rupa Setu") The Supreme Consciousness Himself will teach knowledge and the technique of doing the work. It is not the devotees' headache. Surrender everything to the Lord. If one requires something from God, one must ask only for absolute devotion. When devotion is attained, God is attained. If God is attained, everything is attained. What remains unattained? Therefore, from ancient times learned people have been accepting that the wisest person in the world is the devotee. The devotee is not bereft of intellect. On the contrary, s/he is the wisest. If you want to remain in the world, remain like a devotee. As long as devotion is absent, one's heart is like a desert; and when devotion is attained, an oasis appears in the desert. ("Astitva and Shivatva") In this cosmic cycle, everyone has their individual and particular desire, and everyone is running after it. Those who have several desires run after all of them and become exhausted; and in the long run they receive none. If one desires to drink milk and smoke at the same time, it cannot be done. A person can do only one or the other. But those who have only one desire fulfill it very easily. Hence the desire should be for the Supreme and nothing else; the desire for other objects has to be channelized towards the Supreme. If a person wants to become a devotee of the Lord, but if deep in his mind he thinks that God will make him pass in his examination - here the desire is not one but two. When something is demanded from God, the desire becomes two, and the time will be completely wasted. Where this desire is towards the Supreme Consciousness alone, there it is known as devotion: "I want the Supreme Consciousness and from Him I want nothing." ("Astitva and Shivatva") Those who have taken the shelter of the Supreme Consciousness, He will think for their welfare, and those who think for their own welfare, the Supreme will not help them, saying that they are taking care of themselves. But those who have left themselves entirely on the Supreme, the Supreme has special responsibility for them. Therefore, it is said that for devotees, the Supreme Consciousness has special responsibility. It is the duty of the Supreme to save the prestige of the devotee, and the duty of the devotee is to leave everything on Him. Whatever energy is working in the universal flow, or in the material flow, is under Him. Therefore, when once you have made love with Him you are not weak, not helpless and not alone. Victory is with you. Remember Him and march ahead - victory will be yours. You have not to be afraid of my worldly forces. Those who enjoy the highest force of the Supreme are sure to succeed. Victory will surely be theirs. Victory to you all. ("Paramapurus'a") Does the Supreme Consciousness lack anything? Does He want name, fame, money, etc? He has no such want, because the entire universe is within His mind; all the properties of the universe are His. But the true devotee says, "Oh, Supreme Consciousness, there are so many great devotees and I am an ordinary devotee, but Lord, your great devotees have stolen away Your mind." Because the Supreme Consciousness loves His devotees very much, His mind has been stolen by His devotees. So He has one shortage, one want. His Mind has been taken by His devotees. The devotee says, "So you have lost your mind. Oh Lord, take my mind, I offer my mind to you. Accept it." Devotees are very intelligent; they are more intelligent than intellectuals, more intelligent than people of action. (Discourse in Taipei, Taiwan, 1979) The devotee says, "Oh, my Lord, I love you because in loving You, I get pleasure. I want nothing from You. I want to love You because I get pleasure." But this is not the highest form of devotion. In the highest form of devotion, the devotee says, "Oh Lord, I love You. I want to love You. And why do I want to love You? Because I want that my love should give You pleasure. I don't want any pleasure. I love you not to get pleasure, but to give You pleasure." And by means of this type of devotion, the Yogi comes in closest contact with the Supreme Self and becomes one with Him. When one's love is to give pleasure to the Lord and not to enjoy the pleasure for oneself, one's mind gets metamorphosed into the mind of the Lord. By this devotion, the Yogi gets established into the stance of Supreme Beatitude. The person and his God become One. ("Man and His God") LOVE Train yourself in the ideal of the lily, which blossoms in the mud and has to keep itself engaged in the struggle for existence day in and day out, parrying, bracing and fighting the shocks of muddy water and storms and squalls and sundry other vicissitudes of fortune, and yet it does not forget the moon above. It keeps its love for the moon constantly alive. It seems, however, but a most ordinary flower. There is nothing extra-ordinary about it. Still, this most ordinary flower has a romantic tie with the great moon. Similarly, you may be an ordinary creature - you may have to pass your days in the ups and downs of your worldly existence - still do not forget that Supreme One. Keep all your desires inclined towards Him. Always keep yourselves merged in His thought. Go deep into the mood of that Infinite Love. (Subha's'ita Sam'graha III, 76) In the field of spirituality there must not be any complex - neither fear complex nor shyness complex nor any other complex. The scriptures say, "If you do not do this or that you will go to hell." Due to this, the scriptures are the worst enemy of human society; because in this way, scriptures create fear complex in the human mind, and that fear complex creates disparity in the human society. This human society is one - it is a singular entity. It cannot be divided, it must not be divided. And we won't allow any such persons to create any divisive tendencies in this human society. Whatever people do in their spiritual life, they have to do - why? Because they are in love with the Supreme Entity. Love is the first word - Love is the starting point, and Love is the last point. Scriptures have no moral right to create fear complex in the human mind. (Baba in Fiesch, 42) Now, this meditation (sa'dhana') for complete merger, for unification, starts with fearful love. Love must be there. Unless and until there is love, there cannot be unification. So love must be there, but it starts with fearful love and ends in fearless love; and the space between fearful love and fearless love is the space of sa'dhana'. What is sa'dhana'? Sa'dhana' is the transformation of fearful love into fearless love. ("The Stance of Salvation") The life of a person becomes mechanical if one remains overwhelmed with the sentiment that one must do such acts, one must perform such service, one must rise in this manner and sit in this manner and get up in this manner, and so on. Happiness disappears there. For this reason, such ritualism cannot be called real karma (right action). To serve others at one's own sacrifice is called penance. In the absence of love, service rendered and penance undergone for show only are fruitless. All ritualistic devotion, sham penance, counting of beads, etc. are meant only for public show. True love and the Supreme Goal are lost sight of. The Supreme cannot be attained through any show actions, because in ritualistic thoughts, the sweetness of happiness is lacking. Divine Bliss is easily available only to those who base their spiritual practice (sa'dhana') on love. (Subha's'ita Sam'graha I, 114) That which makes the mind soft and strong and strenuous, so it may keep itself in a balanced state even in the condition of pain - that which perpetually creates a pleasant feeling within, is called love. Devotion is identical with love. The moment devotion is aroused, the love of God comes. ("Salvation and Devotion") Another point to remember is that God is realized only by those whom He graces with compassion. You should not feel that you have done so much and that God must shower His Grace on you. Rather you should feel that it is up to the Lord to grace you or not. "This body of mine will work like a machine until You grace me with love" - this should be your feeling. If you are proud of your actions, this pride will remain in the end and the Grace of God will not come. ("God is With You") It is unwise to leave the world, to leave service to humanity and to go to the Himalayas to attain the Supreme Consciousness. Well! This universe itself is the Supreme Consciousness - where will you go by leaving it? In the world someone thinks that he is not able to concentrate his mind because of the din and bustle; but in the cave of the Himalayas he thinks that he cannot get sweet fruit in a particular jungle, and hence tomorrow he will be going to pick ripe plums two or three miles away in a different forest. In either of the places he is not free. If the Supreme Consciousness does not want you to know Him, then you will not be able to attain Him in either place. If He wishes you to achieve Him, you can get Him here and now. What He sees is your aspiration for Him. Remember it - that at every step of your life He is testing whether you have been able to arouse love for Him in your mind. He is testing whether you want Him or worldly objects. ("Niiti and Dharma") INTELLECT AND INTUITION The highest treasure of human beings, distinct from other creatures, is their intellectual superiority. Had there been no intelligence in humans, they would hardly be different from other animals. This philosophical consciousness will lead humanity to greater intellectuality. And this constant pursuit of intellectuality leads one to its furthest limit, where intuition begins. Hence in the realm of intuitional practice it is tremendously helpful. This path of spiritual practice is not devoid of intellect or intuition, rather it is based on intuition. It has no scope for superstition or blind faith. It will facilitate the most all-round progress of humanity and manifest the highest human excellence. ("The Faculty of Knowledge", Calcutta 1980) In the human world it is not physical strength but intellectual power that is victorious. The physical strength of the elephant is very great, but a small man goads him with his intellectual power. It is happening in every field of the world. So when human beings entered the inner world, they found that their real wealth lay in increasing their psychic strength. And gradually, as their psychic strength increased, it came slowly into contact with spirituality. They found that behind their psychic power there was another power also working, due to which they attained psychic strength. Then human beings invented spiritual practices. They realized that the Supreme Consciousness is everything. Then the idea occurred in their minds, What a great deal of intellect He must possess, from whom they derived their intellect! So for evolution in the psychic level, they should think about Him - ideation on Him would increase their intellect. Then the Supreme Consciousness became the object of their minds. Unlike the animals, their minds started ideating upon the Supreme Consciousness. (Seminar Notes 1980, 10) When those who are guided by their own intellect and are experiencing the ups and downs of the world, realize that their intellect is very small and is unfit for performing greater actions, they then find no alternative but to merge their minds into the Mind of the Great. Then their minds will be converted into Cosmic Mind, and whatever actions they perform will be correct actions. Therefore, those who are wise will try to merge their minds into the Supreme Mind. That alone will be the symbol of their wisdom. When one is not sufficiently advanced one feels to perform actions with one's own intellect; but when one is much advanced one begins thinking that one's intellect is not sufficient for the performance of any action. This is the law of the world: that those who possess sufficient intellect say that they have none, but those who have none boast that they have a great deal. The means to have much knowledge is to understand that one has no knowledge. ("Karma Samnya'sa and Para'bhakti") One will not be able to know anything unless one develops the psychology of "I know not." It is the fundamental spirit of a true aspirant. (Carya'carya II, 7) When intuition is developed, you become one with the Supreme Consciousness; you become omniscient, all-knowing - even you do not require any physical body. You need not go through so many books - the universe is within you, you are all-knowing. You will know the history of Spain without going through books. When your existence comes in close proximity to the existence of the Supreme Consciousness, when both the nuclei coincide, you get what you want, and that is called Salvation. (Baba in Fiesch, 198) Be one with Him and know everything. If you want to know all, try to know One. If you try to know all, you won't be able to know anything. (seminar Notes 1980, 198) When you are blessed with this human structure, be one hundred percent human. Even the greatest philosophers and thinkers, for instance, Tagore, used only 1% of their potential. You can develop your entire potential through spiritual practice (sa'dhana'). You should use all your capacities - physical, intellectual, and spiritual. You must convert physical energy into intellectual energy and this into spiritual energy. Intellectual energy is more powerful than physical energy, and spiritual energy is the most powerful. Today it is the intellectuals who are misguiding the society because they haven't developed spiritually. All the world's problems are caused by this intellectual extravaganza. (Supreme Expression I, 80) Behind all the strife, cruelty and mistrust within humanity, there is misguided intellect. That is, intellect is not moving on the right path - it is not connected to the collective welfare. Until changes are effected in the human mind, no permanent world solution is possible. ("Cosmic Vision", January 1979, 50) Whatever is done only to please the Supreme Consciousness is called devotion. One has to serve the universe with this ideation. In the beginning there is a feeling of doership, but gradually one starts realizing the source of one's energies and capabilities. Are they really one's own possessions or creations? Even the strongest of wrestlers becomes frail and is unable to speak if he does not have food for a few days. The scholarship of a scholar vanishes in thin air if you keep him without food for a week. Thus all your knowledge, intellect, capacity and valour are dependent on Him. That is why there is nothing for a person to be proud of. The moment one understnds this, one is ensconced in devotion and then alone one will be able to realize that one is working according to the wish of the Supreme with one's intellect and capacities. This is the sign and feeling of a staunch devotee. ("Salvation and Devotion") Learning or knowledge or any other asset is not necessary except only two things - implicit faith and sincerity. Arouse these two things through your willpower and victory is yours. (Subha's'ita Sam'graha IV, 28) To become self-purified one has to make some effort. This effort is known as sa'dhana' (spiritual practice). The greatest sa'dhana' is that which comprises devotion, action and knowledge. The middling sa'dhana' is that which comprises devotion and action; and lowest sa'dhana' is that which comprises only tall talks. Knowledge cannot exist without action and devotion - that which does exist is the junk or garbage of knowledge! The ability of a spiritual aspirant is not assessed on the basis of one's common or worldly knowledge. It is assessed on the basis of the firmness or steadiness of one's knowledge, devotion and action. By steadiness I mean unflinching intensity of zeal or earnestness. (Subha's'ita Sam'graha II, 51) Suppose there is a big garden of mangoes and both the intellectuals and devotees arrive there at the same time. The devotees climb up the trees and begin eating mangoes to their heart's content. But the intellectuals only watch from a distance and start analyzing how many branches the tree has, how many sub-branches, and so on. They engage themselves in counting, and later they find that there are no mangoes left - all have been eaten by the devotees! ("Is't'a and A'darsha, Ideology and Goal") He makes you do spiritual practice, furnishes you with intellect and strength - surrender yourself to His will. Off with your load of self-conceit. Lighten the burden of your life and let yourself drift on the course of His will. It is He who is teaching you sa'dhana' (spiritual practice) in the guise of a Guru. You are plundering His mercy through everything, day and night. Go on working selflessly like a machine, leaving the doer-ship to Him. How little can your small intellect comprehend His inscrutable Liila (cosmic play)! How little can it be analyzed! So, instead of analyzing His play, only keep the bearing of that inscrutable Juggler ever aglow before your eyes. (Subha's'ita Sam'graha IV, 128) SERVICE You know, when you exchange a thing for a thing, when it is mutual, it is known as business. But when you give but do not take in return, it is termed as service. This is the fundamental difference between service and business. In many newspapers you will notice advertisements stating that a particular company has been rendering service to the people from a such and such a year. This is a wrong statement - it is not service, it is business. When the entire Cosmos is of God, is His offspring, serving them means serving the Supreme. Wherever you are, as a house-holder or as a renunciate, you must render service to all created beings with the ideation of the Supreme on all the individual entities. Guarding yourself against egoism you must think in your mind that taking a particular shape the Supreme has given you this chance to serve Him. It is to His credit that in the form of a diseased, a helpless person, or a beggar, He is accepting service and making you grateful. Had He not come in this form, you would not have been blessed with this good fortune. ("Bha'gavata Dharma") In meditation there must always be the feeling that you want to serve Him. If this is the feeling, immediately the mind gets concentrated. If in meditation there is the culmination of service, everything will be achieved. Even through the preliminary lessons of meditation (Na'ma Mantra), a spiritual aspirant can get salvation, but even one practicing higher meditation (Vishesh Yoga) cannot attain it if there is no feeling for service, and meditation is done just for the sake of exhibition of one's heroism. When internal service is not done properly, the external one also is not done properly; therefore it is said, "Liberation of self and service to humanity.." In "liberation of self" there is internal service; and in "service to humanity" there is external service. Both are needed. By external service the mind is purified and with the purified mind, internal service can be done by everyone. "Bha'gavata Dharma") Avoid the jugglery of words and establish yourself in the glory of action. (Calcutta, 1981) It is action that makes the person great. Be great by your sa'dhana' (spiritual practice), by your service, and by your sacrifice. (A'nanda Va'n'ii, January 1 1964) When you render service to anyone, you must mentally address Him with sincere devotion, "O Lord, O God! Oblige me by accepting my services. You are merciful to me, and for this reason you have appeared before me as a living being to offer me this very precious opportunity of rendering services to You." By maintaining such sentiments, conceit will not arise in you, nor will the reactions of your actions bind you. The principal cause for the bondage of the fruits of action is conceit or yearning for fame. Suppose a certain man donates a sum of 10,000 rupees to a particular institution. The next day he looks anxiously for his name in the newspaper. If his name does not appear in the paper, with an air of conceit he brags amongst his relatives, "I donated a thousand rupees, but I do not desire to earn fame and therefore I have not published my name in the paper." The desire for fame is hidden in that man's mind. Surely, he did not make the donation with the spirit of service. But when you perform actions by transplanting the idea of God on the person served, there will be no possibility of any arrogance or any idea of earning fame growing in your mind. Then you will realize that through the grace of God you have the opportunity of serving Him. Our hands and feet are not ours, they are His, and serving Himself with those hands and feet He sports with Himself. (Subha's'ita Sam'graha I, 108) When you help someone, if you help him a great deal, then that fellow will become an invalid. So if you want to help someone, you should help him a little bit at first, then perhaps later a little more, from time to time, not all at once. Your policy should be that you will help a person in accordance with his needs, not too much, not totally helping - otherwise he will not try for his own development. You help him a little, then let him stand on his own, and he will automatically take up activities in his own spirit and with his own ideas. (Supreme Expression II, 44) No person in this world is powerless. Whoever has come on this earth has been graced with some amount of power. We are walking, talking, condemning, gossipping - we are wasting our time. When the time for work comes, some people say they do not have the capacity to perform the work. But when doing unworthy actions, they demonstrate much power. Whatever power you have, you must utilize it to the utmost. Rest assured that if you apply your power to good works and there is still need for more, the Lord will give you what you need. All powers come from God, whether physical, mental or spiritual. The Lord grants these powers to those who are engaged in working for the welfare of others and performing benevolent deeds. You will not have to ask for powers. You should leave this to the Lord. ("Is't'a and A'darsha") Whenever considering doing good works, do not hesitate - do them immediately. Whenever contemplating doing bad works, linger and delay, so that the thought of performing them will wither away from the mind. (Supreme Expression, 226) The devotee will not only sing spiritual songs and chants (bhajan and kiirtan). They are not seasoned devotees! Those spiritual aspirants who move speedily on the path of evolution towards the Supreme Consciousness will never be blind to the sufferings of countless people around them due to the lack of a solid social system, solid economic system and human feeling. If anyone is blind to the ill-management of the social system, they have not been able to understand the Supreme Consciousness fully. If they do so, they will have a subjective approach but not objective adjustment. But when devotees will move towards the Supreme, their approach will be "salvation for self and service to humanity." They go on moving toward the Supreme Consciousness while serving humanity. When humanity is neglected, "salvation for self" is also destroyed. Hence the devotee must be ready to serve humanity. The spiritual aspirants who do not render social service do not have real devotion. In their devotion lies selfishness. The devotees who are selfish do not attain God. Those who are devotees are workers. They will never be afraid of work. They will do maximum work. ("Astitva and Shivatva") After millions of animal lives, created beings attain human forms. That is why all the scriptures speak of the rarity of human life. The wise make proper utilization of all objects - this utilization alone makes the existence of the object worthy. You have achieved human frame - you must make it meaningful by your sa'dhana' (spiritual practice), service and sacrifice. Engage yourself in such useful pursuits that even the worst of your enemies hardly has any chance to despise you; utilize yourself in such a manner so as to have satisfaction in your mind also, that you never wasted your time uselessly on this earth. (Ananda Vanii, May 1970) STRUGGLE AGAINST OBSTACLES What is sa'dhana' (spiritual practice)? Sa'dhana' means an effort. Effort for what? It is an endless effort to become one with the Supreme Nucleus. It is a ceaseless effort to obtain perfection from imperfection. Now, no movement in this universe is possible without encountering opposition. Wherever there is movement, there is opposition also. The result of struggle against this opposition is termed progress. The more one desires to proceed vigorously to the goal, the more one is to struggle against the opposition. Thus those who are adverse to struggle can never progress. They lag far behind, what to speak of progress. That's why struggle is the essence of life. Those who abhor struggle, who misconstrue struggle as violence, have no place in the world. ("Cosmic Vision", January 1979, 44) One who wants to attain the goal must not be too concerned with obstacles on the way. If one thinks of the obstacles, they will themselves become the goal and not the Supreme. That is why, in the field of spiritual sa'dhana', one must always think of the Supreme, not anything else. While thinking of this goal, if some opposite feeling comes in the mind of the aspirant, s/he should not think of this. "From where are the obstacles coming?" This should not be the topic of discussion. "What we have to reach" - this should be the topic of discussion. To establish the heavenly kingdom in this world, those with tireless cosmic ideation have to fight within themselves the devil of their own weaknesses and defects. But remember this "devil" is not your goal, so you are not to think of it. Whatever the obstacle in this march to the Great - there will be no compromise with it. That is why I say, this is the path of bravery, this is not the path of crudeness - and there is no place in it for cowardice. The aspirant will have to go on fighting endlessly, without pause. ("Brahmabhava and Human Life") Difficulties can never be greater than your capacity to solve them. (Supreme Expression I, 11) The main characterisitc of Tantra (spiritual expansion) is that it represents mainly vigour. It represents a pactless fight. Where there is no fight there is no sa'dhana'. It is an impossibility to conquer a crude idea and to replace it by a subtle idea without a fight. It is not at all possible without spiritual practice. Hence, Tantra is not only a fight, it is an all-round fight. It is not only an external or an internal fight, it is simultaneously both. ("Tantra and Its Effect on Society") Can we achieve honour, status and other things that we want in this material world witout a stuggle? And when we consider our aspiration for development and advancement in the mental world, that also cannot be brought about without a struggle. That is why, everywhere, whether in crude or subtle sphere, struggle is the essence of life. Thus Tantra is an asset not only in the spiritual world but even in the most material and crude spheres of life. Those who sparkle and arouse their vigour in the physical and mental realm by staging a struggle against crude trends, become superhuman in their human frames. The personalities earned with vigour and vitality get ovations everywhere. ("Tantra and Its Effect on Society") The Ta'ntrikas, (those who practice Tantra) are to stage a fight against all crude forces, a pauseless struggle against inequality and cowardliness. The establishment of equality is possible only by the Ta'ntrikas and not by non-Ta'ntrikas. Of course, not only in the mental and spiritual arena but in the material sphere too, complete one hundred percent equality is an impossibility. And so the Ta'ntrikas have to continue their fight indefinitely. Where is the opportunity for them to have rest? ("Tantra and Its Effect on Society") Don't compare life to a pool of muddy, stagnant water. Life resembles an ever-flowing spring. Pushing aside the stones of obstruction and difficulties, marching on with vigorous speed is its nature. Hence it is clear that one who wants to keep away from obstacles has lost the Dharma (essence) of life; verily, he is dead - the graveyard, not the society, should be his abode. (Ananda Vanii, January, 1958) In individual and collective life, obstacles are created by the force of ignorance (Avidya). During the struggle against ignorance, if the feeling of the Supreme be kept in the mind constantly, continuously, then the ignorance will be overcome. There are different effects of this force of ignorance: 1) Lack of discrimination: When people are blinded by the desire for wordly objects and lose their discrimination, they forget the infinite and start busying themselves with the limited world. At that time they start thinking relative to be absolute and become confused. They start misutilizing their energy. They forget that nothing has come into this world forever. This greediness, this narrowness, this confusion of taking pain for pleasure, is nothing but the play of ignorance. For example, a dog takes a bone and chews on it. From his gums comes blood and, thinking that the blood is from the bone, he thinks the bone is more delicious and so he chews even harder - the more blood, the more he thinks he is getting pleasure. If human beings think some created thing to be their own, it is nothing but ignorance. Someone thinks "my" money, "my" son, "my" house, etc. - they think they will become infinite by accumulating all these things. In actual fact one day everything will go far, far away from them. There will be nothing left which they can call their own. To remember this fact, to understand this effect of the force of ignorance correctly, they will have to do spiritual practices, otherwise they will be unable to escape from the grip of this dangerous force of ignorance. 2) Ego of doership: This means to take the entire responsibility of an action on oneself. Whatever one does with the help of the motor organs, the action does not belong to the organs - without the witnessing Soul, the entire energy of the organs will be nowhere. If the eyes of a dead man look at an elephant, still he will not see, because the action of seeing has not been witnessed by the Soul. But human beings, due to their ego, think that they are the doers and get confused. The spiritual aspirant will have to remember that the light of the Infinite is reflected on his or her mind due to this, their organs are able to function. 3) Desire for worldly pleasure: Due to the influence of the force of ignorance, people think that by eating something they will feel comfort, by wearing something they will feel comfort, by acting in a certain way they will feel comfort. Through many different objects, they desire and hope for pleasure. Humans live to achieve Bliss and that is why they run after different objects. They do not want to understand that, except the infinite Supreme Consciousness, no object can give them endless bliss. 4) Aversion: This is the opposite of attachment. Whenever people find an object painful, they try to substitute it with another. Many fights in the world are due to this cause. 5) Lack of determination: One day a man, knowing that drinking is a very bad habit, made a promise that he would stop drinking and live his life in a very self-controlled manner. That day he also went, as he had been accustomed before, to the bar. With great determination, he passed the pub and then he told his mind, "Oh, mind, you are so great! I will now give you a good prize. I will drink up to the neck!" ("Brahmabha'va and Human Life") War is the black spot of human character. In individual or collective life one can struggle, but war is based on hatred and on divisive tendencies. Is it not black? Struggle and war are not synonomous. While war springs from hatred, struggle is a part and parcel of life. War blackens everything; it darkens the future. Let life be bright both individually and collectively. Let us fight these divisive tendencies which want to make our life dark. Light is beautiful because it is luminous. When there was no creation, there was only one colour - black. Lack of life is black. After creation we see this beautiful play of colours. Why shall we be lost in darkness? All human beings want light. One individual human is more luminous and more throbbing than that universal darkness. So human beings should always be optimistic. The cimmerian darkness cannot retard your progress, cannot cover the light of the human heart. The spirit of your heart must move on and on against obstacles. Kick away your obstacles like pebbles from your feet - you are stronger than your obstacles. (Baba in Fiesch, 43) DETERMINATION There are three categories of people: lower, middle and highest. The lower category of people are those who do not undertake any work. They think that they are ordinary people and cannot do any work. They are always afraid of the probable obstacles they might enounter in their work, so they do not undertake any work. The middle category of people are those who undertake some work but throw up their hands when any problem crops up. They presume that any obstacle that comes in their way is a Himalayan obstacle, and hence they give up their work. They think they will not be able to tackle the problem they face. They are not confident of their abilities. The highest category of people are those who take up a task and are determined to fulfill it. They go on struggling against all odds till they achieve their goal. No problem can defy solution. No difficulty can be greater than their capacity to solve it. They go on fighting against all obstacles. They can face any challenge and meet any predicament. They are determined to achieve their objective, come what may. I want you to be persons of the highest category. You must always think of the goal. Always look to your ideal. By spiritual ideation you can get inspiration to adhere to your principles. (A'nanda Vacana'mrtam, 40) The firmness of a person's resolve makes one great. However lowly a person may be, one can become great by one's determination. If you have a firm resolve to realize your goal, you shall become great. Without a firm resoution, you cannot achieve anything. (A'nanda Vacana'mrtam, 52) You must not develop the psychology of inferiority complex - "I am illiterate. I am a fool." Complexes like this make a person weak - mentally weak. Suppose you want to do something and you say, "I will try to do it." If you grant this slackness to yourself, you will never be successful. Don't say, "I'll try!" Say, "I will do!" If you say, "I will try", it may take more than a thousand years to develop the proper psychology to reach the required standard. So there is no question of trying. The question is of being. To be, not to try. (Baba in Fiesch, 192) Marching ahead is life. Crushing the pebbles of hindrances and obstacles with a stroke of your feet, disdaining the frowns of winds, tornadoes, meteors and roaring thunder, and rendering all superstitions to ashes without any second thought - march on and on. The Supreme Consciousness is with you. Victory is yours. (A'nanda Va'n'ii, May 1968) We should always respect our ideology if we are to become true human beings. The ideologist is a person who always acts according to one's ideology. If by following an ideology, I die and die again, let it be. I will not care. I will stick to my ideology. ("Is't'a and A'darsha") Fight for your ideology. Be one with your ideology. Live for your ideoogy. Die for your ideology. (Ananda Vanii, May 1961) SUPERSTITION, SIN AND DOGMA The meaning of spiritual practice is to look upon every human being, every object of this universe as one integral entity. To jeopardise the unity of the human race by creating factions is not the purpose of spirituality (dharma). Those who encourage vested interests survive on the mental weakness of humanity and its dissensions, and that is why they become afraid at the wide spread of the ideals of spirituality and oppose it by all immoral means, such as abuse, wrong propaganda and falsehood. Humanity must not be cowed down by this; it has to march ahead. It is to be borne in mind that hindrances are numerous in the path of righteousness and to continue the fight against them is spiritual practice. (A'nanda Va'n'ii, May 1957) Superstitions of any kind - social, psychic or spiritual - influence the mind to such an extent that the mind, due to its anxiety, leads a person into harmful actions. Spiritual superstitions of hell and heaven and fear of God make people lose their mental balance. In our Ananda Marga, spiritual practices are scientific and systematic and based on rationality. Fear and superstition have no part in it. ("Ta'ttvika Praveshika'") Heaven is the state of mind of a person engaged in virtuous acts, and a sinner's mind, racing about in wild frenzy, is hell. (Human Society I, 135) Satan does not have the attributes of the Absolute; he is nothing but the human mind propelled by depraving tendencies. If these tendencies are diverted propertly, they no longer exist. It is within your power to kill that Satan. (Great Universe, 229) There are many who resort to rituals, offer sacrifices, seek the advice of astrologers and try to mitigate what they believe to be the evil influence of the planets on their destiny, or wear various kinds of stones for that purpose. Such persons are blinded by ignorance and superstition. Their belief is falacious because no agency, human or extra-human, can change the laws of nature and stop the course of action and reaction. (Supreme Expression I, 94) Prayer is also a mockery of the Ultimate Being or God. Prayer is a solemn petition addressed to the Supreme Being for certain benefits. On rational thinking, does not one's attempt to rouse the wish of God to fulfill one's needs appear to be a reminder to God to give one something which God had deprived one of? This, in fact, casts aspersion on Him and His law and His sense of distribution of His gifts and blessings. It is an insinuation, asking Him to reverse His law, to stop the process of reaction to one's action, which must have kept one deprived of what one now wants. God's law is unchangeable and praying to Him to change it, is a waste of one's time. Hymns in praise of God fall in the same category. They are equally ineffective and are a mere waste of time. Eulogy of God is tantamount to flattery, and prayer to begging. Devotion to God falls in a different category altogether. It is contemplation of the omnipresent Cosmic Consciousness, and helps the devotee in the attainment of liberation from bondage and merger with the Ultimate Reality. The purpose of devotion is to condition the mind to think that it is subtle and not crude, that it is a reflection of the Cosmic Consciousness. Those who have read psychoanalysis and understand the efficacy of auto-suggestion will appreciate the inner motivation and efficacy of contemplation. The true devotees do not flatter the Supreme Being; they do not ask for any favours. The devotees' tendency is merely to remind their minds of the ultimate goal so that their whole body, mind and soul strive for emancipation from the degrading influences which surround them. (Supreme Expression I, 94) The best prayer is, therefore, "O Lord! Do whatever you think fit and best for me. I do not know in which way lies my good - You know." There was once a demon who prayed that he would die neither during the day nor at night. God granted the prayer and he was killed at sunset! Do not be foolish like this. As long as you pray, you are not surrendering, for you are requesting something for yourself - you are looking after yourself. (Baba's Grace, 190) High or low, upgraded or degraded, all are equal for Him because the heaven is His creation, the hell is His creation. If we say that He is only in heaven, it will not be a correct utterance, because He is in hell also. His sons, His daughters, are never alone; He is with you even in hell. What should you do? You should always remember that you are the child of a Great Father. You must not think that you are a sinner, that you are a degraded person. If you think that you are a sinner, it means you are meditating on sin. And when sin becomes the object of your meditation, actually you will become a sinner, because a person becomes just like one's object of ideation, object of meditation. If you always meditate on sin, "I am a sinner ... I am a sinner ... " actually you will become a sinner. The psychological approach is to forget it, even if you are a sinner. You should think, "I am the child of a Great Father." And thus you are meditating on the Great Father. And a day is sure to come when you will become one with your Great Father. You should say, "I am your child ... I am Your child ... Oh, Father, take me on Your lap, I am Your child ... I am your child ..." This should be the approach. You should forget what you do not want. (Discourse in Philippines, 1969) Virtue and vice are temporal entities. These things have nothing to do with a person's relationship with the Supreme Father. Suppose several boys are moving along a road and a boy falls into the drain. His clothes and his body become dirty. Other people, passers-by, will laugh at him but when the father sees his boy in that condition, what will he do? Will he laugh at his own son? No, no, no. What will he do? He himself will go there into the drain and take his boy in his own lap and clean his clothes, clean his body, and after that, he will say, "My boy, you should walk carefully." Sinners are just like that boy in the drain. Clear? (Discourse in Philippines, 1969) Now, the Supreme Consciousness has two imperfections. One is, He cannot create a second Supreme Consciounsess: the Supreme is always one. The second imperfection is that He cannot hate anybody. Suppose you dislike a person; you will say, "I don't want to see your face, I hate you! Get out, get out!" But the Supreme Consciousness cannot hate anybody. Suppose He hates you - if He says, "Get out!" then you will challenge Him, "O Supreme Consciousness, You are everywhere and You order me to get out - where will I go? Everything is within You, and when You say get out, where am I to go?" So either You change Your name or withdraw Your order". So the Supreme Consciousness cannot hate even a bad person, as all are His creations. Suppose in your mind you have created a drunkard, a bad man, can you hate that man? As he is within your mind, you cannot hate him. So the Supreme cannot hate. (Discourse in Taipei, Taiwan, August 1979) What is dogma? Dogma is an idea with a rigid boundary line, which won't allow you to go beyond the periphery of that boundary line. Thus dogma goes against the fundamental spirit of the human mind. The human mind won't tolerate anything rigid. It wants movement - not only movement, but accelerated movement. So you should be vocal in fighting the influence of dogmas. It is due to these dogmas that human society could not progress properly. Now, although there has been intellectual progress, there is a crisis of civilization. Why? Because human existence has been endangered by dogmas. Humans want unbarred psychic progress, intellectual progress, without obstacles. But certain dogmas are trying to devour them. Communism is one such dogma. It won't allow you to think beyond its periphery. So it is the duty of all intellectuals to make people conscious of the all-devouring influence of dogma. ("Prajina' Bha'rati" August 1980, 9) The real knowledge is knowing one's self. You know, there are certain defective philosophies in the world which maintain that the material world, matter, is everything. When matter is everything, then matter becomes the goal of life. And human existence, human consciousness, will become like earth and stone. Karl Marx preached that defective philosophy. You should keep your mind free from the bindings and fetters of such a defective philosophy because it is anti-human, morally anti-human. It is most detrimental to human existence and human development. (Discourse in Taipei, Taiwan, August 1979) Spirituality is not a utopian ideal but a practical philosophy which can be practiced and realized in everyday life. Spirituality stands for evolution and elevation, not for superstitions or pessimism. All divisive tendencies and group and clan philosophies which create shackles of narrowmindedness are not connected with spirituality and should be discouraged. Only that which leads to broadness of vision should be accepted. Spirituality does not recognize any unnatural distinctions and differentiations made between human beings; it stands for universality. (Idea and Ideology, 89) Spirituality knows no occupational barriers. It is universal. It is transcendental. It is not reserved for black people or white people or rich or poor. It is the divine gift of God to all of His children. Spirituality (dharma) is all-embracing. It is the birth-right of all people. (Supreme Expression I, 221) THE CALL OF THE UNIVERSAL As long as you exist, you have to perform service. The moment you stop, you will fall into an abyss. You should not do this! It is your nature to carry yourself from narrowness to vastness, from greatness to divinity. It is against your nature to allow yourself to fall into an abyss. You long for eternal bliss, you endeavour for eternal life, and you are fused with that very unending life in the circulation of your blood and in the rhythmic vibrations of the contractions of your heart. You have been listening day and night to the voice of eternal youth. In the state of Supreme Attainment and Supreme Realization, you will be infused with boundless knowledge. O human being! Be established in the radiance of godliness, in manliness, because yours is a path of a revolution. Yours is not a path of extra caution and hesitant movement. You are travelers on a difficult path. You have to march ahead, with head held high and with your chest forward. You have not a moment to stagger or look behind. (Subha's'ita Sam'graha I, 119) O human beings! You are fortunate. The clarion call of the Universal has reached you. That very call is vibrating in every cell of your body. Will you now lie inert in the corner of your house? Will you now waste your time clutching ancient skeletons to your breast and moaning over them? The Supreme Being is calling you in the roar of the ocean, in the thunder of the clouds, in the speed of the lightning, in the meteor's flaming fires. Nothing will come of remaining idle. Get up and awaken the clouded chivalry of your dormant youth. The path may not be strewn with flowers - an inferiority complex may seek to hold back your every advancing footstep, but even then you have to proceed onward, tearing the shroud of darkness. You will soon rend the thick darkness of despair on the way to the attainment of the Supreme State, and advance onwards in the swiftmoving chariot, radiant with the sun's brilliance. (Subha's'ita Sam'graha I, 67) SOCIAL DISCOURSES SPIRITUALITY - THE BASE OF LIFE Today you have to create the Great Universe, and the guiding principle behind it will be that all humans are the progeny of the Supreme Progenitor, God. Thus all are His children, all should live together - all will have to live together. Black or white, literate or illiterate, small or tall, all are the children of the same Father and all will have to live together. There will be unity in the physical realm and also in the psychic realms. But to strengthen this unity still further, there should be a common goal for all the children of the Supreme Father - the merger of all in Him. All have come from Him, and therefore all will remain together. But this is not sufficient. All have come from Him, are in Him, and will merge in Him, therefore all people will have to live together. For you, unity is the natural course, and division is unnatural. You well know that the Cosmic Energy will not long tolerate what is unnatural. So it is natural for human beings to live together and to make a Great Universe. By not doing so, by mutual fight, all will be destroyed. This is the law of the universe (Prakrti). Thus you will have to remain united; you must create the Great Universe as soon as possible. There will be peace and happiness in the universe, and with one indivisible ideology, humanity will march ahead. Victory be with you! (Discourse on the Mahabharata) In our present environment there are many divisive tendencies splitting humanity into mutually belligerent groups. Spirituality must foster a natural affinity among people, to unite all humanity. The approach to spirituality should be psychological. Through rational analysis, humanity should appreciate its relationship with God and recognize the most benevolent kindness of that most beloved Entity. Spirituality should lead human beings to that one Cosmic Truth from Whom they have derived their souls and who is their ultimate destiny. That ultimate and absolute ideal is the Cosmic Ideal - an ideal beyond the scope of time, place and person. It is the Absolute, without and beyond relativity. It stands with Its own radiance for all time and for every entity of the cosmos, whether human being or less evolved soul. The Cosmic Ideal alone can be the unifying force which will strengthen humanity to smash its bondages and abolish the narrow domestic walls of divisive tendencies. (Idea and Ideology, 89) Spirituality provides humanity with that subtle and tremendous power with which no other power can be compared. Therefore, with spirituality as the base, a rational philosophy should be evolved to deal with the physical, psychological and socio-philosophical problems of the day. (Idea and Ideology, 91) As people become more generous and broadminded, they rise above the feelings of casteism, tribalism, provincialism and nationalism, which evoke narrowness, violence, hatred and meanness. Those who enter the field of social welfare with feelings of "mine" and "yours" actually create divisions in human society. Those who wish to foster the welfare of living beings as a whole have to embrace universalism as the only alternative. If we look upon everything as our own, the question of "mine" and "yours" will dissolve; in universalism there is no opportunity for violence, hatred or narrowness. (Problem of the Day, 28) SOCIETY AND SOCIAL UNITY Society is like a company of pedestrians going on a pilgrimage. Suppose one among them is attacked by cholera, do the rest go on their way, leaving him behind? No, they cannot. Rather, they break their journey at the place for a day or two, relieve him from the disease and help him to acquire strength in his legs. Or, they start out anew, carrying him on their shoulders. If anyone runs short of his subsistence, others give him their own. Together, they share everything with all. Together, they stream ahead, singing their leading chorus. In their eagerness to go ahead with others, they forget their trifling differences which in their families might have lead to negative exchanges and court cases, even down to three generations. The essence of cooperation born of moving together, aims at widening or expanding the mental being of a person by striking down one's barriers of meanness again and again. And hence, I reiterate that society is like such a batch of pilgrims gathering a strange power of mind in traveling together and with its help, solving all the problems of their individual and social life. (Supreme Expression II, 114) From the first expression of moralism, to the establishment in cosmic humanity, there is a gap. The concerted effort to negotiate this gap is termed as social progress, and the collective body of those who are engaged in this concerted effort I shall call the "society." (Human Society I, 11) Encourage everyone to build their careers in a nice way. Let none get the scope to think that their lives have become meaningless. (A'nanda Va'nii, May 1963) The entire humanity of this universe constitutes one singular people. The whole humanity is bound in fraternity: those who are apt to remain oblivious to this very simple truth, those who are prone to distort it, are the deadliest enemies of humanity. Today's humanity should identify these foes fully well and build a healthy human society totally neglecting all obstacles and difficulties. It must be borne in mind that as long as a magnificent, healthy and universalistic human society is not well established, humanity's entire culture and civilization, its sacrifice, service and spiritual endeavour (sa'dhana') will not be of any worth whatsoever. (A'nanda Va'nii, January 1973) Lack of unity among the members of society, because of too much self-interest in the individual members, formation of sects for economic or social advantages, lack of understanding of others, not only brings the downfall of society, but also will wipe it completely from the face of the earth. Instances of so many sects and empires disappearing altogether are not rare in the history of this world. ("Tattvika Praveshika") NATIONALISM AND UNIVERSALISM Nationalism is fast becoming outdated. Not only has the national sentiment given humanity rude shocks in the world wars of this century, but the social and cultural blending of the present age also shows the growing domination of cosmopolitanism in world affairs. Vested interests, however, continue to cause certain divisive tendencies. Despite these obstacles, a social blending of humanity is in progress and needs a common constitutional structure to cement the solidarity of the world. A world government is also essential to exercise effective control in certain spheres. For example, there should be only one world military force. The world government should form certain autonomous units (not necessarily national) to deal with problems such as education, food supply, and flood control. The boundaries of these units may be readjusted to reflect the development of more sophisticated communication techniques. Such development brings the remote parts of the world nearer and the world therefore grows smaller. (Idea and Ideology, 92) It will have to be explained to all that there will be clash between different nations as long as national feelings exist. Some may talk of disarmament, but military preparation will go on underground. If people dedicate themselves to the cause of the welfare of the entire human race, their respective nations will also be benefitted. The one Cosmic Ideology will have to be preached; that one Supreme Father, the Cosmic Entity, is the goal of all living beings. This spiritual sentiment will keep humanity united for all time to come. It will form the entire planetary world and even the universe into a nation. Then there will be only one nation - a World Nation. No other theory can save the human race. (To the Patriots, 32) A language must also be evolved as the lingua franca of the world. At present English is most suitable for the purpose and no national sentiment should be encouraged to oppose it. But local languages must also be encouraged to help indigenous literatures develop and thereby contribute to world progress and the common family of humanity. (Idea and Ideology, 93) Every atom of this universe is the joint property of all living beings. This has to be adopted as a matter of policy; and after its recognition, the idea that this is national and that is foreign, that a particular person is fit for the citizenship of a particular country while others are not or have no rights at all, cannot stand. In reality, only vested interests appear intensely interested in such illusory matters. All people are world citizens by birth. Every human being has the right to go and settle anywhere and to live like a human being. If any group of people of any country is not ready to accept this fundamental right of living beings, then it should be understood that their utterances for "peace" are only meant to cheat and bluff others. Humanity has a right to live not only in this small world, but also on every planet and satellite, meteorite, nebula and every particle of this vast creation. If anyone wants to deprive human beings of this very birthright, then people will have to establish it by force. (Problem of the Day, 24) The human society is continually striving to arrive at a synthesis through analysis, some sort of unity through diversity. The natural obstructions of small clans, narrow communal interests, geographical distances and intractable customs and usages barriers - none of these obstacles could hinder the steady and silent movement towards a supreme goal. That is why the policy of apartheid, the vanity of racial superiority, national chauvinism or regionalism - these relative doctrines or social philosophies could not thwart the progress of human society. The outdated ideals of nationalism are crumbling to pieces today. The newly awakened humanity today is anxious to herald the advent of one Universal Society under a vast blue sky. The noble and righteous people of all countries, bound by fraternal ties, are eager to assert in one voice with one mind, in the same tune, that human society is one and indivisible. In this voice of total unity and magnanimity lies the value and message of eternal humanism. ("Human Society is One and Indivisible") It is often heard that a particular country was never so united as during the war. This is due to love of motherland, but more due to all the individuals having a common ideal - a goal to face the peril of war. This common ideal is, however, very temporary, and disappears with the danger of war becoming less. In our A'nanda Ma'rga, the seed for a common ideal is sown from the very beginning of a child's life. At the age of five, when the child has acquired only a preliminary understanding of his or her surroundings, s/he is given the ideal of Cosmic Consciousness. The entire society of A'nanda Ma'rga is then founded on a common ideal - the goal being the Supreme Consciousness. Such an ideal will not disappear like the common ideal for facing the dangers of war, and the unity in a society founded on an ideal of the Cosmic Consciousness will be everlasting. In our A'nanda Ma'rga, even in the economic field there is a common ideal, as the whole property of the earth is common property and is to be shared by all members of the society. This is instilled in every member by the chant recited at the commencement of the functions held by the members of A'nanda Ma'rga: Sam'gacchadhvam' sam'vadadhvam' sam' vo mana'm'si ja'nata'm, Deva'bha'gam' yatha'pu'rve sam'ja'na'na' upa'sate. Sama'nii va a'ku'tih sama'na' hrdaya'nivah, Sama'namastu vo mano yatha' vah susaha'sati. [The following shloka translation is as in Carya'carya Part 1, 6th edition:] Let us move together, let us radiate the same thought-wave, let us come to know our minds together, Let us share our wealth without differentiation, like sages of the past, so that all may enjoy the universe. Let our aspirations be united, let our hearts be inseparable, Let our minds be as one mind, so that we live in harmony and become one with the Supreme. ("Tattvika Praveshika") The fact that the fortune of every individual, not only of this earth, but of the entire cosmos, has been wreathed together, will have to be admitted one day by humanity. The spiritual aspirants have to fetch that auspicious moment sooner by their pauseless effort, service and propagation of the great ideology. This alone is the supreme task for the present humanity. (A'nanda Va'nii, January 1969) Humanity has only one culture. I am not prepared to admit that there are various cultures. The dances, songs, pronunciation and ceremonial celebrations of different sections of humanity may have their local peculiarities, but these cannot be considered cultural differences. The variations in local customs cannot be removed by legal force or by dictatorial rule. If an attempt is made to destroy common practices, languages, and various local manners and customs in the name of national or human unity, violence and mutual distrust will result and collective life will be doomed. I am in favor of social synthesis. In my opinion, as people come more intimately in contact with one another, and the corners of the world come nearer, local customs will assume newer forms as a result of frequent interchange. The flowers of different gardens will unite into a bouquet which will be more, not less, beautiful than the individual flowers themselves. If different countries or communities are anxious to establish social blending through marriages, then social synthesis can be achieved within a very short time. Its concrete reflections are already apparent to some extent in cosmopolitan cities. (Problem of the Day, 36) Striving ahead together with the entire Universe along the path of divinity is truly the greatest task for humanity. (Supreme Expression II, 27) Members of one particular race considering themselves superior to others, also very frequently inflict injustice on the other portions of society. The expulsion of the Jews from Germany by the so-called superior races has caused a tremendous amount of disruption in society. In A'nanda Ma'rga the first step that a person takes is to forget one's race or sect and to no longer identify oneself with one's race, caste or sect, whether it was superior or inferior. In social functions based on racial considerations, racial prejudices figure very prominently. In our collective functions, members of all races, castes or creeds take part as equals. The caste, race or nation is often the main consideration in arranging marriages. In our Ma'rga, there is no such consideration. These petty differences between human beings are not given any importance. Humanity as a whole is considered as one family belonging to the race of human race. In such a society, injustice due either to economic background, sex or racial considerations will be unknown. ("Tattvika Praveshika") I often say that the caste system is hypocrisy - unreal. If you analyze the caste of human beings you will find that the ancestors of every human being were monkeys. In that case everybody's caste is monkey caste. All this hypocrisy is to be given up. Is it that the ancestor of a Brahmancaste human being was a Brahman-caste monkey and that of a Rajput-caste person a Rajputcaste monkey? (Seminar Notes 1980, 9) Human society comprises various races. There is no reason whatever to recognize one race as superior to another race. The external differences in constitutions among these human groups cannot alter their basic human traits - love and affection, pleasure and pain, hunger and thirst. These basic biological instincts and mental propensities equally predominate in human beings of all complexions in all countries and in all ages. A mere rustic, illiterate, half-naked tribal mother of an unknown hamlet of Chotanagpur hills in India bears deep maternal affections for her young children; in the same way, a well-educated mother of a locality of New York pours out of her heart a great love for her own children. The subterranean flow of love and affection exists in all hearts alike. Every person cries out in pain, everyone feels pleasure when there are occasions of joy and happiness. Maybe in different geographical, cultural, social and other environments, the lifestyle of different human groups may vary; maybe, a few special psychic traits in those groups may assert themselves, but fundamentally, their mental existences flow along the same channels of ideas and consciousness. Containing the same cosmic momentum and under the same cosmic inspiration, they all have set out for a tryst with the same Destiny. ("Human Society is One and Indivisible") Feelings of differentiation are a great impediment in the spiritual practice for the Infinite. The feelings that a particular person is a Muslim, another a Hindu, yet another a Brahmin-caste, and the fourth a capitalist, are mean thoughts. When every living being is a manifestation of the Supreme Consciousness, how can you know yourself without shedding these differentiating feelings? No one is high and no one low. Of course, according to one's virtues or vices one is happy, one is miserable, one is rich, one is poor, one is a fool, and another is learned. But all are human beings. Feelings of differentiation are the principle obstacles on the path of spiritual practice. For this reason, elevation cannot be attained without annihilating them. (Su'bha's'ita Sam'graha I, 92) Today not even the Pacific Ocean between Asia and America is difficult to cross. The people of Asia and America are approaching one another, touching and understanding each other's minds; they have learned to think about each other sympathetically, as one family of humanity. Europe, Africa, Australia, Mercury, Jupiter, comets, stars, and constellations - none is alien to the other, none is distant. Gradually everyone has begun to realize the vibration emanating from the One Mind. (Abhimata, The Opinion, 78) SOCIAL WEALTH We should not forget even for a moment that this whole animate world is a large family in which nature has not assigned any property to any particular individual. Individual ownership has been created by selfish opportunists so that they might take advantage of the defects of this system in order to grow fatter in a parasitic way. When the whole property of this universe has been inherited by all creatures, how then can there be any justification for a system in which someone receives a flow of huge excess, while others die for lack of a handful of grain? (Problem of the Day, 2) The aspiration to become rich by exploiting others is a sort of mental malady. In fact, if the eternal hunger of the human soul does not find the real path leading to mental and spiritual wealth, it becomes engaged in the work of depriving other of their rights; it robs them of their material resources. If any member of a family seizes food from a store by application of mental or physical force, he certainly becomes the cause of misery to others. Similar is the case when a capitalist says, "We have seized wealth by intelligence and labor. If others have mental and physical potentialities they may also do it. Who objects to it?" They do not want to realize that the volume of commodities is limited whereas requirements are common to all. In most spheres, abundance for one individual takes the bread out of the mouths of others. It is a mental ailment not to understand this common necessity. (Problem of the Day, 7) But the people afflicted with this malady are also members of this vast human family and consequently, they are our brothers and sisters. Therefore, they will have to be cured of this disease either through humanitarian appeals or pressure of circumstances. It will be a great crime even to think of their destruction. (Problem of the Day, 7) It must always be remembered that the value of money lies in its use. If more money is accumulated than is necessary, it becomes valueless for lack of use. The money you keep idle and valueless makes you responsible for the injustice done to the hungry and the naked. Your valueless hoard shall have to be made valuable by providing opportunities for others' use. (Human Society I, 63) The spiritual practice of our Ma'rga does not teach forsaking the world. It teaches the right and correct use of all property, crude or subtle. (Supreme Expression II, 69) Let everyone enjoy as much as they like on the subtle mental plane. Let everyone possess as much mental and spiritual wealth as possible. But individual hoarding of mundane resources and wealth must be stopped, even by force if necessary. Really speaking, both physical and mental cravings are born of mental hunger. It is certainly possible to transform the craving for physical enjoyment into intellectual hunger by channeling it toward a different goal through proper education. Human society today is badly in need of such education. (Human Society I, 75) The availability of the minimum essentials of life plays a vital part not only in achieving a world family but also in the development of the personality. This problem should be tackled on a worldwide basis. Every human being must be guaranteed certain minimum requirements. The availability of food, clothing, medical assistance, education and housing should be arranged, so that human beings may be able to utilize their surplus energy in subtler pursuits - energy which until now has been engaged in procuring the essentials of life. To fulfill the above responsibilities, sufficient purchasing capacity should be created. If the necessities are guaranteed without demanding any personal skill or labor, the individual may develop the psychology of idleness. (Idea and Ideology, 94) The minimum requirements of every person are the same, but diversity is also the nature of creation. Special amenities should therefore be provided, so that diversities in skill and intelligence may be fully utilized, and talent is encouraged to contribute its best for human development. It will thus be necessary to arrange for some special remunerations to provide special amenities according to the age and time. But at the same time, there should be a constant effort to reduce the gap between the amount of special amenities and the minimum requirements of the average individual. This never-ending effort of proper economic adjustment must ceaselessly continue, fostering the spiritual, mental and physical evolution of humanity and the development of a cosmic sentiment for a world family. (Idea and Ideology, 95) In such a socio-economic program, human beings have full liberty in the spiritual and mental spheres. This is possible because the spiritual and psychic entities for which human beings can aspire are themselves unlimited, and one person's progress in this sphere does not hamper the progress of others in their quests. But the supply in the physical sphere is limited, and thus any effort for disproportionate or unrestricted acquisition of physical objects may create a vast majority of "have nots." This hampers the development of the total personality of humanity. So individual liberty must not exceed established limits in the physical sphere. At the same time it must not be so drastically curtailed that a human being's spiritual, mental and physical growth is hindered. (Idea and Ideology, 95) Thus the social philosophy of A'nanda Ma'rga advocates the development of the integrated personality of the individual and also the establishment of a world fraternity by inculcating a cosmic sentiment in human psychology. The Ma'rga advocates progressive utilization of the mundane and supramundane factors of the cosmos. Society needs an impetus for life, vigor and progress and for this A'nanda Ma'rga advocates the "Progressive Utilization Theory" (PROUT) which calls for progressive utilization of all factors of the universe. Those who support these principles may be called Proutists. (Idea and Ideology, 96) Ours is a subjective approach and an objective adjustment - the happy blending between objective world and subjective goal. While moving towards the subjective goal, you must maintain adjustment with the objective world. There is no other alternative. When the human society is ensconsed in this supreme idea, in the very near future it will become more constructive, with proper planning. Humanity of the entire universe will unite, and we are anxiously waiting for that happy moment. (Discourse in Caracas, Venezuela, 1979) I want every human being to be guaranteed the minimum physical requirements of life; every human being to get scope for the full exploitation of his or her psychic potentiality; every human being to attain absolute truth; and endowed with all the glories and achievements of the world, to march toward the Absolute. In and through this movement, humanity should be made conscious of the purpose and meaning of life. (Great Universe, 234) EXPLOITATION The ills perpetrated in society are in a great measure created by the exploiters themselves. To swell their bank balances the exploiters create an artificial scarcity of food, clothes and other necessary consumer goods, and loot profits in the black market. Those who have no buying capacity for high-priced food and clothes take to stealing and other shady methods in order to meet their bare necessities. These ill-fed, ill-clad flocks of poor wretches work for these greedy black marketeers and smugglers. When apprehended, it is they who are penalized - the rich escape on the strength of their influence. Throwing their conscience to the four winds, these poor wretches take to sin and crime still more desperately. The society accuses these sinners and criminals, while the rich exploiters enact the roles of popular leaders, wear garlands, let loose fireworks of speeches and exhort the masses with a clarion call to make more sacrifices. (Human Society II, 109) I have spoken about haves and have-nots. To satisfy their hunger, the haves misutilize their physical and intellectual wealth and force the have-nots to become slaves and sinners to try to appease their own hunger. In the background there is a big exploiter; in the front, as his agents, are half-naked children. This is the cause of the downfall of society. (Great Universe, 180) What we see in the market place and railway stations is the exhibition of half-clad street beggars and lepers - all stretching out their begging bowls, the only means of earning their livelihood. They are fortunate if anybody contemptuously flings a copper coin at them. The old blind beggars wait all day long at the bridge and lift their bowls as soon as someone walks past them. Their shrill cries fall on deaf ears only. On the other hand, the affluence of foods kept ready in luxurious houses to entertain the big guns of society ridicules the present human civilization. ("Social value and Cardinal Principle") Very often we say that a particular individual or a particular community of people is badly exploited. Then, what we mean by "exploited" is this, that they are exploited in the economic stratum. But if we penetrate deeply into the matter, we shall discover that the exploitation has not been only in the economic stratum, but also in the other strata of human existence, in different forms, on various pretexts. When there is exploitation on the physical level, it is not necessarily economic in nature in all cases; it is mostly social. For instance, the vested interests inject, at a certain stage, inferiority or superiority complexes in the public mind and at a much later stage, use those psychic complexes for social or economic exploitation. This exploitation on the psychic level is mostly perpetrated, in the first phase, through dogma. When the exploitation in the physical sphere is directly economic in character, even the common people can understand that; they need not labour hard to comprehend it. But in the event of exploitation in other spheres, the exploited people are not even aware of the fact that they are being exploited. That is why it becomes easy for the cunning exploiters to keep them in prolonged domination by creating inferiority complexes in their minds. And the tragedy is, that the exploited mass don't try to understand; they even refuse to understand even though some may try to make them understand, that they are the victims of exploitation. So, this is more dangerous. When the exploitation is directly economic, the people can easily understand it; but when the exploitation is perpetrated in this socio-economic sphere or the psycho-economic sphere, the situation becomes complicated. The people feel a little aggrieved because they feel that they are being psychically suppressed, but they are not aware of the fact that the ultimate result is their economic exploitation. Today all over the world there is greater economic awareness than before. That is why the cunning exploiters have resorted to the path of either socio-economic or psycho-economic exploitation. They have spread their trap over a vaster area, hoping to reap a rich harvest. ("Psycho-Economic Exploitation," Calcutta 1981) If a flying bird is caged for long, it loses its ability to fly. If the door of its cage is unfastened accidentally, it thinks, "What benefit will I derive flying in the distant blue sky? Let me pick up seeds, sitting on the perch of my little cage." Now, if people have been educated in a distorted manner and their minds crippled, they are unable to stand independently. If their minds have been molded by propaganda for a long period, they cannot utilize the opportunity [for freedom] even if it is presented to them. Common people have been taught for ages that they belong to a low caste or class. Even if you offer these down-trodden people a chair to sit by you, they would murmur, "No sir, I am alright let me sit on the ground." That is to say, their minds cannot function properly, just as a bird's wings become totally inactive in a cage. People have been accustomed to such repressions for thousands of years - the exploiters have injected fear-complex in their minds to control them. ("Quadri-Statumic Progress In Human Life," Calcutta, 1981) The one who exploits the masses is also a person; this must never be lost sight of even for a moment. The human family is a conglomerate of different elements of the human race. Reforming and guarding against human frailties with a liberal and tolerant outlook, we have to proceed together towards the path of benevolence. (Human Society I, 81) So your duty is threefold. Your first duty is to observe morality and do intuitional practices. Without this you cannot have mental determination. Your next duty is to unite the moralists of the world, otherwise righteousness (dharma) will not endure. This will be your real duty. You will become great by this, for ideation of the Great makes one Great. At the third stage, you will have to mercilessly fight against sin wherever it has habitated this world. You will have to propagate this mission from door to door. Any political party or so-called religious institution cannot bring salvation. Praising God with drums and cymbals will not bring salvation to the world, for it will not be able bring the sinner into submission. Today the necessity of arms is more than the drum and cymbals to curb the onslaughts of the immoralists. (Supreme Expression II, 148) You must have a flaming moral purpose so that greed, oppression and exploitation shrivel before the fire in you. (Supreme Expression II, 33) DIALECTIC MATERIALISM AND DEMOCRACY Those who want to establish universal equality or social parity by law or bayonet alone shall fail. They will not be able to effect a change of heart without a planned expedient, or to rectify character without any moral or ideal basis. In communism, the spontaneity of natural selfexpression gets gagged by force. To remain suppressed like this is against the grain of human characteristics. The suppressed mind will evolve its own way of self-expression; it will have to revolt. (Human Society I, 72) Like any other problem, economic problems have only one solution: genuine love for humanity. It is this love that will direct humanity in what should and should not be done. For this, one need not study volumes of books. It will not be necessary to depend upon those who play with the fortunes of the mute populace. It is only necessary to look upon humanity with honest sympathy. (Human Society I, 78) "The world belongs to the toiling mass." If one accepts this maxim as the last word, it will amount to a denial of valuable intellectual labor. We cannot attach more importance to the problems of one section of society over another. While attending to the problems of the people, we shall first assess their financial and mental needs and then proceed to help them with love and humanistic concern, irrespective of their particular group, occupation or status. (Human Society I, 82) It is but natural that only a few persons can attain opulence. The laborers are in the majority and, having united together, are bent upon annihilating the predominance of the capitalists. This is why we are getting an indication of the impending predominance of the workers. But shall the predominance of the laborers remain as the final order? Will not the progress of the world and the evolution of the Self be hindered if control over the society is left to the workers? People have begun realizing what should be the framework of a blissful society - it is improper for any section of the society to gain predominance over the rest. The predominance of one implies the inevitable exploitation of the others. Therefore a society should be established wherein equal opportunities and equal rights may be offered to each and all. (Su'bha's'ita Sam'graha I, 5) Those who advocate a materialistic philosophy but are not moralists and spiritualists cannot effect such [progressive] changes. Only those who have the Cosmic Goal and Cosmic Ideation as the highest goal of their lives and who are universalists in the true sense of the term can effect such adjustments. Due to their enlarged vision and expanded consciousness, they bestow their love and affection upon one and all. They cannot cause any injustice in a particular age or to a particular person. Hence the Era of the sadvipra is both the prayer and the demand of the suppressed and oppressed humanity. (Abhimata, The Opinion, 136) One must remember, theories are not the liberators of human beings. The liberator is that lofty ability which helps to keep open every small or large vista of sentient existence - that vigorous capability which fuses the hard reality of existence with the ultimate reach of the visionary world. (Human Society I, 77) Public education is one of the fundamental needs for a successful and smooth-running democracy. In some places even people of education misutilize their voting rights. People cast their votes according to the dictates and persuasion of the pseudo-leadership. Is it not a farce in the name of democracy? Hence the spread of education and proper knowledge is essential. Education does not mean literacy alone. To my mind, education means proper and adequate knowledge and power of understanding. In other words, education is perfect knowledge of what I am and what I should do. (Abhimata, The Opinion, 140) Morality is the second fundamental factor for the success of democracy. In the absence of morality, people sell their votes. There are a few countries in the world where votes are being sold and purchased. Can we call this democracy? Is it not a farce? Hence, until fifty-one percent of the population adheres strictly to the principles of morality, there is no chance of a successful democracy. Where immoral persons are in the majority, the leaders will necessarily be from and among them. (Abhimata, The Opinion, 141) POLITICIANS Today there is catastrophe and misery in the human society and there is one reason: defective leadership of society. People blindly follow even the unintelligent leaders. The leaders hypnotise and attract thousands with their tall talks, gestures and other dramatics. You should know that the poverty and misery of people in any country are the sins of the leaders. True leaders should always be vigilant and think how to work best for the human society; they must be ever cautious that under their guidance the people are not led to darkness, death and immorality. (Supreme Expression II, 143) Those who proceed to play "the leader" in attempting to build a benevolent society without having undergone meticulous self-preparation and self-discipline through intuitional practice, will not only bring about their own downfall but will lead the entire humanity to disaster as well. (Human Society I, 76) Those who make attempts to disturb human unity are mainly motivated by group politics. In fact, this malady is even more dangerous than germs. It gradually brings about a complete destruction of the various attributes of the human mind: fine taste, simplicity, spirit of service, etc. In this, the party stamp is more valuable than the individual ability. To politicians the main objective is not social service but the service of the self, not welfare but the ministry. To deceive the mass to exhibit political acrobatics - all these are very common with them. Without trying to mend themselves they want to do everything only through their eloquence. With a thorough understanding of the public they instigate them to quarrel with one another and by self-applause they want to take possession of, or maintain power. People should remain vigilant of them. They want to poke their noses in every aspect of social life - religious life, education, literary spheres, etc. One cannot acquire knowledge and proficiency in different walks of life only by speaking high-sounding words from lecture platforms. By virtue of these high-sounding words they want to remain in oblivion due to the allurement of power. (Problem of the Day, 41) In the end, those political hypocrits will have to depend solely on the strength of arms. In this way it is found that brute force is the only source of strength for such politicians. (Problem of the Day, 44) Many people say that different national interests are the only hurdle in the formation of a world body. In my opinion, this is not the only obstruction, rather, this is just a minor difficulty. The real cause lies in the local leaders' fear of losing their control. Upon the establishment of the world federation, the powerful influence which they enjoy today in different countries will cease to exist. (Problem of the Day, 30) In all walks of present-day life, the dark shadows of immorality are fast taking definite shapes and hampering human progress. It requires a very strong moral force to wipe out this filth of immorality. One cannot expect this moral force from a government power functioning within a democratic structure. We must expect it from the non-political side. The government, be it fascist, imperialist, republican, dictatorial, bureaucratic or democratic, is sure to become tyrannical if there is no moral force to check the capricious activities of the leaders of the party in power. (Great Universe, 251) Social life cannot be elevated merely by speeches delivered from political platforms; political leaders cannot produce sadvipras by their rhetoric. Besides, who are those who deliver lectures from platforms? Are they not the people who sling the mud of political censure on others? Most of them are blind after power. What will they teach others? Mental and spiritual training alone can create sadvipras. Sadvipras are only those who are perfect in morality and aspirants of the Supreme Consciousness. (Problem of the Day, 48) Those who wish to purify society of all defects will have to keep an eye on every human being; social reform can be effected only through the purification of individuals. (Problem of the Day, 48) In this transitional period of civilization, honesty in individual life is a prime necessity. We have to remain ever vigilant that the darkness of petty self-interest does not shroud this supreme human treasure. With the extinction of honesty, civilization will not survive, the long effort (sa'dhana') of the human race will go in vain, and all intellectual achievements will become meaningless. (A'nanda Va'nii, May 1958) Building anything on humanistic lines requires a foundation of real love and affection for humanity. A truly benevolent society will never come into being under the leadership of those energetic busybodies who are solely concerned with profit and loss. Where love is paramount, the question of personal loss or gain does not arise. The basic ingredient for building a healthy society is simply genuine love; how then is it possible to establish such a society through coercion or legal compulsion? (Human Society I, 73) SADVIPRAS Sadvipras are those whose all efforts are directed towards the attainment of Bliss. They are strong in morality and always ready to wage war against immoral activities. Those who strictly adhere to the principles of morality, are ensconced in sacrificing service (Tapah) and are ready to wage war against immoralists are sadvipras. Only those sadvipras are safe from destruction and extinction who can work for the welfare of the human society. Therefore, it becomes the prime duty of everyone to make themselves and others sadvipras. ("The Future of Civilization," Cosmic Society, 1967) Sadvipras will wage a ceaseless, pactless struggle against immorality and all sorts of divisive tendencies. Those who pose to be righteous (dharmic) but are timid with the spirit of fight cannot be called sadvipras. ("The Future of Civilization," Cosmic Society, 1967) The function of the sadvipra shall, therefore, be to see that the dominating or ruling classes do not have any scope for exploitation. The moment one class turns to be exploiters, the life of the majority becomes miserable; a few enjoy at the cost of many whose lot is only to suffer. More than that, in such a stage of society, both the few and the many get degenerated. The few exploiters degenerate themselves due to excess of physical enjoyments, and the many exploited cannot elevate themselves because all their energy is taken up in mundane problems and all their mental waves are always tending to attain psycho-physical parallelism, thus getting day by day cruder. Hence for the physical, mental and spiritual welfare of the administrator and the administered of the society as a whole, it is essential that no one should be given any scope to exploit the rest of society. (Idea and Ideology, 87) Those spiritual revolutionaries who work to achieve such progressive changes for human elevation on a well-thought, pre-planned basis whether in the physical, metaphysical or spiritual sphere, by adhering to the principles of morality, are sadvipras. (Idea and Ideology, 85) For those who lack in physical pabula, minimum requirements will have to be guaranteed; otherwise they will become sinners. If you don't give, you will meet your waterloo. If your neighbor's house is on fire, your house will also catch fire. To issue minimum requirements to everyone, both strong administration and intellectual approach are necessary. Those who will do this will be called sadvipras. In the absence of sadvipras, society cannot survive. ("The Three Causes of Sin") People will recognize sadvipras by their conduct, their devotion to service, their dutifulness and their moral integrity. These sadvipras will declare firmly, "All human beings are of the same caste," "All human beings have equal rights," "All human beings are brothers and sisters." These sadvipras will give a stern warning to the exploiters of the society: "Human exploitation will not be tolerated. No exploitation will be allowed on the pretext of religion." Rallying around the saffron flag, a symbol of sacrifice, they will devote themselves to the service of widely scattered units of the human society and proclaim loudly, "Human beings of the world, unite!" (Problem of the Day, 59) Today I extend my earnest request to all reasonable, virtuous and moral fighters that they form a good, well-disciplined sadvipra society without further delay. These sadvipras shall work for the good of all countries, for the all-round emancipation of all humanity. ("The Three Causes of Sin") The sadvipra is not an inactive witness. S/he is an active participant to see that no person or class exploits the rest. For this, s/he may have to resort even to physical violence, because the sadvipra will have to strike at the source of the power which is tending to become the exploiter. (Idea and Ideology, 88) Those who have a correct philosophy and a correct spiritual practice based on the principles of morality (Yama and Niyama) will be the guiding personalities of the society of tomorrow. It is the duty of the conscious people to snatch away the physical power and intellectual leadership from the hands of political hypocrits. Politicians are of no use to the society because they are engaged in mudslinging and nothing else. If the sadvipras (spiritual moralists) get active mass support, revolution is bound to come. In case a government adopts the ideals of Prout, the rule of sadvipras will prevail. If the same is not adopted by a government, and sanguinary revolution is sure to come and ultimately the power will be made over to the sadvipras. (Problem of the Day, 48) To a sadvipra, the value of human life surpasses all other values. Be it state or scripture, society or religion, the significance of everything lies in developing humanity to the optimum point through knowledge, culture, health and affluence of life. It is for the unfoldment of humanity that civilization has so many impediments, the state presents various forms, theories multiply and the scriptures abound in ordinances and regulations. What does the state stand for, what is the use of these regulations, or what are the marvels of civilization for, if humanity is deprived of manifesting itself, if human beings do not get any chance to build a good physique, to invigorate their intelligence with knowledge and to broaden their heart with love and compassion? Instead of leading humanity to the goal of life, if the state stands in the way then it cannot command loyalty, because humanity is superior to the state. ("Social Value and Cardinal Principle") A sadvipra may not like a person, but if one is honest, the sadvipra will not agitate against him. A sadvipra may like a person, but if he is dishonest, the sadvipra will take suitable measures against him. ("Social Value and Cardinal Principle") Problems will not be solved only by making a useless fuss over them. Only the spirit to fight against all odds can solve the problems confronting humanity. March ahead and wage war against all difficulties, all impediments. Victory is sure to embrace you. Difficulties and encumbrances cannot be more powerful than your capacity to solve them. You are the sons and daughters of the great Cosmic Father. Be sadvipras and make others also sadvipras. ("The Future of Civilization") It is far too easy to talk big about revolution. Such gasconades - such tall talks may easily strike the listeners with wonder and may also draw applause from them, but to bring about a real revolution is not at all easy. The pioneers of a revolution will have to learn discipline, take proper training for the revolution, build their character, be moralists - in a word, they will have to be what I call the sadvipras. (Human Society II, 125) The persons who can dedicate their all to the thought of the great and inspiration of the Supreme are verily the greatest heroes. Such heroes, indeed, are virtuous and they alone are capable of taking human history from darkness to light. (A'nanda Va'nii, January 1965) Sadvipras will have no rest, ever. A time will never come in the life of a sadvipra when he or she will relax in an arm chair and say, "Ah, I have nothing to do today. Let me rest awhile." In this first phase of human history, the sadvipra society has not yet formed itself. In the absence of a sadvipra society the social cycle is moving on its natural round. In every age, the government of the predominant class becomes exploitative, and thereafter comes evolution or revolution. For lack of sadvipras' assistance, the foundation of human society is lacking firmness. Today I extend my earnest request to all reasonable, virtuous and moral fighters that they form a good, welldisciplined sadvipra society without further delay. These sadvipras will work for the good of all countries, for the all-around emancipation of all humanity. The downtrodden humanity of this disgraced world is looking up to the eastern horizon, awaiting the sadvipras' advent with earnest zeal and eagerness. Let the cimmerian darkness of the interlunar night disappear. Let the human being of the new day of the new sunrise wake up in the world. With these good wishes I conclude my discourse. (Human Society II, 132) SOCIAL JUSTICE There should be one universal legal and criminal code for the universal humanity. It is not at all desirable that there be different laws for different people, different countries, different communities. All laugh in happiness, cry in sorrow, beat their breasts in mourning. Why must we separate human from human with a thousand and one imaginary distinctions? (Human Society I, 136) "Crimes" are acts forbidden by the law of the government concerned, and "virtue" and "vice" are the outcome of traditional customs. The sentiments of the lawmakers are very much influenced by the current concepts of virtue and vice of the locality or of the people concerned. The sense of crime, therefore, runs parallel to the concepts of virtue and vice which vary from country to country. Those working toward world fraternity should try to lessen the difference between social, traditional, moral and human laws. All those actions which help in the spiritual, mental and physical growth of humanity should come under the category of virtuous deeds and those actions which impede the spiritual, mental and physical development of humanity must be considered vice. This conception of virtue and vice applies for humanity in general. (Idea and Ideology, 93) Suppose you see a person steal something. If you see externally, you will see the man stealing. He should be punished. Shouldn't he be punished? Yes, he should be punished. This is ordinary seeing. But if you apply your inner vision, i.e., intuitional sight, you see that the man was without food for four days, and so under pressure of circumstances, he had to steal. So after this inner seeing, this inner vision, you will come to the decision that we will remodel the socio-economic structure so that never is he compelled to steal under pressure of circumstances, because of being hungry for several days. When I started A'nanda Ma'rga, I wanted the entire humanity to stand upon the strict code of cardinal principles, human values and spirituality, and when I saw everything internally I came to the decision that there are so many loopholes in the human society. Human beings came here about one million years ago but have not yet been able to form a well-knit social order. We require a strong social order. That's why I had to create another branch of philosophy known as PROUT, through which we are to remodel the social order so that nobody is compelled to resort to immorality for lack of food or clothes or other necessities of life. (Baba in Fiesch, 183) The path that lies before thieves who steal out of need is extremely narrow. The solution wholly depends on the strong economic foundation of the state concerned and of the whole world. If anybody is to be blamed for the poverty and social injustice which leads to crime, we will have to blame every national leader in the world. Those who make beasts of people by making them victims of circumstances, to my mind, are the very people to stand trial, if anyone is to be tried and judged at all. (Human Society I, 117) The first cause of sin is: shortage of physical and psychic resources. If there is lack of physical necessities, people are not able to follow the higher pursuits of life. A person's discrimination is easily disturbed; with a little anger even an intellectual utters crude words. Hence, due to a shortage of physical wealth, people become restless, lose their discrimination, and become brutal. It is because of this that communism has tended toward brutality. Likewise, if there is a dearth of intellectual resources and the intellectual standard of the people is not high, they may confuse do's and don'ts. An example is a riot in which an innocent little boy is killed. The one who encourages the riot becomes the people's leader. Because the intellectual standard of the people is low, they commit blunders prompted by these leaders and become beasts. In those countries which are backward or where the socio-politico-economic consciousness is less, immoral, political pigs in the form of leaders misguide the people to collect votes. I say, they are political satans, political pigs. There, shortage of physical and intellectual wealth causes people to become beasts and commit sins and crimes. This is common everywhere in the entire world except for a few well-off countries, and even there this is present, but less prominently. The second cause is non-utilization of over-accumulated physical and psychic resources. It is a mental disease to accumulate money. Those who accumulate it do not do so in order to fulfill their needs. Human needs are few, including food, shelter and clothing. For instance, if a person has a fruit grove which yields 500 mangoes and there are only five family members, what will be done with so many mangoes? There is very little chance of utilization in the case of over-accumulation. If sadvipras are not vigilant, where there is over-accumulation, human beings will tend to misutilize wealth by indulging in baser tendencies. Therefore you will note - I am making it crystal clear to you - that the wealthy businessmen and most of the idle kings and aristocrats of ancient times were generally wicked and mean-minded. The third cause is stagnancy. This is the greatest burden, the greatest disease of the human society. This sort of stagnancy is suicidal, for the sign of life is dynamism. To solve this cause of sin, an intellectual approach does not work. Dogmatic and traditional people do not listen to reason. They have to be struck. And those who do the striking are sadvipras. The striking has to be done with a hammer. Sweet gospels will not do. They must be hit not with a hammer but with a sledge hammer. Suppose sadvipras do not hammer them, what will happen then? Because of the unnecessary presence of stagnant individuals, the speed of others will be retarded. Stagnant people commit suicide and become the cause of death for others. Humanity wants to move ahead and these stagnant people block its way and obstruct its movement. People will not tolerate these obstructions. The duty of the sadvipras will be to hammer appropriately these stagnant people who are the burden of the society so that the path of human progress may be straight, pure, and well-constructed. ("The Three Causes of Sin") One of the notable causes of the present-day crimes is the scarcity of honest people. Those who are honest try to follow morality in their private lives, but at times are forced to desert morality under the unwieldy load of poverty. In the course of time, they may have to go to court under the charge of theft. Law has nothing to do with poverty which has goaded them to steal. And if they are convicted and sentenced to imprisonment, there is no provision in law for the maintenance of their families. As a result, the children of such families will have no other way to live than to become pickpockets or have recourse to stealing; and their mothers, unfortunate as they are, will have to find their way leading to the underworld and to maintain their existence, embrace an ignoble and sinful life. After their release from jail, their husbands will be hated and spoken ill of by society and, out of sensitivity to such affronts, they will be forced to resort to stealing as their profession. In this way hundreds of families are being ruined everyday. Nobody feels their agonies or comes forward to sympathize with them. Because today humanity is not the object of concern at all. ("Social Value and Human Cardinal Principle") You will hear many a vain and assuming person speaking thus, "I need no one, I am doing well in isolation. I don't want to concern myself with anybody's affair and I don't want anyone to come into mine. I don't care for anybody." Nothing can be more foolish than this statement. Medicines and nursing are necessary in diseases; active participation by the neighbors is imperative to burn a dead body and to do the needful preparations for it; the cooperation of the cultivators for food supply and of the spinners for cloth supply is essential. Remember, that no created being in this universe is independent by itself - it cannot exist all by itself. All of us have a supra-cosmic relation with the rest, at times prominent, elsewhere indistinguishable. In this plan of mutual relationship, even the slightest mistake or discord anywhere will raise a furor in the universe. In this mighty task of creation, the brilliantly luminous sun and the insignificant ant hold the same importance of existence, all these having combined to create the world family. In the same way, in human society, as well, the importance of a highly powerful and eminent person is at par with that of a disabled or dying patient. None can be ignored. The slightest injustice done to anyone will cause the breakdown of our entire social framework. (Supreme Expression II, 116) THE PENAL CODE It is not nature's desire that human beings should penalize one another. Whenever some action is taken to penalize someone, a sense of revenge or vindictiveness arises in the mind of the dispenser of justice and stifles the judge in him or her. Hence, I suggest that the words "penal code" should be eliminated from the social life of humanity. If anybody, whether a judge or a common citizen, takes some sort of requital against someone else, it should be corrective, not penal. Then the offender, no matter how great his or her guilt, will have no cause for accusing anyone. Regardless of flaws in the judgement, it will not harm him or her in any way. (Human Society I, 88) Human values will therefore be the basis of the penal code. Our social scripture says: first, persuade the offenders by sweet words. Secondly, use harsh words in order to convince them. At the third stage, tell them of penal measures. The fourth stage warrants the adoption of penal measures against them. The humane appeal is at the root of inflicting punishment in this way. ("Social Value and Human Cardinal Principle") In my opinion, sentencing people to capital punishment just because one cannot cure their ills is as much a crime as killing them oneself. Why is nothing done to remedy their ills? Is it not tantamount to beheading oneself to escape a headache? Rather it is the bounden duty of civilized society to cure the ills of these criminals. We shall have to deal with criminals with a humane heart and guide them out of their ills. (Human Society I, 101) As long as people do not take humanistic measures for criminals, it is only a meaningless farce to let them sit in prisons uselessly. One must remember that they are (mentally) diseased and that their diseases are stubborn. They can be cured in a short time through spiritual practices and in a little more time through other Yogic methods; but for this, too, a congenial environment is essential. And so the environments of the prisons should be more pure, more humane. (Human Society I, 102) No matter how notorious a criminal is, s/he will have to stand trial based on the evidence and the lawyer's eloquence, no matter if s/he is guilty or not. Criminals, if they have money, may come out unscathed through the legal intricacy with the help of a famous lawyer. And the non-guilty if they have no money, cannot appoint good counsel and are eventually sent to prison. If a thief is set free, it is a crime, no doubt; but inflicting punishment to an innocent person is a great sin - a severe dishonour of humanity. ("Social Value and Human Cardinal Principle") Thus the purpose of the penal code which will be framed by the sadvipras will be to rectify and not punish a person. They will knock down the prisons and build rectification camps. Those who are not inborn criminals, in other words, those who perpetrate crimes because of some organic defects, ought to be offered treatment so they may humanize themselves. First and foremost their need is to be removed. The significance of society lies in going all together. In the course of the journey, if anyone lags behind, if in the darkness of night a gust of wind blows out anyone's lamp, then we should not go ahead leaving them in the lurch. We should extend a helping hand to them and light their lamps with the fire that makes us ablaze. Stop we must, otherwise the spirit of society is in jeopardy. Thus a person, whether s/he is a sinner, a sufferer, a thief, a criminal or characterless, is so quite superficially; inherently s/he vibrates with potentiality of being purified. The principle object of the sadvipras is to explore and bring this potentiality into play. ("Social Value and Human Cardinal Principle") EDUCATION In every sphere of life - social, economic, mental and spiritual - making human beings conscious of their rights leads to the expansion of knowledge, and the full application of these rights is called the cultivation of science. Neglected people who, for whatever reasons, have not pursued knowledge and science, should be given full opportunities. There should be no discrimination. It is true, however, that self-seeking vested interests have taken advantage of the ignorance of the people, and have taken over in every field: social, economic, psychological and spiritual. They don't want the ignorant to receive the light of wisdom, or the low-caste to climb the social ladder, or the hungry to have square meals, or the superstitious to banish their superstitions. They do not want all people to acquire spiritual and scientific knowledge, to have equal opportunities to attain the kingdom of God. In order to remove this false distinction between the "literate" and the "illiterate", human values have to be recognized. Knowledge and science will be as free as light and air - they will be like a free-flowing spring, keeping all alive, supplying vital energy constantly to the human society. (Human Society I, 61) In regard to intellect, living beings may be divided into two main groups - those who want to share their wisdom, and those who do not want to. The more a group favours the sharing of wisdom, the more is their social instinct; and those who do not, their collective social mind cannot develop in the proper way due to lack of mutual understanding. Humans are beings of social inclination. Persons with social spirit must always remember that those who have little strength and ability at their disposal, those who have not, by Nature, been endowed with the power to survive the struggle for life, must always be led along in companionship. The greater this effort to accompany the helpless people, the more civilized those persons are, and the more proper their judgement. They are the really social-minded individuals, who accept in warm embrace the so-called low, base or discarded people. (Supreme Expression II, 119) When those at the helm of society despise others, a sizeable catastrophe arises. This outlook of looking down upon others is not always born of a superiority complex. In many cases a person may ridicule others to cover up his or her own ignorance. This egoistic feeling of superiority is detrimental to society. No matter what the education, intelligence, features, virtues, rank or age of an individual, everyone should bear in mind that the one s/he considers inferior, may excel him in some sphere. I have already said and I say it again - seventy-five percent of the troubles that overrun human society are due to theinjustices inflicted upon one person by another. (Human Society I, 86) In my opinion those who take refined behaviour to be the criterion of education, commit a great mistake, for the identity of a person is not limited to one's demeanour alone but it is reflected in one's pervasive large-heartedness. Apologizing, after bumping a person, knowingly or unknowingly with an, 'Oh sorry', without enquiring as to what extent the person is hurt, is considered enough for refinement and this is the law of so-called civility. But we don't find in this any indication of really sincere warmth of heart. Here the proof of education can only be seen if some healing balm is liberally applied to the wound of the injured man - if, even to the detriment of his own interest, the offender tries his utmost to mitigate his troubles. (Human Society I, 57) They are "educated" who have learned much, remembered much, and make use of their knowledge in everyday life. Their virtues I will call education. (Human Society I, 56) Real education is that which leads to liberation. (Supreme Expression II, 74) We should remember that morality, spirituality and humanity, and a happy blending of occidental extroversal science and oriental introversal philosophy is the very foundation of our education. (Discourse in Calcutta, 1979) Free education will have to be provided for the masses. There should be no governmental pressure on this educational system; no influential persons should propagate sectarian views through the medium of education. The continual change of the government would affect the educational system and consequently the entire system would become upset. No "ism" except universalism can be tolerated in the educational system. (Problem of the Day, 53) A teacher must have such qualities as strength of character, righteousness, spirit of social service, unselfishness, personality and leadership. Teachers are the gurus or preceptors of the society and that is why not just any person will do. The ability of the person must be commensurate with the significance and gravity of the teacher's post. (Human Society I, 14) The teachers must bear in mind that whatever the ages of their students - child, teenager, young adult, or older person - all to them are but children of different ages, and they too are children like them. (Human Society I, 19) Concerning the spread of real education, a well-written and well-acted drama can do tremendous good, regardless of the age of the student. Today people of all ages enjoy movies and TV dramas. The film industry should strive toward greater and greater heights of technical perfection and the human appeal of films can be well-utilized for education. (Great Universe, 149) A good many genius students are compelled to drop their studies for lack of money, and for the same reason, a host of artists are obliged to nip their extraordinary genius in the very bud. All these are due to this defective social order. This state of affairs cannot be allowed to continue. This structure of inequality and injustice must be destroyed and powdered down for the collective interest of human beings. Without that, only a handful of persons can possibly attain the Supreme Perfection, but it would be extremely difficult to lead the whole community with quick speed to the Supreme Bliss. (Su'bha's'ita Sam'graha I, 5) ART AND LITERATURE The ideal of an artist is to be established in a transcendent realm, beyond the limits of the senses. So the artists, or more precisely, the worshippers of fine arts, have to be spiritual aspirants. Only those who look upon everything of the world as Spirit can realize in everything a subtle, blissful, Transcendental Entity. The greater the artists' understanding of their kinship with God, the greater their art. Those who possess a creative faculty yet do not seek the subtle Transcendental Entity, cannot create a worthy or successful work of art. (Abhimata, The Opinion, 56) Art or literature is one of the sources by which the common people are inspired to establish themselves in the Cosmic Mental Sphere. That is why the effort (sadhana) of the artist or the writer through the ages has been to see the one among many, to lead many to the path of the One. (Abhimata, The Opinion, 77) The true writer is not only a creator but a sage as well. As the representatives of millions and the architects of society, the writers cannot forget even for a moment the highest sanctity of their avocation. They are the messengers of the mute masses, the guardians of society. Though the slightest mistake on their part may result in catastrophe, their goodness also has the capacity to transform society beyond recognition. Therefore, those who have failed to learn restraint in thought and expression need not attempt the creation of art or literature. (Abhimata, The Opinion, 15) That which moves along with the society, that which takes us to the real path of benevolence, to the path of growth and fulfillment, is called literature. "Art for art's sake" is not acceptable; rather the expression should be, "Art for service and blessedness." (Abhimata, The Opinion, 2) Though separated by many countries, many states, many religions, many communities or by many languages, the human race is an indivisible entity. Every human mind is but the diversified individual manifestation of that same indivisible Cosmic Mind. Today we look forward to the advent of that artist, that writer who will convey this truth to the hearts of humanity in a still sweeter language, still more strongly and deeply. (Abhimata, The Opinion, 77) Human beings on their journey often want to pause a while. Sometimes their knees give way and they sit down fatigued and frustrated. The responsibility of the talented author at such a time becomes all the more significant. Thus when the author sings a song for the forward movement of society, s/he has to look back very carefully to see whether the people, for whom the marching song was sung, are capable of going forward with the author, whether the author's thought wave is really touching the core of their hearts, whether the author's service is really doing them good. In the literary world the garland of glory goes only to those who are ever awake to their real responsibilities as author. (Abhimata, The Opinion, 4) The artists or writers, before holding their brush or pen, should look around and assess the direction in which society is moving and the basic causes of its weakness. What are the "isms" that have supplied impetus to evil ideals? It is not enough to look around; they may also have to take a firm stand against the apparently irresistible forces of destruction. It is possible that nobody will come the aid of creative writers or artists when they face such a challenge. But they should be courageous enough to go ahead even if no one listens to their voices. Fighting against the oppositions of thousands of superstitions and humanity's petty selfishness, their pens may break into pieces, their brushes may be compelled to draw only lines of water on the canvas, their theatrical stances may perhaps end in mute gestures, yet their efforts shall not cease. Each of their small defeats shall be strung together as pearls in the very necklace of victory. (Abhimata, The Opinion, 14) SCIENCE The proper use of things varies according to time, place and person. One must be progressive in the practical use of every object, every idea. Through progressive scientific research we have to make increasingly greater use of human potentials. In an era of advanced science, the use of tools and apparatus from a less developed era is by no means a sign of progress. The use of developed tools and materials, evolved through dynamic and progressive imagination, may create small or large obstacles in the way of society; you will have to face them courageously. Through fight and clash you have to march on to victory, to the path of vindication of universalism, the cherished goal of your life. (A'nanda Su'tram, 58) Today some people claim that science is the root of all evils and that frequent new scientific discoveries and inventions have been creating quarrels and dissensions in human society, thereby pushing the whole human civilization along the path of destruction. It is evident that those who criticize science, in reality want to turn the onward current of life backward. This is wholly inimical to progress. Such an endeavor is indicative of a negative mentality. If science remains completely in the hands of materialists, the consequence will be hopelessness and despair. If conflicts among different classes go on unabated, people will eventually realize that only sadvipras can be the leaders of society. The majority of individual as well as social problems can be solved by sadvipras through the proper cultivation of science. (Abhimata, The Opinion, 122) The population of the world is increasing rapidly. In fact, this has frightened many people. Under a capitalistic framework there are sufficient reasons for such fear. In those countries an increase in population means corresponding decrease in the property of the people. But there is no reason for such fear in a collective economic system. In the event of shortage in foodstuff and housing of the masses, we will convert barren land into green fields with cooperative efforts, and productivity will be increased by scientific advances. (Problem of the Day, 37) My personal opinion is that atom bombs can never destroy human civilization totally, for human beings have not yet become intellectually bankrupt. So I cannot but come to the clear conclusion that humanity is sure to discover in the very near future a counter-device to forestall this atomic menace. And this will also conclusively establish the fact that science indeed has a great and sublime role to play in the sphere of human welfare. (Abhimata, The Opinion, 132) It is a fact that the temperature of the sun will gradually decrease. One day it will become a dead star. The conversion of the sun into a dead star will mean a similar fate for its planets. The earth then will not be a congenial place to live. But the destruction of a particular planet or solar system does not mean the end of the human race. There are numerous other stars and planets in the universe. With the further development of science and with the help of interplanetary transportation, human beings will move to other planets. The dream of today will become the reality of tomorrow. ("The Future of Civilization") INDUSTRY We cannot neglect a single creature, nor can we ignore any particular part of this world. Therefore it is desirable to pursue the policy of decentralization in the management of industry as much as possible. The promotion of industry in one part of the world cannot eradicate either poverty or unemployment in any other part. So it is desirable to form self-sufficient units one by one, to produce the essential commodities of life, at least in the fields of agriculture and industry. Otherwise, people may have to face tremendous hardship and misery during war and other abnormal circumstances. With the development of transport facilities, we can increase the scope of these units. (Problem of the Day, 9) In the field of industry, we will have to accept the necessity of both small-scale and large-scale industries. For example, in a self-sufficient unit the requisite amount of yarn for the manufacture of cloth may be produced by many big textile mills. If the production of yarn came within the scope of large-scale industry, then with its cooperation a large number of satellite industries could flourish. We could form many weavers' cooperatives with every textile machine as the center. There, weavers would be able to weave cloth in their own houses. They would no longer have to leave their homes at the distant call of a large-scale industry. Moreover, the weaving industry would no longer suffer even in war since textile machines would always be at hand. (Problem of the Day, 10) Under a capitalistic framework, [mechanization] means more misery and unemployment for the common people. Doubling the yield by using a machine will decrease the required number of laborers by half; consequently, capitalists will lay off laborers mercilessly. The unemployed laborers are ruined, bit by bit, by poverty and hunger. A few of them try to keep their souls and bodies together by indulging in theft, corruption, and other antisocial activities. This situation is certainly not desirable. No such reaction is possible in a collective economic system. There, mechanization will mean less labor and more comforts. With a double increase in the productivity of machines, the working hours will be reduced by half. (Problem of the Day, 11) The proper use of science under a collective economic system will only bring about human welfare. It may well be possible that due to mechanization no one will have to labor for more than five minutes a week! Being not always engrossed in anxiety about food and clothes, humanity will not misuse its mental and spiritual wealth. People will be able to devote more time to sports, literary discourses and spiritual pursuits. (Problem of the Day, 13) In the present age, there are so many elements hostile to morality. In urban civilization, more people live in a small area; this is the enemy of individual morality. It is essential for the moral development of an individual to live a life of solitude for some time. The city serves as an asylum for antisocial elements, but this generally doesn't happen in villages. In villages everyone knows everyone else, and the source of each others' livelihood is known to all. In the city, even after twenty years, a person doesn't know his neighbors, who may be scoundrels. Thus we have to keep aloof from the barbarity of city life. This will not be done merely by speaking slogans like, "Go back to the village!" Employment opportunities will have to be created in the villages for the intelligentsia. The availability of a power supply and the expansion of cottage industries in the villages are the paramount needs of the hour. By cottage industries, I do not mean old and outmoded, but rather rationalized and well mechanized industries. Hence, decentralization is an economic necessity. (Abhimata, The Opinion, 142) WOMEN Another form of injustice in society is discrimination of sex. Instances of one sex of humanity being considered inferior to the other are very common. Women in a considerable area of the world are considered as the private property of men, meant for their pleasure only. In many other so-called advanced countries of this world, women do not have the right to vote in the general elections of the government of the country. In other countries, women are considered unfit for taking part in spiritual practices. In our Ananda Marga, both men and women have equal responsibility. In the manner prescribed for marriage in our Marga, both the boy and the girl have to take equal responsibility. Women and men are considered on the same footing, and there is no question of men considering themselves superior to women. ("Tattvika Praveshika") As in most other living species, in the human society females are physically weaker than males. Nevertheless, their value in society is not a bit less than that of men. Selfish men, however, have exploited feminine weakness to the limit. Although they publicly declare women to be a community of mothers, they have actually relegated them to the level of domesticated cattle and sheep. In every sphere of life these men have either substantially curtailed women's rights, or have kept them wholly subservient to men's whims and caprices. (Human Society I, 42) If half the society is steeped in inertia and prejudice, the other half will undoubtedly find the journey tough going, since it must carry this beast of burden along. In individual life, purity is equally necessary for both men and women, and for that, real spiritual vision is needed. But this is impossible as long as injustice to either of the two sexes exists. (Human Society I, 43) There are many who think that a few women who are made ministers or members of parliament will serve as the shining examples of equal rights and feminine progress. But is this a correct outlook? A proper educational system is the only way to expedite progress. A woman of any country who becomes a minister or an ambassador is no index to the real status of the women of that country. To elevate women's dignity in society is neither so easy nor so cheap. (Human Society I, 50) Every person must understand that for the maintenance of any organism, there must be a close cooperation between each of its component parts. Humanity is not inert, and the relationships between human beings depend on more than mere cooperation. This cooperation instead of being based on a master-servant relationship, must be constructed in a warmly cordial atmosphere of free human beings. It should be a coordinated cooperation and not a subordinated one. (Human Society I, 44) There is no chance for the welfare of the world unless the condition of women is improved. It is not possible for a bird to fly with one wing. (Supreme Expression II, 59) MORALITY Morality is the foundation of spiritual practices. It must, however, be remembered that morality or good conduct is not the culminating point of the spiritual march. As a moralist one may set an ideal for other moralists, but this is not even worth mentioning for a spiritual aspirant. Spiritual practice in its very inception requires mental equilibrium. This sort of mental harmony may also be termed morality. (A Guide to Human Conduct, 1) People often say, "I follow neither a religion nor rituals; I abide by truth; I harm nobody and I tell no lies, and this is all that is necessary. Nothing more need be done or learned." It should be clearly understood that morality is only an effort to lead a well-knit life. It is more correct to define morality as a dynamic force rather than a static one, because the balance in external spheres of life is only maintained by waging a war against all opposing forces. If the mind is pressured by an external allurement and there is intense mental disturbance, the force for internal struggle may yield; consequently the external equilibrium or the show of morality may at any moment break down. That is why morality is not the goal. Morality may disappear at any moment. It cannot be said that the moralist who has resisted the temptation of a bribe of two dollars would also be able to resist the temptation of an offer of two hundred thousand dollars. Nevertheless, morality is not absolutely valueless in a person's life. Morality is an attribute of a good citizen and it is the starting point on the path of spiritual practice. (A Guide to Human Conduct, 1) It cannot be said that the ultimate aim of human life is not to commit theft; what is desirable is that the tendency to commit theft should be eliminated. The aim of life is not that one will not indulge in falsehood; what is important is that the tendency of telling a lie should be dispelled from one's mind. The aim of such morality is the attainment of that state of oneness with God where no desire is left for theft and all tendencies of falsehood disappear. (A Guide to Human Conduct, 2) The intelligent do not allow their mental purity to be stained even for a moment. To cleanse the mental sphere, force must be applied to remove the impurities, internal or external. This application of force must be a special type of action. When the impurity of selfishness enters every cavity of the mind and makes life a heavy burden, it has to be burned and melted in the fire of spiritual practices. Such a practice is just the reverse of meanness and selfishness; it is the effort to remove any impurities, any black spots from the mind. A feeling of selflessness, of universalism is the only remedy for cleansing mental impurity. Those who are fascinated or tempted by an object can gradually rid themselves of the mental pollution arising from their selfish motives by adopting just the reverse course. Those who are very greedy for money should form the habit of charity and serve humanity through that practice. Those who are very angry or egoistic ought to inculcate in themselves the habit of being polite, and should serve humanity through that practice. Therefore only selfless service to humanity and efforts to look upon the world with a cosmic outlook can establish one in mental purity. (A Guide to Human Conduct, 37) Morality is the base, sa'dhana' (spiritual practice) is the means, and Life Divine the goal. ("Social Value and Human Cardinal Principle") In society, on one hand we see a crowd of anti-social elements, and on the other hand, a sense of frustration among the moralists. These moralists have therefore developed a tendency to go out of the society. With more wealth and strength, the anti-social elements are in the advantageous position; the moralists appear to be the culprits. This state of affairs is neither desirable nor proper and should not be allowed to continue any longer. Your duty will be to unite the moralists. Let there be two camps. Let there be an open fight. The moralists were so long scattered, and hence they could not fight. The united strength of five moralists is much more than the united strength of a hundred immoralists because there is an unholy alliance between the latter. Meditation within closed doors will not do. Gather strength by intuitional practices and unite yourselves against the immoralists. (Supreme Expression II, 148) [A quote from Supreme Expression Volume 2 that appeared here in the first three editions of this book was found not to be in fact the verbatim words of P.R. Sarkar. Hence it has been deleted from this Electronic Edition and will be deleted from the fourth edition of the printed book.] HUMAN VALUE It is customary to prefer social value to human value. The sadvipras want to strike at the root of this custom. To them, human value precedes social value. Human beings form the society, and hence human value should lay the foundation for social value. Human value means to treat the joys and woes, hopes and aspirations of human beings sympathetically, and set them on the pedestal of divinity after leading them to the Cosmic Consciousness. And if they are to elevate themselves to that sublime height, they will have to be provided with an environment suitable to their physical, mental and spiritual existence. It is the birthright of everyone to progress in their trifarious existence. It is the duty of society to accord recognition to this right of humanity. Society has failed to do its duty and that is why life is full of sorrows and sufferings. Nobody can say for certain that no great man would have emerged from among those wayward boys whom we tend to slight and hate. The woman who has embraced whoredom for the sake of her physical existence might have grown into a noble personality if her agony had been appreciated sympathetically and if she were accepted by society. But since society has nothing to do with human values, a good number of great personalities are withering away in their embryonic stage. The sadvipras will pick up this neglected humanity and arrange for its revival. To them no sinner is contemptible, no one is a rogue. People turn into satans or sinners when for lack of proper guidance they are goaded by depraving propensities. If their depraving propensities are sublimated, they will no longer be satans; they will be transformed into gods. Every course of action of society ought to be judged with an eye to the dictum, "Human beings are divine children." ("Social Value and Human Cardinal Principle") But when the question of delegating social responsibility arises, it will be considered with care and caution. An irresponsible person cannot be entrusted with social responsibility. If those who shoulder this responsibility are themselves sinners, then it will not be possible for them to discharge their social responsibility. Unless and until they correct themselves, they will not be given any social value, although they will in no way be deprived of human value. ("Social Value and Human Cardinal Principle") At present the worth of life is ascertained with an eye to money. One who possesses wealth commands respect and passes for a noble person. Nowadays if you have no money you cannot expect to get honour. The poor people belonging to all other classes have to woo the moneyed people just for the sake of earning a livelihood. Human values are taboo here. Human beings are now but a medium of earning money. The rich have purchased all the brains with their money. They have bidden farewell to all their human values and at the same time they are busy playing a chess game with the lives of the other members of society. Bereft of everything, the people toil around the clock to live from hand to mouth. Those who are at the helm of society are absorbed in strife and suspicion, or in reckoning their loss and profit. They have no desire to think of humanity. In order to gratify their self-interest they are ready to chew the humans' bones. There is no room for mercy, sympathy, or fellow-feeling. All are self-centered. ("Social Value and Human Cardinal Principle") Whoever violates the principles of morality (Yama-Niyama) should not get the opportunity of representing the people. If power is given to an incompetent person, it will be equivalent to leading society astray in cold blood. Sadvipras will install fit persons in power, and the social order which will be evolved by virtue of their leadership will give due importance to each and everybody. In this new society based on neo-humanism, every person will find his or her life worth living. Human beings will get back their position of honour. ("Social Value and Human Cardinal Principle") CIVILIZATION IN CRISIS Wise people say that in the past there had been so many crises in the human society. Crisis is quite natural for something moving. Where there is movement there is struggle - struggle against the inertia of the earth. In the past there had been crises in the course of movement, crises in different branches of civilization, crises in the realm of education also. But nowadays, the entire human society is facing the crisis of civilization as a whole and particularly crisis in the field of existence. Now, the human society has to decide whether to live or to die. If the crisis of civilization as a whole and of existence is encouraged, humanity has no future. The future is dark, the future is sealed forever. But as you know, I am not a pessimist. I am always an optimist. And I want all my sons and daughters to be optimists. I also want that they should struggle against this death signal of humanity and come out successful. I am sure that you boys and you girls must be victorious. It is your duty to save humanity. I hope you will be able to save humanity because just like me, you are also optimistic. You should know that great or small, you people are few in number. You few are the torch bearers of human society. You are the pioneers, you are the vanguard of the human society. So it is your duty to save humanity. Those who are unable to shoulder their own bags and baggages, their responsibilities are to be shouldered by you. You should know that the life of spiritual aspirants is a mission - their entire existence is a mission. And your mission is, what? To save humanity from these crises. I hope, you will be successful. I not only hope, I am sure that you will be successful. (Discourse in Frankfurt, January, 1979) Some say that after thousands of years, there will be no humanity. Beings from other planets may come and see their fossilized existence, to see that there were creatures on this earth named human beings who were educated, who were intelligent, who used to build palaces, buildings, cities, but who have now become extinct due to their internal disunity and infighting. Do you want history to be written like this? Then preach the gospels of humanity everywhere - save the dying humanity. (Discourse in Caracas, Venezuela, 1979) Human civilization now faces the final moment of a critical juncture. The dawn of a glorious new era is on the one side, and the worn-out skeleton of the past on the other. Humanity has to adopt either one or the other. You are the spiritual soldiers, you are the worshippers of life divine. Hence I call upon you to adorn this crimson dawn deluged with glorious light. Victory is surely yours. (A'nanda Va'nii, January 1, 1967) YOUR MISSION IN LIFE Yours should be a glorious march towards the Supreme Goal, and you should remember that you are not to pause a moment during this movement. The entire human society is anxiously waiting for you, for your service. You will have to shoulder a great responsibility for this suffering humanity. You know that humanity is bleeding, and you will have to save it. You should remember that if you do not help humanity, who else will come and shoulder the responsibility? It is you, you are to do everything. You are the torch bearers of human civilization. You are the pioneers of the human march, you are the vanguards of the new civilization. (Discourse in Caracas, Venezuela, 1979) To shout "Peace" has become a fashion of the day in this world. But can such shouting bring about any result? There is no other way of establishing peace except by fighting against the reasons that disturb the peace. (Problem of the Day, 20) The absence of universal spirit is the root of all evils. Strong people are torturing the weak. Powerful human groups are exploiting the weaker ones. Under such circumstances, it is the duty of good people to declare war on the oppressors. It will not be of use to sit quiet for an indefinite period in the hope that only moral preaching will be fruitful. Hence, all good people will have to be united. There should be a pauseless preparation for war against the oppressors. (Problem of the Day, 25) Today all over the world a grim fight has started between the evil forces and the benevolent forces. Those who possess the moral courage to fight against the evil forces, it is they who alone can give a soothing touch to the struggle-torn earth with the balm of peace. Remember that you are spiritual aspirants. Hence you alone shall have to undertake the mighty task of saving the earth. (A'nanda Va'nii, May 1967) Increase the speed of your activities thousands of times, countless times more than it is now, and accomplish your work. There are three realms: physical, mental and spiritual. It is your duty to show society the right path in these three realms. Your success also depends on your speed. Work with infinite speed. Victory is surely yours. (Great Universe, 129) Clouds cannot overcast the sun for a long time. The creatures of darkness never want the expansive exhaltation of human society. Even then, humanity shall march ahead. None can arrest the speed of its progress. You be the harbingers; you be the pioneers of this victorious march. See that not a single individual lags behind. (A'nanda Va'nii, January 1972) The flame of a lamp lights up countless lamps. The touch of a great personality wakes up innumerable sleeping hearts. In the same way, the eternal glow of the boundless e'lan vital of Cosmic Consciousness has been illuminating the life lamp of universal humanism since time immemorial, is illuminating and will do so in future even more intensely. That is why I say, the future of the human race is not dark, rather it is strikingly resplendent. So proceed on, ignoring the frown of darkness. (A'nanda Va'nii, January 1978) Despite its advent onto this earth many thousands of years ago, humanity is not yet capable of building a well-integrated and universal society. This is in no way indicative of the glory of human intellect and erudition. You who have understood the predicament, realized the urgency, seen the naked dance of evil and heard the hypocritical and raucous laughter of the divisive forces, should throw yourself into this noble task without further delay. When the ends are just and noble, success is inevitable. (A'nanda Va'nii, January 1975) ©2001 Ananda Marga Pracar Samgha - All rights reserved

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