Chapter 1	Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 19 [unpublished in English]

Nothing in this world is meaningless – rather everything is meaningful. Suppose a person stumbles while walking in a field; even this is not meaningless. Another person bursts into laughter; that also is not meaningless. Itihásati itiyarthe itihása – “That which brings smiles, is called history or itihása.” Thus amidst smiles and tears, human beings move forward. The branch of human knowledge which depicts these joyful or tearful events is called history

Dharmárthakámamokśarthaḿ niitivákyasamánvitam
Purávrttakathayuktam itihásah pracakśate.

[That which leads to the attainment of the four vargas, the four goals of life (dharma, or psycho-spiritual goal, artha or psychic goal, káma or physical longing, and mokśa, or spiritual salvation), that which imparts the knowledge of the highest morality, and which explains the chronological history of past events is called itihása.]

We belong to the world – the world is our homeland. To state it more clearly, the entire universe is our homeland. In one corner of this universe there is a small planet called earth, and in one corner of this earth there is a community called the Bengalees. While advancing from the distant past, this community has reached the end of a dark period; a new year’s dawn is about to break in its history. The Bengalees will have to move forward still further, and in this path of their movement, there is no pause, no rest – no punctuation mark with comma, colon or semi-colon. They must move ever forward. Indeed, they are moving and they will continue to move. For movement is the very essence of life, the living proof of its vital existence. Those who stop in the middle of their movement have lost the very characteristic or dharma of life.

Akásh pátháre caleche phuler dal
Niirava carańe barańe, barańe, chúte sahasra dháráy
Duranta jiivani nirjharanii
Maraner bájáye kiuṋkinii.

[In the vast void are floating an unending flow of flowers
Moving silently in various hues
In countless flows rush the indomitable stream of life
Tolling the knell of death.]

Human beings must move forward, ignoring the frowns of staticity. Only those who move ahead vigorously are capable of making history. The Bengali community is not a mere handful of persons: they total 160 million people. So they have enough vitality to move forward, ignoring the frowns of death. In this path of historical movement, what is the law of motion? Motion is never linear, rather it is always systaltic, it is always pulsative. Each New Year’s Day is the starting point of a pulsation in history. So during the stage of pause and speed at the New Year, people look back and discover that they have moved forward leaving many things behind; and they also look ahead and see many things in front of them – they realize that they will have to do many things in the future. Accordingly they make many plans and programmes to utilize the coming year in a fruitful way.

This New Year’s day is the day of recollection of our past resolutions, when we remember our past plans and goals. By reviewing our past mistakes, we find the rectificatory measures which will help us gain enough strength to move ahead with new zeal.

Many of you perhaps do not know that the modern Bengali community is over 3000 years old. If we accept that the Rg Veda was composed between ten to fifteen thousand years ago, and the Yajur Veda from five to ten thousand years ago, then the Atharva Veda is certainly 3000 years old. In the Jain scriptures which Mahaviira Jain propounded 2500 years ago, there is a direct reference to the Atharva Veda, which proves that the Atharva Veda is older than the Jain scriptures. That is why I say that the Bengali community is more than 3000 years old, for there were various references to Bengal in the Atharva Veda. Much later, when the demi-Magadhii language was being transformed into old Bengali, words like Vauṋga, Bengali, etc. were in vogue. Many people think that the word Báḿla has come from the Turkish word Banjal or the Persian word Banjal, but they are mistaken. In Chinese the word Banjal has been in use for the last 5000 years, for in Chinese the land of Bengal was called Banjal. So both the land of Bengal and its community of people are very ancient. When the demi-Magadhi language was being transformed into old Bengali, in the Buddhist poetry of the period, there are references to the words Baḿla and Bengali. For instance, Báḿla nila jáyá (“They married in Bengal”), or bhuesu-ku áji tu Báuṋálii bhaeli aiya gharańii cańd́álii lelahi (“Bhusuku, you became a Bengalee today, and the mistress of your house has become an untouchable.”)

The word Bengal is mentioned here. Had the word Bengali been from Turkish or Persian, then it would not have been more than 700 or 800 years old. So it clear that the Bengali people have been marching towards a glittering future from an ancient past for over 3000 years. This is not a community living in a state which has only recently been demarcated; its political structure has undergone numerous transformations. Because it is so ancient, it has achieved progress in various stages. Just as it has assimilated many things from others, so it has also given many things to others.

Consequently the Bengalees have their own dress and the women have their own distinctive style of wearing sariis. They have their own almanac, literature, script, and style of intonation, and they also have their own social system of inheritance. As far as I know no other community in the world has so many unique specialities. In Europe or elsewhere, a particular community is called a nation in modern terminology; however, if we would go deeper into the Latin root meaning of the word “nation”, we would be more cautious in using the term. But the Bengali community is more than a nation.

In every phase of its history the Bengali community has made enormous progress. A community which is constantly progressing should have a special system to record its chronological history, and also a system for reckoning time.

Ancient Bengal (the then Paondravardhana) had as its capital Siḿhapur for 750 years. Siḿhapur is presently a very small town in the district of Hooghly. Siḿhabahu was one of the kings of that period. His son Vijay Siḿha conquered Ceylon and changed its name to Siḿhala. As Vijay Siḿha died without children, he brought his nephew Pánd́u Vasudeva from Siḿhapur and made him the king of Siḿhal and Kerala. The descendants of Pánd́u Vasudeva are known as the Nayars of Kerala; they migrated from Bengal 2514 years ago and settled in Kerala. At any social function of Bengal, any auspicious social ceremony, Bengali women produce a special sound which is called “huludhvani”. This system is also found amongst the Nayyar community of Kerala even today.

Another prince of Siḿhapur was Sahasneváhu who conquered Thailand and named the country Siam. Another king of Siḿhapur was Shalibáhana, who opposed the then prevalent calendar system of India. In those days the calendar system was based upon the lunar month; that is, twenty-nine days made up a month and 354 days comprised a year. According to this system there was no link between the crops and the seasons, and in some years the Bengali month of Áśáŕha (the month of the monsoon) began before the rainy season, and in other years it began after the rains were over. This system caused much inconvenience to both the farmers and the government during the collection of taxes. Consequently, Shalibáhana rejected the lunar calendar system and 1387 years ago introduced a simple new system of calendar which is followed even today in Orissa, Assam, Bangladesh, and by the revenue collectors of North India.

During the reign of King Akbar, the hijrii year was changed from the lunar system to the solar system, and it was renamed the faslii year. The faslii year begins from the month of Áshvin (the time of harvesting the autumn rice). According to the previous calendrical system of Bengal, the year began at the time of harvesting the late autumn rice. So from the reign of King Shalibáhana, the Bengali year started from Agraháyań. (The astrological name of the month was Márga Shárśa but as it was the first month of the year it was called Agraháyań. Until the days of Akbar, Agraháyań was the first month of the Bengali year. Later, to maintain adjustment with the calendar of the rest of India, the first month of the year was changed from Agraháyana to Vaesháka. The full moon takes place in the month of Agraháyana with the appearance of the Mrgaśhira star. In the rhymes of old Bengal, for example,

Agráńete bachar shuru navánna hay mit́he
Paośete áoli báoli ghare ghare pit́he.
Mághmásete Shrii paiṋcamii cheler háte khaŕi.
Phálgunete rog sáráte pháger chará chaŕi.
Cáeter gájan bájan Kánpe báḿlá sárá.
Vaeshákh másete sabe cáy jaler dhárá.
Jaeśt́hi máse śaśt́i bátá bándhe śaśt́hiir dor.
Áśáŕhete rathayátrá náiko loker oŕ.
Shrávańete jhulan dolan pathya ghrta muŕi,
Bhádra máse pántá bahát khán Manasá buŕii.
Áshvine má Durgá ásen kolákuli kaŕe,
Kárttikete ákásh pradiip shasya rakśa kare.

[The Bengali year begins in Agraháyań when the new the rice
tastes deliriously sweet.
In the month of Paośa in the festival of áoli-báaoli,
Every house prepares sweet rice cakes.
In Mágh on the fifth lunar day the children first learns to read
and write.
In Phálguńa red powder is smeared to cure disease.
In Caitra on the occasion of the Gájan festival the whole Bengal
throbs with the sounds of drums.
In Vaeshákha people anxiously await the rains.
In Jaiśt́ha people celebrate the worship of Saśt́hi (the deity
of children).
In Áśáŕha there is an unending stream of people in the ratha
festival.
In Shrávana during the swinging ceremony of Krśńa people are
entertained with puffed rice fried with butter.
In Bhádra the old snake goddess is presented with stale rice.
In Áshvina the goddess Durgá is worshipped in every house.
And in Kárttik the lamps in the sky protect the cornfields.]

This poem is called báramásyá, the depiction of the twelve months of the Bengali year. This shows that the Agraháyana was the first month of the year. In those days married Bengali girls did not set out for their paternal homes in the month of Kárttika:

Kárttika más vachaner sheś jeorná pitár desh.

[Kárttik is the last month of the year, not an auspicious time for setting out for father’s house.]

This shows that the Kárttika was the last month and Agrahána was the first month of the year. But according to the Indian system of reckoning and the newly introduced system of Saḿvat, when the full moon takes place with the appearance of the Vishákhá star, the month is called lunar Vaesháka. In lunar Vaesháka as long as the sun remains within the scope of Me’s zodiac sign (Aries), the period is known as solar Vaesháka. The Bengali month of Vaesháka is the solar Vaesháka. Yesterday the sun was in Pisces zodiac sign, but today it is in Aries. That is why today is the first day of the Bengali New Year. This was first introduced by King Shálibáhana.

According to some, the Bengali word sal or year is derived from the Persian word sal. That may be true, but in the case of Bengal, the system of the Bengali year was introduced by King Shálibáhana. King Shálibáhana was assisted by the famous astrologer Jayanta Pánigráhii of the then Danda Bhukti, who introduced the new system of reckoning the Bengali year. In the Pathan and Mughal periods, Danda Bhukti, now known as Midnapur, was called Hizli Parganas. In those days Burdwan bhukti, Somatát bhukti, Páońd́ravardhana bhukti and Kámtapur bhukti (which included some districts like the present Jalpaiguri, Goalpara, Koochvihar and Raḿpur), were all under the sovereignty of the king, and so they all accepted the Bengali system, as did Assam and Orissa.

The Bengali community is making progress in various spheres of life. And with this progress, the lunar and solar dates and years are inseparably associated. None of these matters can be removed from social life, nothing can be discarded. It is rather like the crown of the bridegroom during a wedding – if the crown is removed, the bridegroom is no longer a groom.

Again the Bengali New Year has come. So the Bengali community, who were very vibrant in the past, are still alive today; and I hope they will live dynamically in the future also. The same Bengali community will have to renew their resolution to make the new year more successful, to make their existence more vigorous. This is a day of rejoicing, and amidst this rejoicing the Bengalees will have to determine ways of improving their individual and collective life, and developing their resources for their future Progress. Nányah panthá vidyate ayanáya. “There is no other way for a living community besides this.” This is not the time for laziness; rather it is the time for intense activity. Let every moment of your valuable time be used properly. With these words I conclude my discourse.

Chapter 2	Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 19 [unpublished in English]

Our subject of discussion yesterday was action, the reaction of action, and doership.⁽¹⁾ In that connection, I explained what Parama Puruśa can do: what are the actions He performs directly and what are the actions He gets done through His agents. In this context a fundamental question arises – what are the steps Parama Puruśa adopts to redeem so-called sinners? People say that when sinners and evil-doers come under the shelter of Parama Puruśa, they attain salvation. Now if people can be redeemed from sin, intellectuals may naturally ask a question: “How to attain that salvation?”

You all know that the most detrimental thing for human society and human progress is dogma. What is dogma? Where there is no logic, where there is no support of intellectuality, where there is no debate and free discussion, but there is only a severe imposition forcing people to accept something, there is dogma. What type of people preach this sort of dogma? The answer is: the blind followers of religion. It is quite natural for the followers of religion to say all kinds of dogmatic things. That is why people say that there is no room for logic in religion. But genuine dharma is completely based on logic and supported by intellectuality. In the case of dharma, people are convinced by logic; and people analyse and accept it after free and frank discussion and accordingly start moving in the path of life. The question is: how can people follow something which is not properly understood by them? And another question is: can one get redemption from sins, or not? It is said:

Nábhuktaḿ kśiiyate karma kalpakot́ishataerapi;
Avashyameva bhoktavyaḿ krtaḿ karma shubháshubham.

“Unless one undergoes the requitals of one’s mental reactive momenta – good requitals to good actions, bad requitals to bad actions – one cannot attain liberation.” Avashyameva bhoktavyaḿ krtaḿ karma shubháshubham – “whether an action is good or bad, the reaction must be experienced.” Then, if one is bound to undergo a bad reaction to a bad action, how can one hope to be redeemed from sin, because we already know that the reactions of sins must be required? But Lord Krśńa declared, by way of consoling human beings: “However durácárii or sudurácárii a person may be, if he or she comes under My shelter I will certainly save him or her from all sins. I will help him or her to attain liberation or salvation.” Here durácárii means a sinner, a person whose actions are opposed to ideology, whose thoughts and activities are opposed to morality, justice and the spirit of dharma. And sudurácarii means a person whom even the durácáriis consider a sinner, and whose company they will try to avoid.

Are not these two things self-contradictory? On the one side it is said that one must reap the consequences of actions, and on the other side people are advised to take the shelter of Parama Puruśa to attain salvation. Is this also a dogma?

This is a knotty question indeed. Now the question is, who performs action? It is the human mind which performs action.

Mana eva manuśyáńáḿ kárańaḿ bandhamokśayoh;
Bandhasya viśayásaungii mukto nirviśayaḿ tathá.

Mano karoti karmáńi mano lipyate pátako;
Manashca tanmaná buddhayá na puńyaḿ na ca pátako.

“It is the human mind which is the cause of bondage or liberation. If the mind is in bondage, the person is also in bondage. Similarly, if the mind is liberated the person is also liberated. After all, it is the human mind which engages in auspicious actions. Now, if this mind is kept engrossed in the ideation of Parama Puruśa, then it gets totally merged in Consciousness. In that case, where is the scope for virtue or vice for that person?”

If an ordinary sinner or a confirmed sinner remains absorbed in the thought of Parama Puruśa to the exclusion of all other thoughts, then his or her mind becomes pointed. This is called agryábuddhi [pinnacled intellect] in Sanskrit. In that state of mind the spiritual aspirant gets well established in pinnacled intellect. Unless and until the ordinary human intellect is elevated to the level of pinnacled intellect or apexed intellect, the continuous rise and fall of innumerable vibrations within one’s existence continues. These psychic vibrations are sometimes the vibrations of virtue, sometimes the vibrations of vice, sometimes the vibrations of the reaction of sinful deeds, sometimes of virtuous deeds. Unless the human mind is pointed, this rise and fall of antagonistic psychic vibrations will go on. The moment the mind is centred on Parama Puruśa, then that mind will naturally become pointed. In that state there is no scope for the rise and fall of any wave – neither the wave of virtue nor the wave of vice. Thus it is said that when a spiritual aspirant is established in pinnacled intellect, there cannot be any question of virtue and vice. A person who has taken the Cosmic shelter goes far above the scope of virtue or vice. This is something very natural.

And thus so-called sinners and evil-doers should not be worried at all. Krśńa has rightly said, “If even a diehard criminal comes in My shelter, I will save him or her from all sins; I will see to it that the person attains liberation or salvation. Hence no one, no spiritual aspirant – however black or despicable one’s past life might be – should be worried about anything.” This statement of Parama Puruśa is unalterable, inviolable. This statement is neither a philosophical assertion nor any dogma. Then what sort of statement is it? It is clear and simple. It conveys the idea that human beings should not be anxious under any circumstances, Parama Puruśa is always with everyone. If one has love for Parama Puruśa, the door of liberation or salvation will immediately open.

Footnotes

(1) “Karma, Karmaphala o Kartrttva” in Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 19. –Eds.

Chapter 3	Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 19 [unpublished in English]

According to Lord Krśńa, neither action, nor reaction nor the sense of doership devolves on the Supreme Soul (Paramátman). All these follow certain laws of nature.

Let us first examine whether Parama Puruśa, without whose permission not even a blade of grass can move, has any role to play in relation to action, reaction and the sense of doership; whether He Himself does anything in this connection.

It is said that doership, action and reaction are performed by nature. But what is the philosophical definition of “nature”? What is ordinarily called “nature” in English is called “Svabháva” in Saḿskrta. What is the normal state or form of “Svabháva”. Svabbava is the style adopted by Prakrti for her operation. That is, Svabháva is not an objective entity, it is only an actional flow, a special style of action.

Now the question arises, what is Prakrti? In “Ánanda Sútram” it has been said: “Shaktih sá Shivasya Shaktih.”

Prakrti belongs to whom? She belongs to Parama Puruśa. Now Prakrti, who is sheltered in Parama Puruśa, operates both directly and also through others according to Her style of functioning. It is of course a fact that Parama Puruśa does not do anything directly; rather He gets things done indirectly through the vast operational system He has created.

It has been said before that Prakrti is a force dependent upon Parama Puruśa. Her only work is to keep Parama Puruśa satisfied. The only aim of Prakrti is to satisfy and give pleasure to Parama Puruśa. What should be the aim of Prakrti? Her only thought is, “I shall satisfy Parama Puruśa, I must please Him.” That is why Prakrti always remains engrossed in the thought of Parama Puruśa, and, as a result, is gradually transformed into Parama Puruśa Himself.

Mádhava, Mádhava Anukhańa Souṋari
Sundarii Mádhava Bhelii

Vidyápati said, “Thinking of Mádhava (Krśńa) every moment, gradually She herself became Mádhava”. By constantly ideating on Mádhava, Rádhá gradually merged into Mádhava. This is why different scriptures and renowed philosophers have proclaimed, “Prakrti sá nitya nivrttá”. In other words, Prakrti gradually dissolves each and every moment. As a result of constant ideation on Parama Puruśa, portions of Prakrti gradually merge in Him.

As Prakrti is also infinite, Her absolute merger is not possible. Prakrti is a perpetually dissolving entity. Every moment a certain portion of Prakrti gets metamorphosed into Parama Puruśa. So, when Prakrti is constantly being transformed into Parama Puruśa and is also dependent on Him, Parama Puruśa may say, “I am absolutely unconcerned about doership, action and reaction.” Parama Puruśa may certainly say that neither is He involved directly in these affairs, nor does He do anything, and He continues to do everything through the vast operational system which He created. It is of course true.

What is understood by “Kartrttva” of an action? The literal meaning of “Kartrttva” is authority, that is, I am the proprietor or owner of a particular action, and everything there shall move according to my will. This feeling, centering on “I”, is called “Kartrttva”. Parama Puruśa never wants that there should be this “I”-centered feeling towards the small worldly objects. He will never permit this to happen. It occurs primarily because of the influence of Avidyámáyá. That is why if Parama Puruśa says that He does not do anything directly, it is not a false statement.

Now we must consider “Karmáńi” or action. What is action? The relative change of position of an object is called action. Suppose there is a certain object to my left. When I move this object and place it to my right, then the object is displaced. This displacement is called action. Whatever exists in this Cosmos is within the all-pervasive mind of Parama Puruśa – there is nothing outside Him. Hence the question of spatial change in relation to Him does not arise. Everything bappens within His mind. For this reason, what Krśńa said about action is true, because action or inaction lies only within His mind. So it was correctly said that Parama Puruśa does not directly do any action.

Now let us consider the experiencing of reactions. Wherever there is action, there is reaction. A famous scientific principle says, “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction provided the three fundamental relative factors – time, space and person – remain unchanged.” That is, every reaction can also be called a kind of action. If we call “an action” “Pratyaya múlaka karma”, then the reaction of the action would be called “Saḿskára múlaka karma” (reactive momenta). If an action is accomplished within the mind of Parama Puruśa, then its reaction shall also occur there. For this reason, Parama Puruśa never experiences or undergoes reactions.

Yet that Controlling Entity, without Whose wish, without Whose order not even a blade of grass can move, cannot possibly remain absolutely aloof from action, reaction and the sense of doership. He has thus created an operational system as per the necessity and he has delegated the responsibility to it. In addition, He maintains a strict vigil over this system regarding the determination of appropriate reactions to actions.

He strictly observes the amount of ego functioning in each unit being. When human beings undergo the reactions of their bad actions or ego, it is impossible for Parama Puruśa to remain neutral or silent. Rather He feels sorry when He observes ego in people and wonders where they derived it from. Is there anything which human beings can call their own?

Parama Puruśa feels happy when He sees the reactions to good actions: good fruits for good actions. But when He sees the miserable conditions resulting from bad actions He feels distressed. He thinks, “Why should humans indulge in bad actions? The reactive momenta are expressing themselves according to the operational system – people must experience the reactions of their actions. I am helpless in this regard.”

The sun rises in the east – it is an infallible law of Parama Puruśa. How can He order the sun to rise in the west? He will not, because it is a law given by Him. If one violates the laws made by oneself, everything will be totally destroyed. The good fruits of good actions and the bad fruits of bad actions are both bondages. So intelligent people must work, and while working they should ideate, “I am the machine and Parama Puruśa is the machine-operator. I don’t need the good fruits, I don’t want them. Rather I am prepared to undergo the results of my bad actions and offer the fruits of my good actions to Parama Puruśa.”

Human beings should live in this world with this ideation. In order to survive in this world, one must work. The aim of life is to work. And while working one should think, “I must do good work without attachment to the fruits thereof. I wish to surrender those fruits at the feet of Parama Puruśa.”

Chapter 4	Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 19 [unpublished in English]

Since ancient times the mind has had to undergo transformations as a result of its association with different objects on it. Accordingly each object was given a particular name. This associative resultant transformation was in turn dependent upon transitory factors like time, space and person. Suppose you see a white object. The moment it comes within the range of your vision, the rays of light from that object are reflected on the retina of your eyes; at the same time the reflection is also transmitted deeper. In fact, the visual sensation is not subjected to the eyes only. It is the mind that actually perceives everything with the help of the visual organ. And in reality eyes are simply the gateways of organ. The real organ is situated at a particular point within the brain from where the act of vision is completed. Human mind in consonance with the vibration occurring in the brain recognizes the white, red or black colours of objects. There is a “positive” movement connected with this process of conception. Suppose one has a sensation of an object of white colours. Then that vibration of white colour received externally in brain, will naturally give rise to a sympathetic vibration within the mind. That vibration is certainly a “verb” in nature – neither noun nor adjective. When it is movement it is verb. White colour – vibration has an acoustic vibration like the sound of dhab, dhab, dhab. What type of white we say dazzling white (in Bengali dhab dhabe shadá). This acoustic vibration of dhab, dhab, dhab, is actually a verb from which the word dhabala in sanskrit has been originated. From that acoustic root verb namely dhab in sanskrit is formed. Verb means, action. By adding suffix “al” and “la” and “da” with the root verb dhab, we get the word dhabala which means receptacle of the verb dhab. The words like dhaul, “dhaura”, dhauri (dhauri in Bhojuri) have originated from the word dhabala. A large portion of Rarh (Western portion of West Bengal) was known as dhabalabhum or dhalbhum even in recent past. Dhabala Deva was the king of that Dhabalabhum State. Therefore originally all words in any language are actional faculties that’s verbal in nature. Action (Karma) is the prime cause of all existential entities and inertia is the root cause of their annihilation. That is why I say you are to march ahead with the highest aspirations and this will bring you to the highest state of all-round fulfilment.

Now what is the import of the word Karma (action)? In Sanskrit this word is derived from the root verb Kri with suffix “man”. Here suffix “man” has been added. A suffix is that form of word which is added to a root verb. In Sanskrit, the suffix is termed as “pratyaya” whereas prefix is called as upasarga. A prefix is preceeded to a root verb, making it more expressive with newer significances. And the function of suffix (pratyaya) is to give the proper sense of each word. Hence each verb is rendered in a particular manner when suffix (pratyaya) is added to it. Each suffix is selected with this viewpoint. For example, there is a root verb Patha (to read) in Sanskrit. In order to denote the sense of completion of act of reading, we write in Sanskrit “pathitam pustakam” (The book has been read). But suppose you are teaching a student. In that case, the word pathita (to teach) is derived from the root verb “path”, using a different suffix “nich” and “kta”. In the same way the word pathitum (denoting) patha dhatu, suffix tum-Pathitub. Similarly, when you are personally involved in work you say in Bengali Korchi (I’m doing). But when you get the same work done by somebody else you say Karacchi (done by others). There are same expressions in Hindi also – i.e., mei Karuwata hom (I get the work done by some third entity). In this way there are three forms of conjugation in Hindi – that is Karná, “karáná Karuána”).

Now what is our main duty on this earth? It is to undertake different activities upon ourselves as far as practical. There are innumerable tasks but human capacity is limited. Therefore, you are bound to seek cooperation from others in many activities. Suppose you are thirsty. Do you start digging the surface your self, then draw a glass of water from the bucket and drink? Certainly not. You normally quench your thirst by drawing water from someone’s well. Or you may take help from others in making a well. You may also seek the services from others, to draw water from the well, instead of doing yourself. Clearly the human beings cannot do everything themselves. So many tasks are to be completed with coordinated cooperation from all. The work which is not singularly possible is to be materialized with the help of others. Either do your job yourself or get the same done – but keep on doing. This rule is universally applicable for each human being.

All activities are basically for the welfare of the entire humanity. It is impossible in practice that one is full of vital energy but is effortless – doing no work. It is also not possible that one performs action but is not having vital energy time, totally effortless is impossible in practice. Similarly one who is very much in the midst of work but having no vitality at all is also a myth. The true definition of Karma (action) is the relative change of position of an object. That is a particular object has changed its location from one place to another at a given time. How does this change occur? The faculty which causes this trans-shipment of objects is Karma (action). Karma is the greatest amongst all great qualities for human beings. It is by the quality of their actions that a person gets recognition and admiration. So perform your duties exquisitely. An ideal person always performs their duty perfectly as well as invoking the efforts of others whenever necessary.

No one likes to do repetitive work always. So, participation is sought. The methods of work are also different for different persons. The excellence of a person is determined according to efficiency of these methods. Remember you are to accomplish properly the unfulfilled task on hand. One Shiila amongst the eight Shiilas of Buddhist Philosophy is Samyak karmánta, i.e., the perfect finishing of a job. This signifies that whatever may be undertaken by a person must be completed meticulous and flawlessly allowing no room for any defect to remain. Finish should always be perfect.

Chapter 5	Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 19 [unpublished in English]

Struggle must go on in every sphere of life – social, economic, mental and spiritual. Wherever there is economic exploitation of the poor, a struggle will have to be waged against the exploiter. And wherever there is exploitation of humanity in general, struggle against the exploiter is a must.

Where there is linguistic exploitation, the struggle should be directed against the oppressive language. If you are exploited in the mental sphere, if anybody tries to demean you, you will have to struggle against the person. If in the mental sphere anybody designs to deprive you of your moral rights, against that person also you will have to struggle. And if in the spiritual sphere you want to reach your Supreme Father, but some special force in the world obstructs your spiritual progress, creates obstacles on the path of your spiritual progress and upliftment, in that case also you will have to struggle against that force.

In fact, life is a big struggle – rather the sum total of infinite struggles. A number of battles constitutes a war. Hence the saying of Bhagaván Shrii Krśńa that once on the battlefield, you should never worry under any circumstances; you should only bear in mind that your aim is noble; and when the aim is noble, glorious and good, victory is inevitable. Simply throw those forces that create obstacles for you, like thorns on your path, into the dustbin. A task that may appear extremely difficult for a single individual, may be light work for eight or ten persons. And the same task will appear extremely easy when there are thousands of people together. So my advice to you is: “Do all your works unitedly.”

Samánii va ákútih, samáná hrdayánivah [“Let our aspirations be united, let our hearts be inseparable”]. Do all your works unitedly. No work is hard for you, no work is difficult. Move forward easily and smilingly, solving all the problems of the world. Your victory is assured. It is within your grasp. When anyone does some virtuous work, Parama Puruśa is with that person. Under such circumstances, one need not even pray, “O Lord, give me more strength,” because since Parama Puruśa is with you, He will surely give you more strength. In fact He is always giving you more strength. So my advice is: “Move ahead” – Yuddhasva vigatajvarah⁽¹⁾ [“Struggle must go on”].

Footnotes

(1) Bhagavad Giitá. –Trans.