Discourses on Neohumanist Education [a compilation]

Ámrá gaŕe’ noba gurukul;
Jiṋáner áloke ráuṋiye doba pratit́i kuṋŕi phul.

Keha ná thákibe dúre, vájába pratit́i táre;
Báṋdhiba priitiri d́ore e mańiháre atul.

Keha ná thákibe piche, t́heli ná káreo niice;
Sabe átmiiya viráje manomájhe dodul dul.

Meaning:

We will establish the Gurukul. We will dye each and every bud with the light of knowledge.

No one will stay behind, none will be thrown at the bottom. All will exist with kith and kin with their minds full of sweetness and tenderness for all.

(Song No. 5018, composed by Shrii P.R. Sarkar on 20th October, 1990 at 11 p.m. This was the last song that he composed.)

Chapter 1	Discourses on Neohumanist Education [a compilation]

Parents⁽¹⁾ often allege that teachers do not teach anything worthwhile nowadays, but I do not feel that this is a very well-considered remark. In actual fact they are only making excuses in order to avoid their responsibilities. At the same time, however, I should add that most teachers demonstrate, through their mental outlook or their actions, far less awareness of their social responsibilities than concern for their own interests. They do not devote even a fraction of the time and energy to building society that they spend making money by any means possible, such as by writing “made easies” [course summaries] or study guides.

Sometimes uneducated or semi-educated parents abuse their children, using bad language and beating them, but the behaviour of teachers is often far more despicable. In many cases, even after studying numerous books on psychology, they deliberately wound the sentiments of their students with their offensive remarks. Instead of trying to rectify the bad habits of their students, they assail their minds with caustic language. There are many teachers who hurt the feelings of students by ridiculing either their castes or their fathers’ occupations, saying, “The plough suits you better than the pen, my boy,” or “You had better join your father at the potter’s wheel.” Even today such utterances come out of the mouths of many teachers. If a student is ugly, there are teachers who will make faces and say, “Your intelligence is like your appearance” – not to mention the beatings and other kinds of physical torture. Even today we can observe that many teachers use fear tactics to compel the students to prepare their lessons. The day such teachers are so unfortunate as to fall sick and miss school, their students go into raptures of joy.

How many teachers try to awaken a genuine thirst for knowledge in their students? Some teachers say, “The education system is itself only a profit-making business. What are we supposed to do?” Can they escape their responsibilities with such remarks? Is profit-making education no education at all? Is there no scope for acquiring knowledge in such education? Is it devoid of the seeds of welfare? And surely teachers cannot dismiss everything by saying, “How can we give attention to one child out of a crowd of two or three hundred?”

It must be the teachers’ responsibility to impart knowledge, teach restraint in social life, and give instruction about all the various aspects of collective endeavour, but the parents will have to take on most of the responsibility for the moral and spiritual education of the child. It should be the duty of society as a whole to ensure that the children of immoral and unrighteousness parents are brought up as virtuous citizens. If possible such children should be removed from the unwholesome environment of their parents.

The Role of Teachers

Before making further comments about the responsibilities of parents, it is necessary to say something more about teachers. The first point is that teachers must be selected carefully. High academic qualifications do not necessarily confer on a person the right to become a teacher. Teachers must possess such qualities as personal integrity, strength of character, righteousness, a feeling for social service, unselfishness, an inspiring personality and leadership ability. They are samája gurus,⁽²⁾ and for this reason it is not possible to accept just anyone as a teacher. Because teachers have an extremely important role to play, their professional standards must be very high.

Many people today recall the forest hermitages of ancient India, admonish starved or half-starved teachers for deviating from the lofty ideals of the past, and say that they should again live up to those ideals. Such glib talkers ignore the fact that their high-sounding platitudes do not remove the pangs of hunger. A person who is constantly hungry thinks about food all the time. So if a teacher, under compulsion of poverty, works as a private tutor in four or five places and due to extreme fatigue fails to teach his or her school students properly, should he or she be censured? No, the teacher is not to be blamed at all. In many countries the cost of the monthly meat ration for the dog of a rich person exceeds the salary of a teacher. Under such circumstances how much social consciousness can we expect from the teachers? The salaries of teachers in every country should be on a par with, if not higher than, the salaries of public servants in the judiciary and the executive. It should not be forgotten that the sages of the past used to receive temple endowments, gifts of land and regular sacerdotal fees from the kings. They did not have to go from house to house as tutors to support their families, because the government was directly responsible for solving their mundane problems. While it is true that such sages provided food and clothing to their students, the money for this came from the public and was donated out of reverence.

Simply raising the salaries of teachers, however, does not automatically mean that they will have the opportunity to create ideal men and women, because today in most countries of the world (where teachers generally have the opportunity to live fairly well) teachers nevertheless do not have the right to formulate educational policies. Rather educational policies are generally formulated by professional politicians, most of whom have perhaps no experience in education. If teachers are to be held responsible for building ideal men and women, they must also be given the right to formulate educational policies, instead of being mere teaching machines.

Governments may submit their [social] and political needs to the teachers, but the teachers should be free to accept or reject the governments’ proposals without interference. Of course, if the teachers do support any state policy, on the basis of national security or for the good of society as a whole, they will have to actively implement that policy, because the state will then have every legitimate right to their services.

I mention these things mainly because in our modern world, in those societies where democracy predominates, political factionalism has become a routine affair. In these circumstances it is but natural for every ruling party to try to influence the adolescent mind to further its party interests. But teachers should not try to ingratiate themselves with so-called political benefactors. They should always keep higher ideals before them as they work. Those who are not teachers should not be allowed to interfere in educational matters that come within the jurisdiction of a school.

So far we have discussed who has the right to determine educational policies, but the matter does not end there. In many countries we can observe in regard to school administration also that people are often given important posts as administrators only because of their wealth, while they themselves are, colloquially speaking, complete idiots. Their great wealth is their sole qualification. Such things occur only in countries where the state, for some reason, fails to carry out its educational responsibilities. Such wealthy school administrators often consider the educated teachers to be mere objects of pity. They put pressure on them in order to ensure that their brainless, dull-witted children pass the examinations. They unnecessarily interfere in educational matters. When their children are taken to task, they angrily chastise the teachers. Such a situation is not at all desirable and does not encourage teachers to perform their duties conscientiously. In their poverty teachers, out of fear of starvation, “serve their term” perfunctorily day after day, or, as a result of continuous attacks on their virtue, one fine morning resign in extreme bitterness and set out in quest of some other profession. If teachers have to work under such conditions, how can they possibly have the strength of mind to keep a watchful eye on their students?

The Problems of Students

These are the problems of teachers. The students also have some special problems which many people choose not to consider.

I have already pointed out that it is improper to extort anything from students through undue pressure and intimidation. Intimidation appears to work to some extent, but it does not yield lasting results. Whatever students learn from their parents and teachers out of fear fades into oblivion as soon as the agencies of fear disappear. The reason is that their learning and their fear were inseparably associated, so with the disappearance of fear, the knowledge that they had acquired in the course of their education also disappears from the more developed parts of their minds. As soon as the bullying teacher leaves the classroom the students heave a sigh of relief. Within a few hours, whatever they had committed to memory starts growing hazy. Out of fear of failing their examinations students work hard, poring over books, and accomplish ten days’ work in one hour. But after completing their examinations and playing a game of football or visiting the cinema, they forget much of what they had learned, due to the absence of fear.

People in many countries throughout the world are painfully experiencing the detrimental effects of education through the medium of fear. Most educated people lose the abilities they acquired through education after they graduate from school or university and enter their field of work. If I were to assess the value of the education these people received, I would say that most of their time, ability and labour had been wasted or had been spent meaninglessly.

So as I was saying, it will not do to impart education through intimidation. A thirst for knowledge must be awakened, and, to quench that thirst, proper education must be given. Only then will education be worthwhile and develop the body, mind and ideals of the student.

Children are by nature most inclined towards play, so a thirst for knowledge will have to be awakened in children through the medium of play – children should be educated through play methods. Children are also by nature inclined to listen to fantasies and stories. Through stories children can easily be taught the history and geography of various countries, and they may also be taught the initial lessons of how to practise universalism in their lives. Children love play and stories almost equally, so in their case the two should be equally utilized.

The dream of the future first crystallizes in the mind of the adolescent. So adolescents should be taught, without indulging in narrow-mindedness, through the medium of idealism.

The minds of young adults are, however, somewhat inclined towards realism, so in their case pure idealism will not suffice. In order to educate such young adults, a harmonious blend of idealism and realism is required.

Teachers must bear in mind that their students – whether adolescents, youths, old people or actual children – are, to them, all just children of different ages; and that they themselves are children like their students. If teachers distance themselves from their students or continually try to maintain a forced gravity, they will not be able to establish sweet, cordial relations with their students. The free and frank exchange of ideas is simply not possible unless a feeling of mutual affection is established. The lack of cordial relations causes many children to heartily wish for the death of either their severe teachers or their abusive parents.

The Education System

In many newly-independent countries an attempt is made to recast the education system in a national mould. Without going into the merits of such attempts, it may undoubtedly be said that if these changes do not take into consideration the needs of the students, the education imparted may be nationalistic, but it cannot be humanistic. Like provincialism and communalism, nationalism is highly detrimental to the minds of children. Children’s crystalline judgement power is to a large extent sullied by these sentiments. In newly-independent countries such perverted ideas as “Only my country’s products are good; we need learn nothing from others,” may be heard expressed at any time. Assertions such as “Everything is in the Vedas,” or “The social system that the great prophet So-and-so commanded us to follow cannot be even slightly changed because it is based on the words of God,” or “Such-and-such country learned how to make aeroplanes by studying our country’s Rámáyańa and Mahábhárata” are the results of the national, religious or communal rigidities that have been injected into the minds of the students.

When the propounders of an education system are obsessed by chauvinistic nationalism, they often, in the name of preserving the national character, try to keep the students of that country segregated from the rest of the world. It must always be borne in mind that the bonds that afford opportunities for mutual contact and understanding between people should never be weakened but should always rather be strengthened, for in this lie the seeds of collective welfare. In order to create a feeling of genuine collective welfare, extreme nationalistic zeal may have to suffer a little jolt, but intelligent people will have to absorb that jolt and make a tremendous effort to overcome that prejudicial zeal.

I mentioned the bonds of human unity. Take, for example, the case of pre-Independence Pakistan or India. Although English came from overseas, it alone was responsible for forging a unifying link among the diverse population of India. Not only that, Indians were introduced to and became acquainted with the rest of the world population through the medium of this language. In those days Indian students who had a general knowledge of two languages – their mother tongue and English – would become eligible to enter the temple of knowledge. If today anybody in India tries to remove the English language, their efforts will be nothing but attempts to break that unifying link.

It is not proper, under any circumstances, to burden the young shoulders of students with a heavy load of languages simply to satisfy the political whims of the leaders. Just imagine the fate of Sindhi-speaking students in Pakistan today [now Pakistan and Bangladesh]. How many languages do they have to learn? 1) Sindhi, their mother tongue; 2) English, the world language; 3) Arabic or Persian, the religious language; and 4) Urdu or Bengali, the national language, or both these languages if they want good jobs. In other words, as many as five languages are being imposed on the students. Are these students supposed to acquire knowledge or to stagger about carrying a heavy burden of languages? If, however, the nationalistic sentiment can be to some extent restrained, all the languages can be excluded from the syllabus except two: English and the mother tongue. If students study in or awaken their thirst for knowledge through these two languages, then in time, propelled by their own urge, they may learn not only the other three languages, but ten or twenty more as well. In schools and colleges also, it is desirable to offer as many optional languages as possible. Such a policy is not likely to be criticized by anyone.

In order for people around the world to be able to communicate, a vishva bháśá [universal or world language] is needed, and the teaching and study of that language should be given equal importance in every country. If we consider the following three qualities of a language – that it should be widely spoken, be easily understood and be capable of powerful expression – English alone is qualified to become the world language. No one in the world should consider English to be the language of England alone, but should rather accept it with an open mind as the common language for the communication of ideas. Doing this will in no way harm any mother tongue.

If a false sense of prestige prevents any country from adopting the world language, it will certainly not add to the glory of the human race. It is not at all desirable for the people of one country to remain incomprehensible to those of another country. Of course in the distant future people may select another language to replace English as the world language, in accordance with the needs of their age; English cannot keep its position as the world language forever.

It is surely a great injustice to burden the shoulders of the young with the responsibility of paying off the whimsical nationalistic, communalistic or any similar prejudices of their elders. Adults should of course determine the type of education to be given to students to help them develop into worthy citizens in the future. Adults should not, however, be given a completely free hand in the formulation of educational policies merely to allow them to give expression to their predispositions and caprices. The needs and well-being of the younger generation must be safeguarded.

Students go to school and sit for examinations in order to pass. Examiners should bear this fact in mind. They should not adopt the rigid position that “Only such-and-such percentage of students will be allowed to pass.” Examiners should take into account only the range of knowledge and the extent of the thirst for knowledge the students possess. They should not trouble themselves over students who omit to dot their “i’s” or cross their “t’s”. Nor do they need to addle their brains about how much lime has fallen from their betel leaf!⁽³⁾

The Ideals of Teachers

Having discussed teachers and the education system, something can now be said about ideals. The failings of the education system or the grievances of teachers should not be cited as excuses to avoid this subject.

Take, for instance, the psychological atmosphere within which knowledge is imparted to students. It is not [unusual] to see teachers who try to somehow extract the correct answer from their students without having either awakened in them the desire for knowledge or taught them how to acquire the necessary knowledge. There are also many teachers who would like to lecture only and be free of any further responsibilities. These are unpleasant truths, needless to say. Whether such conditions existed in the past or not is for historians to judge, and I certainly hope that they will not exist in the future, but it must be admitted that such a state of affairs does exist at present.

(The unprofessional behaviour of a handful of teachers may be the reason why the whole teaching profession has become an object of ridicule. If so, I would say that those genuine educators – those who have even a little capacity to work or to make others work according to their own will – should deal very seriously with unprofessional behaviour. This is possible only for those who are directly engaged in the teaching profession, and not for school inspectors.)

Society will gain no lasting benefit if teachers force students to swallow knowledge like quinine pills instead of awakening the thirst for knowledge in the minds of young children, or for that matter in the mind of any student.

Speaking of ideals, yet another point comes to my mind, and that is the moral character and conduct of teachers. Many teachers demonstrate a flagrant lack of restraint over their language. There are also teachers who, after discussing the abuses and evils of intoxicants in the classroom, immediately go outside and start smoking. This sets an extremely bad example. If the teachers would just use intoxicants, without saying anything about them, it might not be so bad. But this approach naturally encourages the students to be undisciplined. They will think that the use of such things must be enjoyable, and that their teachers deprive them so that they can enjoy them alone.

In many educational institutions there are two or more factions among the teachers, and each faction tries to draw the students into its own camp. Such teachers try to generate a feeling of disrespect in the minds of the students of their group towards the teachers of the other camps by speaking against them. As a result, ultimately a feeling of indiscipline is aroused in the minds of students. It is futile to complain about this and say, “Nowadays students don’t respect law and order.” Is it the fault of the students if those who are supposed to teach them discipline do not discharge that duty properly?

Many teachers and professors actively take part in politics; they often abuse their personal influence and use simple, idealistic young students as tools to achieve their political ends. How on earth can students learn discipline under such circumstances? Politics, at least politics today, is just an instrument for mutual mudslinging. In the political world such things as honesty, simplicity and a sense of discipline simply do not exist. “Crush your adversaries by fair means or foul” is the creed of politics today.

The principal cause of indiscipline among students is an extreme obsession with politics. Other causes are clearly secondary, and result from the failings of a mercenary social system. The influence of the education system and the behaviour of parents, however, cannot be entirely discounted when it comes to awakening a sense of discipline or not.

I do not think that the interest some students develop in politics can be dampened by those who, for whatever reason, previously encouraged their involvement, no matter how strongly they may later advise them. At present the situation has come to such a pass that mere exhortations will have no effect. To solve this problem the entire education system will have to be reorganized. It is necessary to have a thorough grasp of the psychology of students in order to be able to infuse a sense of discipline into their minds and impart proper education.

The Responsibilities of Parents

The mental outlook of children has already been moulded in a particular fashion by the influence of their family environment before they start school. No matter what or how much they learn at school, it is extremely difficult for them to free themselves from the influence of their family. Drawing on what they have learned in the family, the immature minds of children begin to learn about the world and understand it, and to receive ideas and master language so that they can express those ideas. Unhesitatingly they adopt their elders’ way of looking at the world. Hence the primary responsibility for acquainting children with the world lies with their parents or guardians. Children will become assets of society in the future to the extent that their parents or guardians discharge their duties properly.

I have no hesitation in saying that today’s adults have not yet developed a scientific method of training children’s minds. Even most so-called educated and refined people, let alone average adults, are either ignorant about or indifferent to the education of their children. Their ignorance may be pardoned, but how can we forgive their indifference? The family into which a child has been born will naturally have to bear the primary responsibility for the physical, mental and spiritual development of that child.

It can be said that ordinary people, like teachers, face many types of problem in their lives; in fact teachers’ problems are only a reflection of larger social problems. It is quite true that in the modern material world strenuous efforts to conquer the limitations of time, place and person are apparent everywhere. It is as if human beings are being forcibly dragged forward by the hair of their heads. Speed is the main consideration; whether any good is accomplished or not is a secondary factor. Thus different social trends are unable to maintain a harmonious pace in their forward movement. Some trends are far advanced in their development while others lag behind. This causes some parts of the social structure which were close together to move apart, and other parts which were once apart to come together, leading to the collapse of the entire structure. The thatched hut is still the same, but electrical wiring has been strung through it. The only food available is salt and boiled rice, but the ordinary old clay stove has been replaced by an electric “heater” [hotplate]. Such incongruities are now common in society.

The views established in our psychic world regarding the different trends of life have so unnaturally diverged from one another that the naturalness of the human mind has been spoiled. Human beings have lost the capacity to think anything, but somehow pass their days with a lot of hollow, mechanical mental objects. The caravan of our social life thus rolls on.

So today parents may rightly say, “We have almost no vital energy left after exchanging blows and counter-blows with life. We have no chance to mould the minds of our children with the care and tenderness of our hearts. All the sweetness and finer sensibilities of our minds have been sucked dry by the harsh realities of life. How can we take care of our children? We cannot even provide them with proper food and clothing. How can we know what they are thinking? Do we have the time to understand anything properly at all? We know children should be taught through the medium of play and entertainment, both at home and outside, but is it possible for us to do that? We even have to disturb our talented son at his studies to send him to the grocer’s to buy salt, cooking oil, spices, etc. We know it is wrong, but there is no alternative, for keeping a servant is beyond our means.”

There may be some truth in this, but it is not the point at issue here. In order to develop a healthy outlook, the most important thing children need is robust idealism. To impart this, parents require only two virtues: self-restraint and good judgement. Let us discuss good judgement first.

The method of extracting work by terrorizing the minds of children is not only made use of by a particular type of teacher, it is also often still more harmfully practised by parents. They frighten their children, tell them lies, engage in scurrilous brawls before them, and deceive and torment them; but they still expect that some day their children will become respectable members of society – that their children will bring glory to their family name. When their children are reluctant to drink milk or sleep, they terrify them by invoking imaginary goblins or frightful ghosts. Children initially have no fear, yet a fearful panorama is played out before them. Through this practice the parents may achieve some temporary gain, but even if the children wait a lifetime, they can never be compensated for the harm done to them. Even when these same children attain young adulthood, the thought of ghosts will not leave their minds – ghosts will become their permanent companions.

When the parents are about to go on a trip or go to a show, or when they are invited to a pleasant function or a social outing, the children may start whining or nattering to accompany them. At such times many parents tell lies without a qualm; somehow they dupe their children and leave. When the children realize what has happened, they also learn to tell lies; and to hide their intentions or their actions from their parents, they gradually start lying more and more.

Parents deceive their children in many ways. By calling sweet things bitter and pleasant things unpleasant, they prevent their children from enjoying them. But by disregarding parental injunctions and prying inquisitively, as is the wont of human nature, children discover the truth. Then they realize that their parents have been deceiving them. As a result they start deceiving not only their parents, but their friends and classmates as well. So it is abundantly clear that children are taught the first lessons in the arts of lying and deception by their own parents at home.

In a family it is natural that differences of opinion will arise among the adults; when they do, the adults should reconcile their differences considering each other’s opinions. Unfortunately they often lack the requisite mental make-up to reach an amicable agreement – each tries to convince everybody else of his or her viewpoint without caring about the opinions of others. The result is an outburst of unreasonable obstinacy – the adults lose all self-control and behave in a gross and vulgar manner. The effect on the minds of the children is disastrous. Children thus learn obstinacy from their elders. If the mother or those with whom the children spend most of their time is obstinate, the neglected children will, in most cases, become noticeably obstinate, and they will have to carry this psychic ailment around with them for a long time. If, on the other hand, as is sometimes the case, the wishes and desires (if they are not unreasonable) of children are fulfilled, the children will not have the opportunity to learn obstinacy.

In some families the parents have lost their peace of mind due to poverty or some other cause and oppress their children with or without reason. Naturally the children lose respect for their parents, which further aggravates family indiscipline. The parents have to put up with more unrest, adding to their lack of peace.

Parents who are middle- or high-level officials in the public works or police departments have to get work done through others or supervise manual labourers or subordinates, so they often forget to talk sweetly. Some become accustomed to using abusive language, and some to issuing commands. Due to this their children do not have an opportunity to learn to speak with restraint. Such children suffer from a superiority complex, even within their circle of friends. In their future lives it will be extremely difficult for them to love people and create a congenial social environment.

Some parents may claim that it is impossible to maintain a balanced life in an age full of problems, where they are extremely busy with numerous activities. I maintain, however, that it is possible for an intelligent parent to avoid the mistakes I have discussed. If parents fail to carry out their basic duties, I am compelled to say that, although they live in society, they are guilty of encouraging an antisocial mentality. By encouraging their children to develop a criminal psychology, they give unnecessary trouble to the police. The main point is this: for want of a little care, children are deprived of the opportunity to become complete human beings, even though they have a human structure.

Sáhityikas – the Teachers of Society

There is yet another section of society whom I cannot absolve from the responsibility of educating children. They are the sáhityikas.⁽⁴⁾ Actually sáhityikas are a type of teacher – they are the teachers of society.

Humans have a deep longing for things far away. No one is satisfied by things that are within their grasp. Even if the mind is satisfied, the soul remains dissatisfied. That is why the world of dreams is sweeter than the mundane reality. Sáhityikas catch an image of the mundane world in the mirror of fantasy, which is why their literature easily attracts the human mind.

Such dream castles take on most importance in the minds of children. The more children get used to the impact of reality as they grow up, the more the dream subsides. People growing up want to bring the mirror of dreamland down closer to the mundane world, in order to see a reflected picture that is more like their own lives; but this would never occur to the minds of children. Children want to release their golden pegasus so that it will fly towards a coloured rainbow in the sky of their dreams. They want to run away to some unknown destination and play with the moon and the stars. Losing themselves in such fantasies, they surrender to the soothing influence of a lullaby and gradually fall asleep. Those sáhityikas who keep this peculiarity of the child’s psychology in mind as they write can easily win children’s hearts. Their wise words and precepts will then be readily absorbed. That is why I call sáhityikas the teachers of society. If these teachers are conscious of their responsibilities, children may be brought back to the right path despite improper guidance at home.

Cheap detective novels, adventure stories and nationalistic or communalistic stories may attract youngsters, but they gradually deprive them of sound judgement.

The biographies of great personalities can attract youngsters if they are written in simple and attractive language. By great personalities I mean only those who work with the good of all humanity in mind. I am not thinking of a great Indian, a great Englishman or Englishwoman, a great Russian or a great American. In society, however, there are few people who can claim to be worthy human beings. Because of their saḿskáras [mental reactive momenta], their fear or their deliberate pursuit of self-interest, people often want to divide human society. Such people try to impose their defective outlook on the minds of children through the literature about them, so that in the future these children will become their ardent supporters. Literary biographers must keep their pens scrupulously free from the influence of these non-humans (that is, those who should not be called humans but rather something else).

Nowadays some countries are propagating particular communal or economic theories which support intolerance; thus through perverted literature the minds of children are becoming contaminated. In the future these children may become the members of a community, or of a party which propagates a particular ism, but to what extent will they identify as human beings?

Radio

There is much scope for telling well-written, educational stories on the radio. Radio broadcasters can very easily delight the ears and minds of children with attractive and educational stories written by sáhityikas who have a knowledge of child psychology. If parents cannot afford radios at home, educational programmes can be broadcast at some scheduled time in schools, parks or even playgrounds.

However, the problems referred to above may remain unsolved if broadcasting networks are under the control of a particular party, because then the networks will be more interested in creating supporters to further the interests of their party than in building people’s character. Of course there is a way to avoid such an eventuality, and that is to entrust the management of broadcasting networks to boards of non-political, cultured educators.

Commemoration Ceremonies

Some time ago many educated sections of society around the world complained that the commemoration ceremonies held in their respective countries for their departed leaders and great persons were not being observed in a befitting manner. That is to say, these countries, by neglecting their revered personalities, were gradually losing their ideals. Such complaints may not be wholly unfounded.

Observing the manner in which these ceremonies and anniversaries are celebrated, however, I do not think that they have any value. Unscrupulous Mr. Cutthroat Crook or Mr. Villainous Leech, who has no ideology at all, is invited, in the hope of his making a fat donation, to act as the president or chairman. The speakers, one after another, deliver high-sounding speeches in polished and literary language, often concluding with, “The time has come to reflect anew over the legacy that So-and-so has left us. Just delivering and hearing speeches will not do; his legacy must be translated into action. Then and then alone will this commemoration ceremony be worthwhile.” At the end of the speech, looking proudly left and right, they ask, “Well, how was my lecture?” Evidently the speaker never meant to translate So-and-so’s ideals into action, but spoke to solicit the approbation of the audience.

I have not said, nor will I say, that these commemoration ceremonies are totally useless. If it is the genuine wish of the sponsors of anniversaries or commemoration ceremonies to give a practical shape to the ideals of a deceased person, the ideals should be given greater prominence in such functions and should be clearly presented to the public, especially to children, instead of reducing them to platitudes mouthed by dishonest speakers.

Pictures and Dramas

This can best be done through the use of pictures and dramas. The Rámáyańa is more appealing and educational when presented in pictures than when depicted in books, because those who cannot read can thereby understand the inner language of the artist.

After pictures come dramas. In a well-written and well-acted drama the audience feels the living reality of each character. A favourite leader, a revered and distinguished personality, is presented speaking to people, particularly to the children, in a congenial manner. Then the audience open the closed doors of their minds and enter into a free mental communion. So in my opinion no matter what the age of the student, a well-written and well-acted drama can do a tremendous amount of good, and can be a great asset to the spread of real education.

Cinema

Today the cinema seems to be very popular with people of all ages. As a result film technology will gradually rise to ever-greater heights of technical excellence. The opportunity provided by the cinema to establish good relations with people can be very well utilized for educational purposes.

Seduced by the bestial instincts hidden in the secret recesses of their minds, people surrender to base propensities. But improvements in education and the social environment can help to bring this beast under control and make it obey their commands. To achieve this the first thing people have to do is to wage war against their animal propensities, which is no easy task. So cunning exploiters, by encouraging animality, are able to bring people under their sway.

The cinema industry suffers from this malady. This industry is controlled by a handful of business persons who make films according to popular taste and demand. While ordinary people naturally run after those films which in their ideas, language or visual images cater to their base propensities, such ideas, language or images instantly distort the ideals of the idealist beyond recognition. It is quite in character for purely commercial film producers to exploit these human weaknesses to their own advantage, and this is exactly what is happening. Generally youngsters outnumber older people at movies marked “A” (“For Adults Only”). Sometimes the words “For Adults Only” are so alluringly displayed that young people feel even more attracted.

For the sake of social education, such a situation cannot be permitted to continue for a long time. If we have even the slightest intention of using cinema for the benefit of society, it has to be placed in the hands of non-governmental cultural bodies and not in the hands of business persons or the government. Because in countries where the cinema is under government control, the possibility exists of using the film industry more for party propaganda than for the spread of education.

A great drawback to the cinema when it is used solely for propaganda is that the beauty of both drama and literature is not given the scope to fully develop – the cinema is reduced to the level of a megaphone, spouting forth party propaganda.

Giving experienced and competent directors the opportunity and the complete freedom to make benevolent cinema does not yield bad results. Rather it can spread joy and education simultaneously. This fact was fully substantiated by a film produced by the West Bengal government some time ago.⁽⁵⁾

Finally I would like to say that those teachers, dramatists, actors, writers and radio artists whose help is essential to sow the seeds of true development in the minds of children and to ensure that these seeds grow into small seedlings, flourish, and bring forth foliage, flowers and fruits, must be freed from worldly worries so that all their energies and capabilities can be completely and properly utilized. Nothing will be achieved if we repeatedly talk to them about the magnitude of their responsibilities without trying to solve their problems.

Footnotes

(1) Throughout this chapter, “parents” should be understood as “parents or guardians”. –Trans.

(2) Elsewhere the author defines samája gurus as follows:

“Samája gurus are those who lead the entire society by virtue of their extraordinary intelligence, deep wisdom, towering personality and leadership ability. Hence it can be easily imagined that this world has been blessed with few such [samája gurus].” (“Vraja Krśńa and Sáḿkhya Philosophy” in Namámi Krśńasundaram, 1997)

“In the history of our human society sometimes it so happens that a major portion of the people, [who used to get inspiration from their enviroment, cannot, due to the influence of antisocial elements,] get that inspiration. When such a situation is created, it is the duty of the nobler and better portion of the human race to guide others so that they may not feel any difficulty due to unfavourable environmental pressure. These people are the samája gurus.” (“The Phases of Human Approach” in Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 30, 1996)

Also see “Samája Gurus and Sadvipras” in Volume 2. [Additional line used in the Prout in a Nutshell Volume 1 Part 2, 1st edition, publication of this article.]

–Trans.

(3) In South Asia chewing betel-nut and betel leaves mixed with lime is a popular practice. The metaphor is a common one in India, and refers to a negligible shortcoming which does not indicate a real defect. –Trans.

(4) There is no equivalent word for sáhityikas in English. Sáhityikas are those who write with the thought of the welfare of all humanity uppermost in their minds. –Trans.

(5) Pather Panchali by Satyajit Ray was partly financed by the West Bengal government. When it was released in 1955, it received great acclaim both from the critics and the public. –Trans.

Chapter 2	Discourses on Neohumanist Education [a compilation]

The actual significance of the word sáhitya [loosely, “literature”] is inherent in the word itself. Sáhitya is defined as that whose characteristic is to move with (sahita = “with”) the trends of life. Sáhitya, literature, is not the invention of the superficial side of social life, nor is it the colourful spell of fantasy. Rather it is the portrait of real life, an external expression of the internal workings of the mind, a bold and powerful expression of the suppressed sighs of the human heart. In order to preserve the sanctity and prestige of its name, literature must maintain a rhythm that reflects the dynamic currents of society.

The word sáhitya can be interpreted in another way as well: sa + hita = hitena saha, “that which co-exists with hita [welfare]”. Where there is no inner spirit of welfare, we cannot use the term sáhitya. The creations or compositions of those who proclaim, “Art for art’s sake,” cannot be treated as sáhitya. Indeed, welfare which pertains to the mundane world is relative; its definition may also change according to changes in time, place and person. But the aspect of the term hita which leads human beings towards the absolute truth is one and the same for all ages and all countries.

In order to communicate with people at different stages of development who have different ideas, the same concept of welfare has to be expressed through different branches of knowledge. The grand, benevolent flow of ideas with the common people on one side and the state of supreme bliss on the other, is called literature; for in every particle, in every rhythmic expression of this benevolent thought process, the supreme bliss is lying dormant.

Thus literature is that which moves together with society and leads society towards true fulfilment and welfare by providing the inspiration to serve. The statement “Art for art’s sake” is not acceptable; rather we should say, “Art for service and blessedness.”

In every expression, in every stratum of this universe, however crude or subtle, only one recurring theme occurs, and that theme is the attainment of bliss. In the artistic movement towards welfare both the attainment and the bestowal of happiness find simultaneous expression. When sáhityikas⁽¹⁾ dedicate themselves to the service or sádhaná [sustained practice] of literature, they have to let their creative genius flow in this stream; they have to purify all that is turbid, all that is impure in their individual life in the holy waters of their universal outlook and then convey it sweetly and gracefully to the heart of humanity. In this lies the fulfilment of their service, the consummation of their sádhaná.

If the sweet, benevolent sentiment of individual life fails to inspire collective life, we cannot consider their creations as art. Those who are unwilling or unable to consider sáhitya as a form of service and sádhaná, should not try to lay the blame on the collective mind, hiding their own impure thoughts behind their grandiloquence and bluster. They should not claim that they are simply painting a picture of society, that this portrayal is their sole responsibility, and that society will find its own direction under the pressure of circumstances. A discriminating judgement will term such so-called sáhityikas as literature-dealers or pot-boilers, instead of creators of literature, for they are not moving along the path of benevolence. Their business outlook merely views society as the buyers of their books.

The Responsibility of a Sáhityika

The aim of all artistic creation is to impart joy and bliss. Those who serve the people by bestowing this bliss cannot in their daily lives remain aloof from commonplace events, from pleasure and pain, smiles and tears. Literature must remain inseparably associated with the men and women of the soil of this earth, and the sáhityika is also one of them.

People seek deliverance from the whirlpools of darkness; they aspire to illuminate their lives and minds with light all the time. All their actions, all their feelings, express an inherent tendency to move forward; therefore, if at all they are to be offered something in this regard, the creator of art cannot remain idle or inert.

On their journey through life human beings may sometimes stop short in fear or apprehension. Sometimes their knees give way and they sit down fatigued and frustrated. At such times the responsibility of the gifted sáhityika becomes all the more significant. And when sáhityikas sing songs inspiring them to move forward, they have to be very cautious in one respect: after every artistic creation they must look back carefully to determine whether those for whom they sang their marching songs are capable of moving forward with them, whether their thought-waves are touching the core of the people’s hearts, whether their service is really doing them good. In the literary world the crown of glory goes only to those who are constantly aware of their responsibilities as sáhityikas.

Real sáhityikas are not only beacons of the present, they are also minstrels of the past and messengers of the future. They are capable of providing proper leadership for the future only after they have grasped the relationship, the flow, between the past and the present. The past, present and future must be beautifully interwoven in their compositions; only dreaming of a bright future will not suffice. One must remember that all the potentialities of the future lie embedded in the womb of the present in seed form, just as the blossoms of the present bloomed from the seeds planted in the past. So artists should not only use their creative talent to portray the present flawlessly, but should also continue to explore the possibilities of the future with a benevolent mind.

All the possibilities that sáhityikas periodically present to the world, they should present as the healthy outcome of the present. The natural consequences of these possibilities should also be explained perfectly and flawlessly. The relation between the present and the future must be properly portrayed by presenting the causes and effects at every stage. The natural result of kárańa [cause] is known as kárya [effect] at a particular time or place or on a particular person. We should never lose sight of this, even for a moment, because it is the link between these two, cause and effect, that brings people into intimate and sympathetic contact with the purpose of the writer. In the absence of this sympathetic affinity and this dynamic unity, the readers will not be able to identify themselves with any literary compositions. Whatever we may call the writers of such compositions which have no relationship with the collective psychology, we certainly cannot call them sáhityikas. At best we may call their writings compositions, but certainly not sáhitya.

Epochal Literature and Coastal Literature

As already mentioned, marching together with the thought of benevolence is termed sáhitya. Literature which is based on a feeling of benevolence, and which without severing its relationship with us completely, is marching so far ahead of our time that we are not really in step with it, is called tat́astha sáhitya,⁽²⁾ rather than yuga sáhitya [“epochal literature”]. It is close to us, but always slightly eludes our grasp. As this category of literature is ahead of its time, it lasts longer than epochal literature, but it is less significant, I feel, in fulfilling the needs of a particular era.

The outstanding characteristic of epochal literature is that it expresses in clear terms the demands of a particular era; it moves hand in hand with the collective psychology. It conveys in the language of the time every large or small, important or unimportant matter of the human mind afflicted with the problems of that age. If this epochal literature, which is created expressly to fulfil the needs of the era, becomes more dynamic than the people of the age despite its sincere and benevolent intent, it loses its characteristic of moving together with them; it loses all its value. Such literature cannot earn its reputation like coastal literature, and thus all the dreams of the sáhityika end in frustration and failure.

In order to fulfil the demands of the time, good literature must move in unison with society, maintaining control over its own speed. Sáhityikas may move a step or two ahead, for they are the guides of society; but they should not move too far forward, and of course, moving backwards is out of the question.

Movement is the characteristic of life, and so everything must move. Those who have lost their inherent dynamism are indeed dead. The right to preserve, build and rebuild society is the duty only of those who are moving, not of those who are motionless, who are dead. Sáhityikas cannot fling humanity into the stagnancy of death, for in that case they would show themselves to be lacking in benevolence. So, moving together with the people, they will continue to sing their marching songs; they will go on filling the human mind with the sweet nectar of eternal life.

The Sáhityika as the Seer of Truth

The majority of what is termed sáhitya in the world today is mere composition, not literature. Sáhityikas must prove their sense of responsibility with every stroke of their pens. Command over language and ideas is not sufficient. Something more is needed: the power to delve deeply into any matter, the earnest effort to identify with the minds of all, that is, to use one’s mind to assimilate the minds of others into one’s own mind. To put it simply, sáhityikas must be seers of truth. Those who possess a little superficial knowledge of life and merely juggle language cannot produce ideal literature. In the language of the Vedas, a sáhityika is called a kavi [seer]. Only seers of truth can create true literature, for the task of a sáhityika is to point towards the future, and the ability to look into the future belongs to the seers of truth alone.

Those who think that their only responsibility is to portray the past, present or future are not sáhityikas, for mastery over the three dimensions of time is determined by the power to [subjectively] link them together. Those who cannot forge this internal link can never create the proper relation between the past and the present or between the present and the future; none of their portrayals of the past, present or future are capable of finding their complete expression. Therefore, as I have said above, it is better to call these writers mere authors instead of sáhityikas. It is such authors who indulge in utterances such as “Art for art’s sake.” A little examination will reveal the harmful effect of this idea on human society.

The world is the thought projection of the Cosmic Mind, so there is no question of even a momentary pause in the eternal flow. Whether people desire it or not, society has to move forward through ceaseless environmental changes. Literature is the psychic expression of human dynamism. Literature has been created due to the needs of this dynamic humanity, so it cannot be static, nor will it ever become static in the future. The thought-provoking factors that underlie the social picture created by the brush of the artist, that underlie the current of thoughts expressed by the sáhityika, change, and so the artist and the sáhityika should always work keeping a vigilant eye on those changing factors. Although the momentum of society depends on a variety of factors, it is largely determined by psychic and cultural transformations.

Psychological Transformation

Changes in mental outlook are a natural phenomenon, yet such changes do not always take place in the same way; in the past they were different from those of today, and in the future they will be even more different. Human beings must throw themselves into the task of solving the mundane problems that arise as they meet their various needs in the real world, and the solutions must be appropriate to the mundane problems. In this endeavour the speed of the mind is sometimes slow and sometimes fast. The psychic speed of human beings about ten thousand years ago was certainly much greater than it was about one million years ago, when the first human beings had just appeared on this earth. The primitive mind used to move at quite a slow speed; for generations together primitive people used to spend their lives in the same environment, solving the same types of problems. For tens of thousands of years they subsisted on shrubs and weeds and used stone tools and weapons; such was the standard of their civilization. After that came the period of eating animal flesh, and it took those ancient people about two or three hundred thousand years to accustom themselves to this new habit. After the discovery of fire they did not even learn how to use salt on roasted meat very easily.

But today, when we look back and examine the period from ten thousand years ago to five thousand years ago, we find that the speed of human progress had greatly accelerated. At intervals of every two or three hundred years some new discoveries were made. As a result of frequently facing new challenges, the human mind underwent revolutionary changes: animal husbandry gave way to agriculture and scattered communities evolved into more compact societies. Yet in the period from ten thousand years ago to five thousand years ago, nowhere do we find a well-knit social order, although we do find comprehensive efforts to build a society. The Vedas present a vague picture of the varied advances made during that five thousand year period which, judged by modern standards, cannot be called rapid progress. The Vedas are the literary reflection of the psychic characteristics of that time. In that age, when rays of light gradually began to pierce the darkness, people started to realize the need to move together more rapidly. In some of the mantras and hymns of the Vedas, particularly in the Saḿgacchadhvaḿ mantra,⁽³⁾ the seed of this collective dynamism was sown.

The old world passed away, yielding to the new, and the speed of the social momentum greatly increased. Even before the historically famous Buddhist Age, well-constructed and dynamic societies had evolved in China and Egypt, yet the dynamism of these societies cannot be regarded as the second stage of progress. The reason for this is that in spite of the fact that they came after the Vedic civilization, they were actually similar to it [in terms of progress], although they had intrinsically distinctive characteristics.

The society of the Buddhist Age speeded up the progressive rhythm of the Vedic Age. The Vedic social system got caught up in various clashes and counter-clashes and finally reached a state of stagnancy and avoidance of clash. The Buddhist Age imparted new dynamism to the feeble, faltering steps of the Vedic Age by awakening new vigour and adding to the impetus for advancement, thus accelerating the momentum for human progress far more even than during the Vedic Age. That is why, in the literature of this era, we find a more constructive, vibrant social picture than in the literature of the Vedic Age.

The greater the clashes in human life, the faster the development of the human mind under circumstantial pressures. As a result of the increasing complexity of life and the tremendous number of problems during the last two centuries, the progress of society has gained unusual momentum. Whether one likes this progress or not, it has developed naturally and will continue to do so. The momentum created by the last two world wars has been forcibly dragging society forward, as though human beings have become obsessed with conquering time. Due to its tremendous speed, the advancement of humanity has been losing its balance: while achieving success on the one hand, it has faced evident failure on the other. The resulting bankruptcy and failure is glaringly apparent in every line of post-war literature – there is not a spark of bold vision anywhere. Making good capital out of this failure, sáhityikas busy themselves earning money. It is as if humanity is bent upon negating all the traditions of the four-centuries-old Mauṋgalkávya, the time-honoured Rámáyańa and Mahábhárata, revered poets such as Shakespeare, Milton, Vidyapati and Chandidasa, and those works which unite both the educated and the uneducated such as the Rámacarita Mánasa. Although contemporary society is moving with increasing speed, it is incapable of preserving its balance. Sáhityikas have been giving expression to this loss of equilibrium with their pens, thus conveying to their readers that they, too, are part of the unbalanced flow.

Cultural Evolution

Cultural evolution has also brought about, and is continuing to bring about, a considerable change in society. This change is taking place more or less uniformly in almost all the countries of the world. Cultural evolution cannot be considered bad, for although defects in some societies are infecting others, nevertheless interaction does have an immensely positive aspect: the human race, knowingly or unknowingly, is gradually building a new human culture through mutual cooperation.

The different expressions of life are termed “culture”. The greater the mutual contact and exchange of ideas between peoples of different countries, the closer they come to one another in the cultural sphere. The old, worn-out walls of literary tradition are in many places crumbling, and in other places have been smashed to smithereens. As a result a new kind of international literature is evolving, and this is certainly an auspicious augury for the future. But even the auspicious developments which result from natural clashes and counter-clashes may eventually end in frustration and failure due to humanity’s folly. In the absence of honesty, simplicity, spiritedness and genuine human love, internationalism may remain solely the caprice of the sáhityika. The harshness of reality may not be tolerable to the sáhityika, and therefore we cannot surrender human destiny to his or her whims. Sáhityikas must not become intoxicated with the colourful spell woven by their imaginations, nor should they drive humanity to despair by dwelling on the failures of the practical world and singing songs of frustration.

Sáhityikas must be closely attuned to the changes in both psychic trends and cultural evolution which remould the social structure. And not only sáhityikas, but all creators of art, should express a universalistic outlook through their pens or brushes. If artists or sáhityikas do not do that, we must conclude that their artistic talents have degenerated. In fact, their contributions will then be nothing but rubbish which may be fit for fertilizer, but if dumped nearby becomes hazardous to public health.

Artistic endeavour may be justified only when it results in the all-round development of society. If the sáhityika’s inspiration propels the social movement in a particular direction denying all other aspects of society, we cannot call it literature, because there is no real sentiment of benevolence behind his or her creation. A flow of ideas that is not complete in itself is never capable of leading practical life towards fulfilment and perfection.

Struggle Against Obstacles

Before wielding their brushes or pens, real artists or sáhityikas should understand clearly which way society is moving and why it is moving in that direction, what are the fundamental causes of its inherent weakness, and from which doctrines the depraved propensities which are infecting the society emanate. And merely understanding will not suffice; artists may have to resist the surging current of destruction single-handedly.

Yadi tor dák shuńe keu ná áse;
Tave eklá cala re...

[If none to my call pays heed,
Then alone must I proceed.]

Keeping this refrain in mind, they must continue in their relentless effort to fight against the seemingly indomitable might of hundreds and thousands of obstacles which are deeply rooted in age-old superstitions that are firmly entrenched in petty selfishness. Their pens may break into pieces, their brushes may be compelled to draw only lines of water on the canvas, and their histrionic flows may end in mute protests, yet their efforts must continue unceasingly. Each of their petty defeats shall be strung together as pearls in the garland of victory.

When for age after age society spins in the murky eddies of evil and vice, when individual and collective knavery masquerades as intelligence, when hypocrisy, bribery and fraud are the yardsticks for measuring the ability to lead – it is then that the genuine followers of Bháratii [the goddess of learning] must struggle on in spite of constant humiliation. Only taunts and insults will be their fate. Those who are afraid of these insults are incapable of offering anything really lasting to humanity. How can people who lack moral strength, under whose feet the soil is not hard and strong, invite anyone in to a cool, refreshing shelter and impart happiness to them? It may be possible to drag oneself through life by sucking the blood of others like social parasites, but this will not bring fulfilment to either sáhityikas or their readers.

The artist or sáhityika who assumes the responsibility of leading humanity along the path to light from the caverns of darkness will have to heed the road signs on that path. It is not possible to guide others with mere cheap, superficial knowledge, like a half-baked pandit who reads a half-a-dozen books and then spouts a few mouthfuls of grandiloquence, and who has obtained a doctorate by plagiarizing others’ works. Rather it is necessary for the sáhityika or artist to have a keen and vigorous insight, without which all their endeavours will prove fruitless. Merely juggling words or depicting defects in society will not satisfy the hunger of the human mind – and such creations of art are indeed valueless for social progress as well. One must know the path, and one must also know how to move on it. If those who have not comprehended what the form of society will be, allow the trends of the past that have shaped the present to proceed unchecked, they can never lead society to the path of perfection. They will in fact thrust society into darkness in the name of social reform; they will encourage license in the name of freedom. Instead of modelling a woman after the ideal of a goddess, they will mould the image of the goddess after the ideal of a harlot.

Sáhityikas are epoch-makers and so they are the sages and seers of society. They cannot afford to forget their dignified calling even for a moment. They are the messengers of the mute masses, the guardians of society. Their slightest mistake may result in catastrophe, and even a small amount of caution may open up many new possibilities. So a person whose thought and expression is not restrained had better not meddle with the practice of art.

Intimate Relation with the People

I have just stated that it is through finding a balance between psychic and cultural trends that literature proves its worth. Intellectual trends and cultural evolution cannot exist in isolation from the individual or humanity as a whole, for both intellectual and cultural developments concern humanity. And humanity does not mean merely a few favoured persons in the upper stratum of society, like the special delicacies placed on top of the pile of rice offerings to the gods in the temples. Rather humanity means those people who, like the pile of rice, have borne the weight of those delicacies on their heads. Actually, viewed from a proper sociological perspective, those special delicacies should not represent any particular elite person or people at the peak of society, rather they should be regarded as the combined expression of the collective mind.

Those artists who guide that collective expression towards more and more subtle forms will have to maintain an intimate relation with the psychological and cultural structures of the people, with the práńa dharma⁽⁴⁾ [innate characteristics] of their existence. They must not disregard or neglect them even for a moment. If artists remain preoccupied with floating like balloons in the sky and forget the ordinary people, all their creations will end up in smoke after merely flashing for a moment before the eyes. Their writings will not make any lasting impression on the pages of time.

Building the Road to the Future

When changes in society are accelerated due to intellectual or cultural factors, the creations that take birth in the aftermath of a particular situation or in the perspective of a particular tendency are certainly fit to be called literature; but this sort of literature later loses its practical value due to the rapid changes taking place in society. However, those who think that this sort of epochal literature will eventually become valueless are also wrong, for it will not only be recorded in the pages of history, but it will also hold a special value for the sáhityikas of the future. From it they will get an idea of the social trends of particular periods.

Those who scorn epochal literature should know that the sweetness of coastal literature is inherent in the many forms, in the richness of thought, of this epochal literature. The endeavour of the yuga shilpii [artist of the era] alone can resist a powerful degeneration or a great catastrophe. There the creators of coastal literature are only mute spectators. They will continue to interpret morality, but their ability to awaken the spirit of dynamic heroism is considerably limited. The creator of epochal literature goes on constructing the road by excavating earth and shattering rocks and stones, while the coastal sáhityika, perched on the summit of a mountain, makes sketches of that scene and at intervals explains the science of road building.

As society’s dynamism increases, the span of time in which epochal literature remains effective decreases. Due to the accelerating speed it becomes exhausted within a very short time. But in this there is no cause for regret, because the very task of building the road continues, and its relationship with coastal literature also remains intact.

Epochal literature is mainly concerned with time, place and person. So if there is the slightest increase in the effort to triumph over any of these three relative factors for whatever reason, the speed of society as well as that of epochal literature will be accelerated. Although coastal literature maintains these relative factors within its scope, it does not confine itself to their rhythmic movement. That is why the momentum of coastal literature is extremely vague – verging on motionlessness – and thus we call it tat́astha [“coastal”].

The absolute truth is beyond the scope of time, space or person and is also beyond expression. It is therefore not possible to create any literature at all around it. But the golden line with which the absolute truth has united the unit mind, originating from the relative factors of time, space and person, with its eternal soul – that much of the line, at least, which we can to some extent express with the language of our heart – is what is called tat́astha sáhitya [“coastal literature”]. The line which is neither sea nor shore but is touching both is tat́a [the coast]. That which maintains the relation between the two, between the temporal and the eternal, by standing on this coastline, is called tat́astha.

Popular Language

If we call the creator of epochal literature a sage, then we shall call the creator of coastal literature a seer. The sage goes on establishing coordination and adjustment, stage by stage, among time, space and person, and the seer goes on establishing contact between time, space and person and the Entity which transcends all of them. Epochal literature deals with the minute details of the common people’s daily lives – their hopes and aspirations, sorrows and joys – using language that can easily touch their hearts. That is to say, the creator of epochal literature must give great importance to the people’s popular language. But if the people’s language is not given much importance in coastal literature, it will not cause much inconvenience. If Tulsidas in his Rámacaritamánasa and Chandidasa in his Padávalii had used the then scholarly Sanskrit language, could they have wielded so much influence over the people? Similarly, the popular language of any part of the world as a vehicle of epochal literature does not carry very much weight in another part of the world, or with people speaking another language. There are quite a number of well-written English and Bengali books about the history and culture of Rajasthan, but how much can the people of Rajasthan, speaking Rajasthani, be benefited by them? Perhaps the poetic genius of Michael Madhusudhan Dutt could have produced remarkable English compositions, but the marked extent to which his genius found expression in the Bengali language – the way a wonderful epochal literature came into being – perhaps could not have been achieved in the English language. It is not that epochal literature has to be written in the popular language alone, but sáhityikas should write their compositions in their own mother tongues as far as possible.

I have already said that the need for popular language, however, is not so very strong or rigid in respect of coastal literature. I see no reason to be unduly concerned if books about any subtle theory or principle, or any complicated science, are written only in the principal languages of the world, for if they were written in the popular local language, there would be only a few who could study them. But then I would say that those sáhityikas who think that their works will be less in demand if produced in their local languages, and thus instead create literature in the more widely-known languages, cannot be called true sáhityikas, for they lack the spirit of moving together with all. Rather, it will be more appropriate to call such writers pot-boilers or literary businesspersons.

The Symbol of the People’s Hopes

It is through clashes that power finds expression. In a life which is averse to fight, where there is little urge to fight, the expression of life also remains vague and indistinct. Human intellect is awakened through natural, social, psychic and economic struggles. Those who desire to awaken their intellects should not be afraid of struggle.

The social, economic and psychological principles of human life change from age to age. Armed with the strength of past experiences, human beings seek to create their future wealth. This is an undeniable fact. Those who keep their eye on the future and try to create something by cutting off the past will utterly fail, for literature or art can only justify its existence by maintaining a relation between the past and the future. Art or literature which appears suddenly and haphazardly, only to vanish just as haphazardly, leaves everything in turmoil. Due to changes in the wake of its sudden appearance and disappearance, society no doubt achieves some gains and sustains some losses, but we cannot accept these changes as the fulfilment of any constructive endeavour.

Sáhityikas are seers of the truth, so naturally we should not expect anything haphazard from them. In their contributions we want to see keenness of intellect, wise discrimination and the sweet touch of a sympathetic heart.

Where society is caught in a whirlpool of superstitions and prejudices, where it has lost its vision in the darkness of ignorance, there sáhityikas and artists will have to come forward, even if they have to take risks to do so. They will have to show the path to others with a flaming torch in their hand. It is not proper for them to remain inert and inactive, out of fear of stumbling. It is only by waging a ceaseless struggle against all opposing forces that they will lead humanity forward. For their offence of outspokenness, the vested interests of the different sections of society may threaten them menacingly, but they must remain undaunted by this. As the symbol of the hopes and desires of millions of people, they will have to hold aloft the possibilities of the next era, after transcending the limits of this one. This undertaking involves every bit as much responsibility as it does hard work. Artists will have to take into account the natural means of expression of human aspirations, and portray the ideal in a manner which is easily understandable to the masses.

The Language of the Era

Sáhityikas who are born in a particular age or environment cannot completely transcend the influence of that environment and create literature based on an altogether different idea or different language. Human taste is advancing through changes; not only is language and its style of expression changing, but language is gradually losing its simplicity due to more complicated modes of thought. I am not referring here to sáhityikas’ unnecessary endeavours to create linguistic intricacies and complexities. Whether they like it or not, due to unavoidable necessity, they are gradually being compelled to use more and more complex language. This state of affairs existed in the past, exists in the present and will continue to exist in the future. So taking into account the peculiarities of the underlying ideas and language, the insightful critic can very easily detect the lapses of the sáhityika. The language of one era will become archaic or awkward in the next: no epic verse can be composed today with the simplicity of Valmiki’s language. The use of denominative verbs as in the era of Michael Madhusudhan Dutt would only provoke laughter in this age. The ideas and language of Bharatchandra’s Vidyásundara received great approbation from the cultured people of that time and used to be recited with great appreciation in the royal court. The poet, too, was honoured with a royal title in recognition of his work. But today the ideas and language of this work are considered obscene and it is deemed unfit to be read by society.

Even words that the sáhityikas of today unhesitatingly use will perhaps one day be considered indecent by civilized society. But sáhityikas are absolutely helpless in this regard, for it is impossible for them to completely shake off the thought and language of their era. In spite of the expansion of their vision over all the eras, their physical existence remains embedded in a particular age. How is it possible for them to cut themselves off from the influence of their era, whose light and air, soil and water, fruits and flowers, have saturated their whole lives? Chandidasa in his Shriikrśńa-Kiirtana⁽⁵⁾ portrayed Radha far more crudely than Gyanadas and Govindadas did in their literary creations, and yet in simplicity and sincerity Shriikrśńa-Kiirtana is impeccable, regardless of how it is evaluated in the royal courts of literature.

The Taste of the Age

An era advances through the physical, psychic and causal strata. The hands may not move as fast as the feet, and the intellect may move a thousand times faster than the hands; therefore at any one time, a different era may be unfolding, and sometimes is unfolding, in [each of] the different strata of life of an individual or a society. Before we start passing judgements we should remember this fact, otherwise we may do injustice to sáhityikas and artists.

It is necessary to have different kinds of yardsticks for measuring different things. Those who are impressed by the unique artistic expression of the Konark temple sneer in contempt at its obscene sculptures. From the viewpoint of the modern era they are perhaps correct, for their minds are conditioned by modern taste. But we must not forget that those sculptors possessed within themselves the expressions of [other eras], that their artistic creations are an eloquent testimony to those expressions.

With the dawn of civilization humanity’s artistic mind was developed, and people expressed themselves through the media of arts and crafts. Primitive humans depicted in stone the images of the birds or animals they hunted as well as the images of their own internal conflicts. Small groups of people constantly thought of reinforcing and increasing the strength and number of their respective groups in order to gain victory in their battles, and thus in the art of those days phallus worship appears as the symbol of numerical maximization. This phallus worship, which was prevalent among the primitive non-Aryans, was given a new philosophical interpretation by the refined Aryans and transformed into Shiva-liuṋga.⁽⁶⁾ In spite of the subtlety or refinement behind this philosophical interpretation, the more developed people lacked the simplicity of taste of the primitive people. However, the expressions of both groups have become offensive to the taste of the people of today. Of course, these are the results of epochal changes.

If two eras are expressed simultaneously through artists’ hands and feet, thoughts and visions, their contributions may be enriched with all the sweetness of their hearts and minds, but there will be no harmonious balance between their creative expressions and their inner sensibilities. The thought-waves of the sculptors of the Konark temple could not flow towards subtlety at the same speed as their chisels and hammers.

The Message of Human Fulfilment

The genius that evolves from age to age through the process of introversion and extroversion of the intellect does indeed bear the message of the fulfilment of human potentiality. At every step the warm breath of its labour and fatigue finds its true expression; no one has the power to withstand this force. Those who want to transform their psychic wealth into inertness and inaction may perhaps obstruct this force of expression for a while, but the inner momentum of its dynamism will not be in the least impaired. The very next moment it will break through all the dams created by the obstacles with a force increased a thousand-fold. That is why I say that it is through the fight against opposing forces that the intellect is awakened.

It is in fact this consciousness, so beset with obstacles, which has laid the foundations of human civilization, infused literary judgement with a refined outlook and flavoured life with the nectar of Cosmic bliss. In every era literature has brought about different steps, different phases, of evolution of svabháva [humanity’s true nature] through the unique union of shreya [blissful spiritual union] and preya [sensory pleasure]. That which is antithetical to human nature, no matter how assiduously one might attempt to paint it with the colours of the imagination, can never be embraced by humanity. If we liken coastal literature to a party dress and epochal literature to everyday wear, we will have to call this kind of impractical fantasy a dress of silvery tinsel. It has no use in real life, nor has it any relation to human nature.

In order to give full expression to the continuous flow of humanity’s true nature, insight, power of expression and boldness – all three – are necessary. The creation of ideal literature is not possible for those who are always ready to yield to the pressures of the crowd. To manifest that svabháva, one will have to give a clarion call to the common people to struggle against the forces that want to suck dry their vitality. Those voices which lack such bold heroism will simply whine and whimper doggerels in the name of poetry – they will try to save themselves from the responsibility of reality by counting the stars in the heavens.

All are moving forward; no one has come to sit idle, and so everyone will have to march ahead in harmony with all, maintaining a fine adjustment with the flow of life. Whether in thought or in action, in all spheres of life the fundamental characteristic of humanity is to move ahead. Where there is inertness, there is darkness. So one must not give the least indulgence to inertness in the spheres of thought and language. Inertness is just another name for blind attachment to the past. For the sake of benevolence, for the sake of bliss, this attachment has to be cast aside.

If an idea is likened to iron, then the dynamism of language shall be the touchstone. One must always be vigilant to see that the iron does not lose contact with the touchstone. So before giving expression to any elevated idea, sáhityikas must seek out this touchstone and bring it under their control. Many people have ideas which do not blossom due to lack of mastery over language. Those who have ideas must develop their power of expression through continued practice and effort, and those who possess the power of expression must make efforts to awaken their latent insight. The sáhityika must possess both expression and insight – if there is no iron, the touchstone is meaningless.

By power of expression I do not mean merely individual skill with language; rather I mean the irresistible force of the mind and heart. If boldness and courage are lacking, the language will tend to move with diffident steps, with hesitant deliberation. Such timid language cannot express independent thinking due to the impacts of various factors: the prevalent social superstitions; the static bondages of the existing religions; the pressures of political philosophies; the false pride of communalism, provincialism and nationalism; and narrow-minded political ideas. Thwarted by these impacts, weak language either stops moving or expresses itself with extreme diffidence, following the policy of “Kill the snake, but save the stick also.” The root cause of this weakness lies in the cowardice of individuals and in blind attachment to the past. Sáhityikas have to assert themselves thunderingly, give a stirring call to the people and, setting aside all the garbage of impurities with a bold mind and strong arms, clear the path leading to human emancipation. They must be pioneers on the path to fulfilment.

Here there may be a little confusion with regard to the dynamism of language. My exact meaning is that language, too, moves forward, keeping pace with the speed of thought. At times the language of those whose thoughts cannot freely move forward under the weight of ignorance or prevalent superstitions, is also very forceful and dynamic. Even the language of those who compose doggerels glorifying the greatness of a family, caste or pilgrimage, at times appears to be attractive and impressive. One can also write a thesis in powerful language on petty matters such as “A Sneeze”, “A House Lizard”, or, before preparing for a journey, on “Why It Is Best To Go North, Not East”; but I refuse to accept such language as truly dynamic language, for it bustles about within the iron railings of superstition and attachment to the past. It has speed but no movement. A deep analysis will show that for all its acrobatics, it has not moved even a step forward. Yoked to the millstone of superstition like the bullock at an oil mill, it may have proudly walked around the whole day covering more than fifty miles in brisk strides, but it could not move a step forward.

The Unfoldment of Human Potential

Throughout their whole existence human beings eagerly try to develop mentally. They cordially welcome whatever is conducive to that development and strive to understand the unknown; and whatever is antagonistic to that development they reject with all their hearts, though circumstantial pressure may force them to submit to it temporarily. But in the latter case, as soon as an opportunity presents itself, they rise in revolt to deliver themselves from the clutches of those antagonistic circumstances. Human nature has been like this at all times and in all ages. Thus whenever we need to do something for humanity, we should do it keeping this essential human characteristic in mind. The author’s literature and the artist’s artistic creation are dedicated to the service of humanity, and the sáhityika and the artist must always deeply remember this. They should express their subject or theme in a way that will not impede people’s development. Interest must be created through natural expression.

The suggestion of subtle hints, interest and humour that exist even in the crudeness of ordinary life have to be adroitly held up before the eyes of the people – a touch of its colour must be conveyed to their minds.

It is easy to talk, but difficult to act; for in spite of mental characteristics being the same in all persons, they are expressed differently at different times, at different places and in different persons due to variations of saḿskáras [mental reactive momenta] or environmental peculiarities. If the artist’s mind can be made to touch the innermost hearts of others – if their human sentiment can be synchronized with others’ sentiments – then alone can people determine which path will be truly beneficial for them, which road will lead to the greatest realization of their potentialities. If the potentiality for individual or collective development is not clearly understood, the psychic wealth of humanity may be misused at any moment.

Literature can beautifully convey to those who have the potentiality for leadership how to develop that leadership properly and how to build that benevolent leadership on a firm foundation. But leadership is not only found among the good. Thieves, armed robbers and knaves also have their leaders, and there are also leaders in reactionary movements. So if those with the potential for leadership, who are anxious to express their leadership qualities, derive suggestions from the sáhityika about how to enhance their personal prestige through malevolence and wickedness instead of through true benevolence and welfare, they may be influenced to choose the evil path. People are desperate to develop themselves, so if they are not guided onto the path of welfare by the sáhityikas, they will follow the path of evil. They have no time to count the waves as they sit on the shore of the sea of time. They do not and they will not sit quietly, suppressing their desires and propensities in the hope that some day someone will come and direct them onto the path of benevolence.

Human beings want free and untrammelled expression of their innermost thoughts and feelings. Few people have the capacity to judge the way this expression takes place. Some ability, no doubt, develops at a later age as the result of many trials and tribulations, but it is completely absent in childhood, in adolescence and in early youth. So during this period people readily accept glittery, superficial art and literature as an outlet for their self-expression. They do not ponder over it seriously, for they do not even understand the necessity of deeper reflection or analysis.

In this connection it is necessary to add that if two different paths, one good and one bad, are presented to people as a means to express the same idea, they will gladly choose what they think to be the easier one instead of the more complex one. So no matter how benevolent the ideas of the sáhityika, if they are not presented with exuberant delight and overflowing joy, then even though they may be acceptable to some, they will remain ever disagreeable and indigestible to the general masses. These observations may have some significance even for coastal literature, but for epochal literature they are of paramount importance. If literature is not presented through the medium of joy, then it cannot really be accepted as literature at all, because in spite of being guided by the thought of benevolence, that thought is unable to take practical shape. Such literature only increases the price of the book, but it cannot in any way increase the value of humanity.

When a presentation is made through the medium of joy, people have the opportunity for comprehensive enjoyment, and the sympathy of the writer makes direct contact with the hearts of his or her readers. Such an excellent presentation is not possible if the writer lacks genuine human feeling. Good or bad, friend or foe, a chaste lady or promiscuous woman – all are human to the author. The author will have to be responsive to the aspirations of their hearts, and must try to give proper expression to their inner thoughts and sentiments. He or she will try to depict their happiness and sorrow, hopes and desires, and treat every big or small clash and counter-clash of their affliction-ridden lives as an expression of the human heart. To sáhityikas, no profession or propensity is either dignified or lowly; they will only present all these before the people in their true perspective so that the audience, after becoming acquainted with them, may make their individual and collective lives more meaningful. Under no circumstances must the artist or the sáhityika portray humanity as an object of hatred or ridicule. Even the character of a promiscuous woman or a thief must leave on the minds of the readers an impression of sympathy, charged with profound pain.

When artists lack such bold large-heartedness, they view humanity and the world through the spectacles of superstitions. They are incapable of truly acquainting human beings with each other or with the world, because these spectacles of superstition or prejudice distort their vision so much that they are unable to understand the true perspective of anything.

Weak-minded sáhityikas often try to stirringly exhort their readers with forceful language in order to camouflage their own inherent weaknesses before the public. They think that they will prevail due to the strength of their language, but this is a grave error on their part. Perhaps a few fools may be deluded for some time, but ultimately, recognizing the malevolent repercussions of such literature, people will scrupulously avoid it. A careful examination will enable anyone to discover the flagrant emptiness that always lurks behind such high-sounding utterances. Generally speaking, the more the sáhityikas’ vision is clouded by the blind delusions of communalism, provincialism or nationalism, the more this sort of literature will pour out from their pens.

Decency and Indecency in Art

Also, there is a serious difference of opinion among artists and sáhityikas with regard to decency and obscenity in art. The conservative among them, or the connoisseurs of art and literature, are somewhat like the supporters of the cult of varńáshrama [casteism]. They think that a slight deviation from the established tradition will tarnish the purity of art or literature. Excessively worried about matters of caste and outcaste, about the analysis of decency and vulgarity in art or literature, they lose sight of its main objective. If while writing and drawing or using the chisel and hammer they become entangled in the wranglings of so-called ethics and morality, they cannot make any contribution to any section of the people. If you open a book to find that it contains only moral sermons, you will have a headache before you read even five pages of it. If in a motion picture only moral ideas are paraded over and over again to the exclusion of everything else, the public will never appreciate that film.

The conclusion of all of this is that the thought of public welfare alone should be the motive force behind all artistic and literary creation, and that thought will express itself only through artistic joy – only then can subtle intellect awaken in crude minds. So when artists or sáhityikas have to create such a flow of delight as they move forward, they cannot afford to cling to any fastidious notions of so-called purity or impurity, for this will retard their progress. Excessive prudery, like mysophobia, will obstruct their movement.

Mysophobic, conservative writers will compose poems about the sea, mountains and moonlight, will paint literary pictures of the drawing-rooms of the aristocratic Ballygunge elite, but it will offend their pens to write about the endless humiliations, the low standard of living and the vulgar dirtiness of the neglected, uneducated society in the villages, because these matters are unpleasant. The abominable life of corrupt women, the obnoxious environment of the slums, the carnal cravings of antisocial human beasts – all these they seek to avoid, because they are unacceptable by the standards of “decency” and “decorum”.

The human mind has many ideas and propensities that are normal and natural. But mysophobic artists or sáhityikas, with their touch-me-not-or-I-might-lose-my-purity mentality, want to avoid all these. They think that these propensities, if given a place in literature, will jeopardize society. I cannot support this orthodox, rightist mentality.

Yet those who are leftists in the world of art are even more dangerous. The defect of the rightists is their inaction and that of the leftists is their hyperactivity, which is based on selfishness. It seems as though they are deliberately seeking out the dark and dirty aspects of life and, like flies, growing fat on the secretions of society’s festering sores. It must be remembered that flies do not heal sores, rather they exacerbate them, because it is the pus of these sores that provides them with their vital juice. So the filthy aspects of society are the only capital on which these artists and sáhityikas subsist.

If art or literature is created around the base propensities of the human mind, people will naturally gravitate towards it in large numbers, and the creators of such literature will earn a great deal of money from it; indeed, this is the only aim of their artistic creation. Engaged in the quest of evil, obscenity and vulgarity, they also [like the rightists] lose sight of the primary goal of art.

In light of the above, I would say that in matters of decency or indecency the middle path is the best; that is, we must not deviate from the ideal. At the time of pursuing the path of benevolence we shall not bother as to whether the brush, the pen or the chisel has touched and taken on decorum or vulgarity, decency or indecency, during its march ahead. If we do, we will stray from our path.

I am not prepared to accept any hard and fast rule that literature must be created focusing on good citizens alone, nor am I inclined to agree to the policy that crude and mean people have to be presented to the readers or viewers as low or vile. In my opinion, artists must be completely sympathetic to whatever they create. Those who are inferior and neglected, helpless and destitute – whom society considers to be infernal maggots – are the very people who are the most unrepresented in the salons of literature. They are mute, and so the heavy responsibility of expressing the sentiments that are hidden in their tormented minds has to be borne by the artist. The sáhityika or the artist has to take the responsibility of enabling them to rise up and sit in the same row with the rest of society, after dusting off the dirt from their bodies.

Mundane and Transcendental Love

Many people complain that a major part of modern literature is full of the whimperings of cheap erotic love. I cannot but agree with their complaint. Such allegations can be brought not only in the sphere of literature but in every sphere of art. After seeing Bombay-made films it seems as though the youth in our society has nothing better to do than to busy itself with so-called love – as though every college girl of every respectable community is engaged in amorous escapades, throwing all decency and decorum to the wind. In fact the mentality of those artists and sáhityikas who only depict this type of situation is completely inert like that of a eunuch.

Whatever the profound, philosophical implications of the word prema [“love”], the true characteristic of love is supra- physical – beyond the bondage of any limitation. When artists become absorbed in the essence of love and try to convey it to the people through their language, rhetoric and subtle suggestions, the sweetness of their artistic genius reaches the apex of expression. But then this creation of the artist cannot be regarded as popular literature or art, because the subtle sense which is capable of comprehending that transcendental feeling is, in fact, undeveloped in most people. We do find at places in the literature of Rabindranath Tagore some semblances of this pure, supra-physical love, but whenever Rabindranath tried to give expression to it, he became unintelligible to the masses. The transcendental thoughts and ideas of the sweet, graceful shlokas [couplets] of the Upanishads are also incomprehensible to the common people.

This sublime love has established itself for all eternity beyond the limits of time, space and person. Infinite love is the ultimate ecstatic expression of finite love. This sense that artists try to awaken in the popular mind, when they devote themselves to the task of establishing the link between the finite and the infinite, between the mundane and the transcendental – this awareness, though not purely transcendental, is of the greatest importance in the realm of art. Because it gradually leads that sweetness of the human mind which is apprehensible to ordinary intelligence to a dreamland that is beyond the senses. Rabindranath’s poem “Úrvashii” is a composition of this type. There is no dearth of physicality in the poem, nor is it difficult to understand, and yet its crude material expression gradually expands into a subtlety beyond understanding.

Love that is completely physical is not love at all according to philosophy. Therefore philosophy will not, and perhaps should not, entertain such love at all. But can an artist ignore it? An ordinary person feels pleasure or pain in every great or small incident of life. Even love concerned with the body cannot be completely isolated from pleasure and pain. How then can the artist, whose job it is to portray human happiness and sorrow, who is dedicated to giving form to the impact of human grief and pain, hopes and desires, neglect physical love? Regarding this, no artist or sáhityika can dispute the statement of Rabindranath:

Ore kavi sandhyá haye ela,
  Keshe tomár dhareche ye pák
Base’ base’ úrdhvapáne ceye,
  Shuńtecha ki parakáler d́ák?
Kavi kahe, sándhayá ha’la bat́e,
  Base áchi laye’ shránta deha
Opáre oi pallii ha’te yadi,
  Ájo hat́hát d́áke ámáy keha.
Yadi hetháy bakul taruccháye,
  Milan ghat́e tarúń-taruńiite
Dut́i áṋkhir pare dut́i áṋkhi,
  Milite cáy duranta saḿgiite.
Ke táháder maner kathá laye’
  Viińár táre tulbe pratidhvani,
Ámi yadi bhaver kúle base’
  Parakáler bhálamandai gańi.

[“O poet! evening has come.
Your hair is streaked with grey.
Are you listening to the call of the other world,
As you sit and gaze at the sky?”

“Ah yes, evening has come,” replied the poet.
“And here I sit, with limbs tired and frail,
Waiting for a sudden call from yonder village –
A call that might come even today.

“If here under this shady bakul (sweet-scented olive) tree
Two young hearts meet in longing,
And two pairs of eyes seek to merge as one
In the eloquent melody of song,

“Who will play on the strings of the vina,
Who will echo the strings of their hearts,
If I sit on the shores of the ocean of time
And ponder the virtue and vice of my life?”]

Here it must be noted that artists must seek to exhibit to people the simple form of truth, sweetened with the sweetness of their hearts. But it is a matter of great regret that a class of modern artists, in the realms of poetry, novels, cinema, drama, etc., employ all their artistic talents for the sole purpose of kindling people’s crude sensuality, instead of portraying human propensities with the idealistic outlook of a true artist – what to speak of portraying their subtle human feelings. Without supporting conservatism, I would say that this class of artists is truly a blot on society.

Plays and Dramas

Some time ago complaints were frequently heard from lovers of plays that no accomplished playwrights have appeared since the great poet Girishchandra, and that although other branches of literature have rapidly developed, plays are gradually dying out. Their complaints cannot be easily dismissed; rather they deserve the attention of the play-loving populace, the playwrights and actors, and the well-wishers of society. Why are good dramas not being produced? Why say that good plays are not being produced? Is the dramatic literature modelled with the touch of a rare genius like Rabindranath not good? Perhaps by “good plays” the complainants mean “box-office plays”, and it is precisely because most of Rabindranath’s plays are lacking in box-office appeal that they do not take them into account.

In literary parlance we may divide plays into two categories: first, the box-office play, and second, the witty stage play of high literary excellence, which demands a little extra intellect to understand and which in English literature is called “drama”. The first, the box-office play, is a part of epochal literature, and so it is necessary for the writer of such a play to be fully conversant with the problems of the contemporary era. It is only when it gives just expression to current problems through songs and dance, uproar and tumult, laughter and tears, joys and sorrows, that a play becomes a box-office hit. Even slight or sizeable lapses in characterization and treatment of conflict do not in the least diminish popular appreciation of this class of presentation. Light-hearted audiences of mediocre intelligence go home happy after laughing, crying and enjoying songs and dances for some time; they do not feel like criticizing or commenting on the underlying ideas and language of the presentation. So playwrights, too, have to wield their pens in accordance with the demand of their patrons, the common people. If they have any drawbacks or shortcomings of their own as sáhityikas or artists, they can easily disguise them through cheap humour, so that what they have written for the public may justify its existence by offering them a little jollity.

The form and presentation of most of the films of modern India, particularly those with the Bombay trade-mark, pertain to this category of presentation. There is nothing to ponder or comprehend about these plays; there is hardly any question of reality or unreality in them either. If they contain any expression of the age, well and good; if not, there is no harm.

As I have already said, however, a play may be considered successful only if it combines excitement with the vivid portrayal of the era. But for this portrayal of the problems of the age in the drama, it is essential for the playwright to have a clear concept of the age in which he or she lives. Those who have this are, indeed, genuine artists; in their presentations there is a wonderful blending of the public demand and the artist’s talent.

Most of the compositions of Rabindranath do not fall into this category of plays. He was a real poet and so his dramas, although not neglecting the demands of the age, always sought to remain outside the purview of the era. Thus his dramas were seldom popular in the theatre, where most spectators go for a little amusement and not to appreciate the niceties of literature. However, they received the unstinting approbation of real connoisseurs of art and literature. Those members of the audience who were unable to properly appreciate the subtle nuances of his dramas on the stage, nevertheless experienced an indescribable joy when they read those same dramas. This type of dramatic presentation, which in English is called “drama”, is called nát́áyana in Sanskrit. Playwrights draw their vitality from this very nát́áyana.

It is noteworthy that some of these dramas written somewhat in the style of box-office plays, enjoy greater popularity even than box-office plays. From this it is evident that, although the common people are fond of riotous hilarities, they have in them a dormant aesthetic sense which may be aroused through song and dance as well as through the portrayal of pleasure and pain, laughter and mirth. Of course, with the increase in the number of educated people with literary taste, drama, too, is becoming a stage success in many countries. Previously theatre owners suffered appreciable losses when Shakespeare’s dramas were staged. But now, with the increase in the number of literature-lovers, Shakespearean dramas have far surpassed even box-office plays in popularity.

Most of the compositions of the great poet Girishchandra fall into the category of plays, for he was associated with the professional theatre. He was well aware that if dramas were staged, they would not receive any appreciable reception in the society of his time, and thus he took to writing plays. He himself was a reputed actor, and so the theatre-goers greatly admired all the characters in almost every composition he wrote. Yet it must not be forgotten that although he had to write plays for the sake of his professional career, he had within him a deep, aesthetic, poetic genius, and so most of his plays had a touch of drama, a suggestion of supra-sensibility. In fact, judging Girishchandra’s compositions with an impartial mind, it must be admitted that he chose the middle path between drama and plays. As he expressed in his own language:

Álgá táre bol ot́he ná;
T́ánle cheṋŕe komal tár.

[Loose strings no tune impart,
But tension tears the tender strings apart.]

I cannot wholly agree with those who say that no good dramas have been produced since the death of Girishchandra; but then I cannot absolutely disagree with them either. Rather I would say that since Girishchandra we have had quite a number of good dramatists as well as good actors, but we have not seen genius like Girishchandra’s; he was a rare combination of a powerful actor and a successful dramatist.

Song and Dance in Plays and Dramas

Among modern critics we can observe a sizeable difference of opinion regarding the necessity of song and dance in plays. There is no doubt that background music greatly helps to create a dramatic atmosphere. Background music cannot, however, be said to fall exactly in the category of songs and lyrics; it is just a subtle device to help the mind apprehend the sentiments portrayed; there is nothing natural or unnatural about it. People go to the theatre knowing that they are going to watch a dramatic performance, and they feel no difficulty in accepting music as a natural part of the plays. But I cannot accept that songs must be in plays. Let there be an abundance of songs and dances in those plays which are written to elicit cheap applause from the audience, or let wholly unnatural songs be forced into the mouths of the hero and the heroine as explanations of each event or situation; but while writing dramas one must be extremely careful about this. There are plays in which, after a tragic event such as the death of a dear one, the bereaved mother or wife starts singing a plaintive song, and that, too, to the accompaniment of rhythmic musical instruments. Those who do not analyse this objectively may perhaps be moved to emotion by such a song of lamentation, but those who are connoisseurs or lovers of literature will leave the hall in utter disgust; it is not only unreal, it is absolutely offensive to the taste. Even heroes and heroines who did not know each other at all before, are seen singing a duet. Did they rehearse the song beforehand?

Truly speaking, with the exception of musical plays, it is necessary to exercise restraint and good judgement before introducing songs in other dramatic presentations. We can tolerate the character “Conscience” singing a song in a musical play, for Conscience is an allegorical role. But in the mouths of the hero and heroine, any song that is incidental to the story is absolutely unbecoming and out of place. No matter how richly imbued the song is with thought and sentiment, it is not at all desirable to use it to indicate the future of the dramatic plot. People do sing and dance in the course of their daily lives; such songs and dances do depict their joys and sorrows, hopes and despair, but they sing and dance in particular circumstances. The plaintive song is sung long after the mournful event – with the dead body on their laps, they do not sing sorrowful tunes over it. Upon receiving any happy news, people shout or jump for joy, but they do not start dancing according to the accepted rules, with proper posture, gesture and rhythm. Song and dance may be introduced in a play portraying people’s daily lives, but one must be cautious that they do not appear unnatural to the discriminating readers and spectators.

A drama is concerned with the subtler portions of the mind, and so the songs of dramas have to be imbued with elevating thoughts and sentiments. Just to maintain the purity of classical music, a drama cannot indulge in substandard compositions. The songs in a play are composed in order to attract the popular mind, and hence there is nothing to be said against them. But one must be careful that the songs do not contain the seeds of malevolence.

Short Plays and Mystery Plays

Today people are extremely pressed for time; they do not have much leisure to read or watch plays. The relentless urge to triumph over time has gradually obsessed the human mind. Hence playwrights, and directors too, are obliged to adopt a policy of compromise and adjust to public demand. A short play does not have the same scope as a longer play to vividly portray life, or to effectively represent the conflicts of the characters. Nevertheless, today more stress is being given to short plays, since for most people the value of time has considerably increased.

It is impossible for a short play to be as wide-ranging as a long play. That is why almost all playwrights who try to do that fail. In a short play it is impossible to deal with the story of the characters’ whole lives; even a particular event or conflict cannot be fully dealt with and done justice to. One must be satisfied with presenting only a small part of any situation or theory. It is only by combining several playlets that the playwright can properly portray any situation, problem or ideology; several one-act plays joined together can thus give a good idea of the multifarious life of society.

The success of a play, particularly a mystery drama, depends largely on the creation of suspense. Unless the theme is very complicated, the readers or spectators do not feel particularly disturbed if the suspense is introduced in the very beginning; their feelings of appreciation remain unaffected. But if the plot is complicated, it is desirable to give the reader or audience time to form a rough idea about it before introducing suspense, instead of introducing it at the very beginning, as this will help them to appreciate it more. Otherwise, if the audience has not even understood the suspenseful situation, it is impossible to create in them the desire for release from the suspense. Instead people will spend most of their psychic energy pondering over what they do not understand in the complicated plot instead of being curious about what is coming next.

In my opinion this applies equally to both screen and stage plays. The difference between them is that the author of a screen play derives assistance from the art director or the studio technicians, whereas the author of a stage play does not. The latter has to arrange the environment through the dialogues of the characters.

Short Stories

The range and scope of short stories are exactly the same as those of plays, but short-story writers must know the technique of presenting a long story concisely. Suspense is equally effective in short stories as in plays; dramatic skill is essential for the writer of those short stories which come in the category of sketches, because a sketch holds an intermediate position between a story and a play. Some critics think that sketches also come within the category of plays, and I do not see any reason to contradict their opinion. Actually the most significant difference between a play and a story is that the characters in a drama act and talk before the readers or the audience in living form, whereas in a story or a novel it is the writer who talks, either personally or through his or her mentally created characters. The chief characteristic of a play – be it an opera, ballet, drama, play, shadow play, etc. – is that it contains expressions of living characters.

Whenever literature properly utilizes the opportunity to relate any actual incident or imaginary event cohesively and adroitly, such a creation is called a long story. In Sanskrit a long story is called kathá, and a short story is termed kathániká. The responsibility of the novelist, however, is a great deal more onerous than that of a story writer, for in novels the systematic narration of a story is not the sole or primary element; psychological analysis as well as the conflicts of the characters must also find proper expression. To compose coastal literature around stories is extremely difficult, if not impossible; but in novels it is quite possible. Novels are a form of fiction, or kathányása [sometimes called upanyása]. (It is difficult to find exact equivalents in Sanskrit for these two words, “novel” and kathányása. The word kathányása, current in languages such as Bengali, Hindi, etc., means “to place together, to juxtapose”. There is some confusion about the meaning of the word in Bengali and Hindi. In some Indian languages the word kádambarii is used for kathányása; this is probably due to it being related to the Sanskrit book entitled Kádambarii. Novels never existed in ancient Indian literature, and thus there is no Sanskrit term for this word.)

Generally we see that the human thinking capacity becomes somewhat dull in the wake of a major catastrophe. This accounts for the present psychic state of the human race which, as a result of two major wars which took place within a short period of time, is suffering from various miseries and tribulations. Humanity is at present unable to think, read or comprehend anything serious. Even artists and sáhityikas who are capable of thinking or discussing serious matters do not feel any urge to do so, thinking that if they do, they will not get any encouragement or patronage from the public. To say that there are no artists today is completely incorrect; there are still some, though they lack vitality. What is scarce is not artists but patronage and encouragement. Even if we accept that a real artist does not create art in the hope of receiving encouragement, I would say that even when artists undertake to create something propelled by their heart’s emotion or engaged in the endeavour to lose themselves in the expression of their art, it is necessary to provide them with the things they need in order to express their vital force. The lack of such a provision means that both artists and their art meet a premature death. So instead of blaming artists, rudely condemning their worthlessness, one has to admit this paramount truth: that since we ourselves are incapable of thinking or understanding anything serious, we are actually pushing the truly creative, high-quality artists towards destruction.

Poetry

The essence of poetry or poetic literature is its penetrating appeal, where the feelings of the heart are the main thing. Whatever is narrated in prose in simple, direct language, if expressed in poetry will be tinged with sentiments from the core of the heart and with subtle suggestions of the unknown. The readers are required to understand the dynamic relation between the past and the future through the feelings of their hearts. That is why poetry cannot be comprehended by merely listening or by reading; to understand it one must touch the poet’s heart with one’s own heart.

These days humanity has lost its aesthetic appreciation for poetry as a result of torments caused by the harsh blows of reality. Poetic literature, particularly the epic, has become completely obsolete. And yet when human beings first attempted to determine the relation between the natural and the supernatural, when the subtle aesthetic sense awakened in them for the first time, the basket of literature was filled with cowrie shells⁽⁷⁾ of poetry. But today these cowries are obsolete – they have no value in the market – and poetic literature, too, is in the process of decay. Few people buy poetry books to read. Yet during the spring of youth, when the ebullience of the heart is pronounced, adolescents still read poems and try to explain them to others or recite them with all the sweetness of their hearts. But with advancing age, when the once sensitive mind, smitten by the blows and counter-blows of the world, becomes hardened like an over-burnt brick, charred in the fire of worldly ordeals, then its capacity to appreciate poetry is reduced to nothing. People come to like only those things that have some relation with reality, and the ebullience of the emotion of the heart no longer has any appreciable value. Of course there are exceptions, but generally we find that the poems that elderly people recite are invariably those that they had memorized during their early youth. In order to survive poets are now tending to compose realistic poems. This is not altogether bad, for at least in this way poetic literature may find the path to longevity.

Lyrics

The poverty of lyricists is not so marked at present, since the market for songs still exists due to the cinema, radio, stage and recordings. Although what lyricists receive as remuneration is nothing compared to their labour, still their prospects are far better than that of poets. Any serious lyrics are heading for destruction – all that is left is the showy glitter of language. The purity of rágas or ráginiis [classical melodies] has been lost, and what remains is merely the glamour of adulterated, non-classical tunes; from the viewpoint of lyrical value, modern songs are gradually heading towards bankruptcy.

Essays

Similarly, there is no current demand or appreciation for essays with serious themes. People today want light and attractive essays. Thus to satisfy this demand, novelists and essayists have started writing charming compositions in which seriousness has no place. Essayists take small or great themes, from the lowest to the highest, and tell their stories lucidly with a few flashes of erudition here and there. The writers of such narratives or descriptions have no recognized standard before them, nor do they make any constructive endeavour to create one. Writers seem to give more importance to linguistic jugglery than to their main theme which is thus relegated to a secondary position. When the contents of a composition arouse a sense of literary appreciation or express the author’s sense of responsibility, only then can such a composition be called an ideal essay.

While more superficial compositions lack profundity of thought, authors of serious compositions must acquire the skill of narrating in an absorbing conversational tone. Many good novelists lack this ability, and hence they fail to write attractive compositions.

Children’s Literature

There is yet another form of literature which is gradually gaining importance, and that is children’s literature. Here the author’s sense of responsibility and proficiency is more important than in any other branch of literature. Every sentence of children’s literature should have a wonderful power to attract the mind and a crystalline simplicity, and should embody an attempt at open-hearted expression. The author has to explain through language and ideas how to live a pure straightforward life.

The child’s mind is filled with fanciful imagery, and so the sáhityikas will also have to spread their wings and soar in the sky of imagination. However, they cannot afford to indulge in intricacies and complexities during their visionary ascent. The thirst for the distant and the earnest zeal to know the unknown that abides in the child’s mind must be satisfied by drawing pictures of magical lands and relating colourful fairy tales. What is “real” or “natural” is not so important. What is more important is to carry the child’s mind along in the current of joy, and in the process to acquaint the child with the world in an easy and simple manner. The harshness of reality should not be portrayed – the child will not want to read about it or listen to it. “The prince of the mind with his wings outstretched in the azure sky, soars to the kingdom of the old witch beyond the worlds of the sun and the moon. He ties his Pegasus to the golden branches of the pearl tree and heads off in search of the sleeping princess in the silent, serene palace. He gets a tip as to where to find the magic wands of life and death, and rouses the princess from her centuries-old sleep. Then he finds out everything he can about the den where the demons sleep and sets off into the world to become a hero...” Picture after picture, colour after colour, must accompany the words; this is what the child’s mind craves.

Among those who are a little older, that is, boys and girls in their early teens, farces and satires are quite successful. In these children can find ideals that are conducive to the formation of their characters. But for those who are comparatively young, simplicity will be the guiding principle in whatever is written. Overindulgence in wordplay, flowery language, figures of speech, or long, didactic preaching will turn children’s literature into trash.

Lullabies

A much neglected aspect of children’s literature is the lullaby, which generally falls in the category of verse. As a form of literature it also has its own special characteristics. The lullaby portrays the visionary environments in which all children’s literature should dwell; but the unfolding of the story takes place much more rapidly in lullabies. The child sees picture after picture in his or her mental mirror and slowly falls into the bosom of sleep. So the composer of lullabies has to be an accomplished painter at heart:

Shánta haye’ shońre khoká
Bale’ geche tor dádá,
Kine’ debe duit́i ghoŕá
Kálo ár shádá.
Sakál beláy sháda ghoŕáy
Beŕábe tumi caŕe’,
Kálo ghoŕáy caŕbe yakhan
Belá yábe paŕe.

[“Hush, my child, listen!” said your brother tonight.
He’ll buy you two horses, one black and one white,
You’ll ride the white in the morning bright,
And ride the black one in the failing light.]

The mind of the child gets lost in the horses, their colours, the time of day, and the joy of riding on horseback, and while musing over these pictures, he or she slowly and gradually falls asleep. It is important that lullabies should convey the inspiration to develop heroism and knowledge, but there should be no frightening ideas in them. If any fear is created in the children’s minds even inadvertently, it cannot be regarded as a lullaby.

Through such verses a child can easily become acquainted with nature in a way which makes the world delightful and captivating to them:

“Boltá ghumáy, bhomrá ghumáy, ghumáy máchi,”
Shiulii phuler gácht́i bale “Ámi jege’ áchi”
Khoká – “Shiulii kena jáge?”
“Jhaŕe paŕbe ha’le bhor,
Sei samaye sońár khoká ghumt́i yábe tor.”

[“Asleep, asleep, all asleep
The wasp, the flea and the bumble-bee.
Awake am I, awake I keep.”
Says the shiulii-flower (coral jasmine) tree.
Child: “Why does the shiulii stay awake?”
Mother: “Because the blossoms will fall at daybreak,
And at that time, my darling, you will awake.”]

Indispensable domestic duties may also be taught through the medium of delight, as in such verses:

Chi chi chi chi ránii rándhte shekheni,
Shuktonite jhál diyeche ambalete ghi,
Jyat́háimáke bale jhole mashalá doba ki?
(Ár) Parmánna reṋdhe bale phyán phelba ki?
(Edike) Bhojbáŕite khoṋj paŕeche ekhan upáy kii?

[Alas, alas, hasn’t Rani learned the cooking art?
She puts chillies in shukto,⁽⁸⁾ ghee in ambal tart!⁽⁹⁾
Asking Auntie, “Shall I put spices in broth?
From the sweet rice porridge, shall I drain off the froth?”
While the guests wait for dinner, hungry every one,
Now what’s to be done, oh what’s to be done?]

Often through these rhymes even the weary, long-suffering images of oppressed people may be vividly expressed, and contrasted with the pomp and glamour of prosperous society. But this, too, should be expressed in a light-hearted fashion:

Khukur doba biye ámi Hat́t́amálár Deshe
Tárá gái balade caśe,
Hiirey dáṋt ghaśe.
Ruimách-pat́ol táder bhárebháre áse,
(Kintu) Khukuke ánte gele
Khukur shváshuŕii
Pichan phire’ base.

[Khuku will be wed in the wondrous land of Hat́t́amálá,
Where they till their fields with oxen and bulls,
And brush their teeth with diamond-powder;
Where there’s fish and green gourd by the basketful.
But going there to fetch Khuku,
Her mother-in-law scorns her by turning her back.]

Thus these neglected folk-lyrics and lullabies have enormous value in the formation of children’s character. Enlightened sáhityikas should pay attention to this aspect of literature also.

Towards the Transcendental Entity

As the sense of subtle aesthetics developed in human beings in the course of evolution, a desire to create art also awakened in them. The artist’s ideal is to be established in transcendentality beyond the bounds of the sensory world. So artists, or more precisely, worshippers of fine art, have to be spiritual aspirants if they want to move in the right direction. The cultivation of fine arts by those who have not developed spiritual sentiment or accepted the spiritual ideal as the goal of life is merely a mockery. Only those who look upon all worldly things from a spiritual perspective can realize in everything the blissful Transcendental Entity. The greater the realization of this Transcendental Entity, the greater the understanding of one’s oneness with that Entity, and thus the greater one’s success in the creation of art.

The successful creation of art is absolutely impossible for those who do not seek that subtle Entity, even though they possess some capacity to create. Such people’s thought processes go adrift, like a sailboat with a torn sail. Their mental aberration is reflected in all of their writings, which ultimately become strange and grotesque.

Besides this, in the individual lives of such artists there occurs a serious catastrophe. In the battle between their transitory sense of aesthetics and their desire for material happiness, their strength of character gets destroyed by the tension between the subtle and the crude. That is why we find that in the history of the world those who lacked purity or spiritual ideals and spiritual austerity, no matter how great their genius as poets, sáhityikas or artists, no matter what reputation they earned in their respective fields of art, could not command respect and prestige as human beings in society due to their loose characters. It is due to lack of strength of character that the talents of many good singers, actors and other kinds of artists have prematurely withered away before attaining full development.

As mentioned above, the greater the contact with transcendentality, the greater the success of the artist, for knowingly or unknowingly the human mind is seeking transcendentality. People yearn for the unknown; they cannot remain content with the known. Thus where there is an endeavour to create art merely out of the events of daily life, it does not appeal to the intuitional faculty of the human mind.

Can there be an artist without genius? Is art the result only of sincere endeavour, of hard labour? Quite a knotty question! I think the answer lies in the inherent spiritual thirst of human beings. In other words, a genius is born into this world with a powerful innate spiritual hunger, whether he or she realizes it or not. For those who do not have this spiritual hunger, the endeavour to become artists by effort and labour alone is absolutely useless. But then, if a person who has no creative genius succeeds in kindling his or her spiritual urge and desire for the infinite, it will not be impossible for him or her to develop genius.

Naturalness and Unnaturalness in Art

Another question which has started to be discussed is the question of naturalness in art. According to many, art should faithfully express itself in the same natural way that, for example, people normally eat, sleep and talk; otherwise, they say, it will be defective. In the field of drama much emphasis is being given to this idea these days. This has also affected recitation and other forms of artistic expression. But I cannot fully agree with this view.

Depending upon the theme and nature of the topic, the introduction of diversity in theatrical expression is quite natural. To express crude ideas one must resort to crude language, crude gestures and crude forms of expression in daily life. These, however, cannot be employed to give expression to subtle feelings. For this a particular language, a particular diction and particular gestures will be necessary. Then it will be easy to appreciate the beauty of the dramatic performance at its face value, instead of looking at it as an expression of naturalness.

Actually, the vivid presentation of the artist’s ideas is of primary importance, and to achieve this any means should be adopted. We should not be too concerned with naturalness or unnaturalness; none of the illustrious actors of the world have ever worried about this point. The dogmatic assertion about the importance of naturalness in art has not come from the mouths of important personages of the theatrical world, but from petty people with superficial knowledge.

The combination of language and mudrá [gesture] that makes acting successful must be fully utilized by the actors. To maintain naturalness one should not use confused or incoherent language or make the characters gesture-less and awkward. In individual life, in our so-called natural state, we seek to express our inner ideas, and often the communication of these ideas to others is secondary. In a dramatic performance, however, this communication is of primary importance.

Music

The same holds true for music. The combination of giitá- vádyá-nrtya [song, instrumental music and dance] is called saḿgiita [“music”]. When a song is composed only to express the laughter and tears of ordinary life, it is not very difficult to convey this to the ears and hearts of the people; the song discharges its responsibility well enough using ordinary language and melody. But where the feelings and sensibilities are deep and subtle – where one has to create vibrations in the molecules and atoms of the body, in the chords of the heart – the music has to follow an extraordinary path. Hence, to those who are incapable of ingesting the subtle feelings of the science of music, the álápa [introductory portion of a classical piece] will be nothing but prálápa [delirious raving].

If music must descend to the ordinary level of life to conform to the desire for naturalness, then pre-eminence will be given to doggerels, and the sweetness and charm of real music will become extinct. Indeed, the music that is in vogue in the world today in the name of popular music is nothing but doggerels of this type, though expressed in better language. Language, rhythm and melody are indispensable parts of a song – one cannot exclude any one of them. (The difference between a song and instrumental music is that songs are comprised of rhythm, melody and language, but in [Indian] instrumental music rhythm is predominant, melody is subordinate and language is absolutely nil.)

Dance and Recitation

Dance is customarily divided into two categories: gestural and rhythmic. Many people are loathe to accept that gesture-less, rhythmic dance can be considered dance at all. If one looks at the characteristics of dance, one must admit that both gestures and rhythm are important components of a dance: the gestures give expression to the inner sentiment, and the rhythm gives it dynamism. If dance has only gestures but is devoid of rhythm, it is called pantomime, not dance. And dance devoid of gestures is merely a form of physical exercise – it is not art.

The greatest difference between recitation and acting is that in acting there is both language and gesture, while recitation consists of language only. Thus in acting there is greater scope for the expression of refined aesthetic taste than in recitation.

Painting and Sculpture

For architecture a perfect mastery of the science of engineering along with knowledge of art is necessary; thus there is a wonderful blending of the crude and subtle arts in architecture. No matter how great the suggestion of subtle aesthetic sense in architecture, it never has the scope to be unnatural. Yet it is in painting and sculpture, which are considered to be the subtlest of all the arts, that we find the true expression of the wonderful aesthetic quality of the human mind. In the calm stillness of a painting or sculpture, everything has to be vividly expressed – laughter and tears, hopes and fears, gestures and language. Indeed, painting and sculpture beautifully bridge the gap between the mundane and the supramundane.

In painting and sculpture, as in drama, the question of naturalness or unnaturalness arises, and here, too, the same answer holds true: the mode of expression must be chosen to suit the sentiment expressed. In fact, to raise the question of naturalness or unnaturalness in painting is absolutely unfitting. At the time of giving physical expression to his or her mental image, the artist is not bound to reproduce a particular part of the body according to physiological science. Giving form to a thought or idea is what is important; the artist is not a teacher of physiology. Bringing thought or idea into the world of form is his or her artistic sádhaná.

Society’s Responsibility towards the Artists

Artists and sáhityikas are the guides of society, and it is society’s sacred duty to keep a watchful eye on their ease and comfort and to help them preserve their existence. This sense of duty is all the more necessary where art and literature is practised as a part of social service, not as a profession. People can on no account evade their responsibilities towards the artist, since art and literature are dedicated solely to the service of the people. Where the state belongs to the people or is run according to their will – that is to say, in a democratic state – the government, as the representative of the people, should take on this sacred responsibility.⁽¹⁰⁾ When the government is facing difficulties due to financial stringency, or where due to a particular policy or any other cause the state is reluctant to give encouragement to art, people outside the government in the broader community will have to directly shoulder the responsibility.

If we consider the financial condition of those who are cultivating the different fields of art today, we find that those who are practising music are the most solvent. Not to mention cinema, radio and recordings, musicians on the whole have ample opportunity to earn money by displaying their skills at social gatherings and variety shows.

[Yet] except for a few prominent individuals, the condition of the majority of dancers and instrumentalists is not at all good; it is worse than that of singers – although dance and instrumental music are far subtler than vocal music.

Reciters, too, have very little scope to earn money. Many talented reciters stop their artistic endeavour due to lack of sufficient encouragement by society.

People may perhaps think that these days actors and actresses are riding on a wave of popularity. This may be true for a handful of people, but not for the majority. Only those who have earned their reputation in the cinema or on the professional stage have a good income and indeed they do very well; but for actors of mediocre talent the scope to earn money is quite limited. No one is willing to give new actors and actresses a chance. Even if they are given the opportunity to perform, the wages offered to them will not even be adequate for their subsistence. Most directors do not want to take risks with new, young actors and actresses. Producers and distributors find it more convenient to increase the sales of their films by using old and seasoned stars. Most producers with experience in the film industry have little knowledge about techniques and standards in the art of filming and so they also do not come forward to help new artists. Therefore, on the whole, in all the countries of the world the only hope for newcomers with acting talent is the professional stage. Amateur theatre is in a decrepit condition due to its failure to compete with cinema except in countries where it receives appreciable state aid. So it is not possible for it to accommodate new artists.

If dramatic art is to develop properly – indeed, if it is to be kept alive at all – then every country must adopt a strong policy. The first step of this policy will be to build up fully- or partially-government-aided theatres in every major village and city, which will be exempt from amusement taxes. Of course, people should expect that the government will adopt a liberal policy and award full freedom to connoisseurs of art in the selection of the subject matter of the plays. And if the condition is imposed that no political groups shall be allowed to use plays as media for their party propaganda, this will be a welcome measure. When the number of theatres increases and dramatic performances become popular, there will be a greater demand for dramas. This will certainly encourage talented authors to write dramas. It is because plays do not sell well that powerful authors do not want to write dramas. If plays receive proper remuneration, then there will certainly be a change in the outlook of authors. Furthermore, if the number of theatres increases, playwrights will no longer have to depend upon the generosity of a few big theatre magnates; for if plays prove their worth in the theatres, playwrights will not have to worry about how to sell them.

One more step, in my opinion, that may be taken in order to encourage playwrights, is to give them financial help in the form of a daily honorarium for the number of days their plays run on the stage, regardless of whether it is a professional stage or a non-professional stage. This will give playwrights the opportunity to earn money whenever their plays are staged, and thereby free their minds from the cares of subsistence. Then they will be able to apply their minds to writing more new plays for society.

Gone are the days when poetry was a commercial proposition. Books of poetry sell even less than dramas and it is hard to say how far the slogan “Read more poetry” will help. But I think we can expect good results if we introduce the custom of presenting books of poems at social ceremonies and festivals. Poets may even feel sufficiently encouraged if a variety of books of poetry are selected as textbooks for higher classes. Each book will be written by a single poet because if the poems of different poets are compiled in one book, none of the poets will reap any financial benefit.

Encouraging Painting and Sculpture

Painting and sculpture, the two subtlest art forms, are the most lacking in popular encouragement and sympathy. It may be argued that in countries where idolatry is prevalent, sculptors have been able to preserve their art due to popular support, and the problem of their subsistence is thus being solved without government aid. Is this not, some say, the most significant sign of popular support? I cannot persuade myself, however, that the people of idolatrous countries are connoisseurs and patrons of sculpture. There is no doubt that the people of such countries buy images from the image-makers, but they do this due to the inspiration of their religion and not out of love for art. If love of art were their motivation, then they would certainly not throw those symbols of art into the water after worship.⁽¹¹⁾ The situation is different where people buy images of metal, wood or stone to permanently establish a deity in their homes; but there, too, the buyer’s intention is not to encourage art. Although they pay some attention to the beauty and sweetness of the image, they do not give a free hand to the sculptor to create it as he or she wishes and the artists’ work remains confined within the boundaries of the religious eulogies to particular gods; they seldom have any opportunity to display their own original ideas. Hence the observation that the people of idolatrous countries patronize art by buying images is not correct – they only help to preserve a particular class of artists.

In order to encourage the art of sculpture, sculptors should be given full freedom as artists, or else their creations will be mere made-to-order, commonplace things. These artists should be free to sculpt images of human beings, animals, natural objects and all natural and unnatural events. Then, freely giving shape to new ideas, they will go on producing new gods every day, and the dhyána mantras⁽¹²⁾ of the gods will evolve around the products of their art. Then alone will art find its justification. The artists’ creations will not remain confined within the four walls of the temples, but will rather be in close contact with the common people in all spheres of social life. Statues, deities and other creations will attain a place in every field of life – in homes, drawing rooms, clubs, schools, parks, and indeed, everywhere. Sculpture must also be popularized by occasionally holding exhibitions.

Image-makers do receive some patronage, whether or not it is thanks to idol worship, so that category of people do have a chance to make a living, but as regards those who practise painting, there is no longer any such opportunity. Nevertheless, at one time small groups of painters emerged in different lands. In Bengal, for instance, there was a community of people who took to painting as their trade; they were known in society as painters or pat́uyás. Of course, while painting gods and goddesses they had to work according to the specifications embodied in the sacred hymns and thus had very little scope for original expression. However, apart from these divine images, they used to paint many other things as well, taking full advantage of their freedom and opportunities. People used to patronize these pat́uyás in the same way as they did other artisans. When they went shopping they would also buy one or two pat́s [paintings] painted by the village artists. But those days are now gone. Today such paintings have lost their prestige due to various psychological and economic factors. With the development of sophisticated techniques of printing, it has become far too easy for people to collect all sorts of cheap and showy pictures. This has afforded opportunities to a few reputed artists to earn money, and they, in turn, have no doubt provided opportunities to other traders to earn money as well, but in the process they have uprooted the pat́uyá community from society.

Lack of proper appreciation is one of the causes of the destruction of this art form, if not the chief cause. The people of India have failed to appreciate the pictures painted by the village artists, considering them to be very ordinary or even unnatural. Instead they buy, at higher prices, pictures of the same kind or inferior quality, which are painted by reputed artists from distant lands. Previously people looked down on the paintings of Jamini Roy as pictures of Kalighat, but when a famous gentleman from a far-off country showered unstinting praise upon these very Kalighat pictures, the local people deigned to take a little interest in him. Jamini Roy should have received long ago the recognition which he has today.

Actually, most people have consistently ignored the merits and demerits, the speciality and charm of paintings, and that is why it is incumbent on the state or cultural institutions to keep this form of art and its practitioners alive. Furthermore, they must awaken in the people an aesthetic sense; that is, it is the duty of these institutions to teach people to appreciate art. The names of the artists Nandalal Bose and Aban Thakur are well established today; yet I think people would have taken much longer to recognize them had Rabindranath not preceded them.

To buy original paintings is often beyond people’s means, and so, in spite of their love of art, they are generally satisfied with inferior substitutes; in other words, they decorate their homes with copies. Artists do not usually benefit financially from this, and indeed very often they suffer losses – and not only financially. To remedy this, art galleries should be maintained in all major clubs and libraries; original paintings could then be lent to the members in exactly the same way as books are loaned from the libraries. In this way artists, especially new ones, would receive great encouragement. Clubs and libraries could even take a venture and print the most popular pictures.

Authors’ Publishing Cooperatives

When we consider the most numerous and prolific sáhityikas today, we find that their literary efforts have generally not been able to solve the problem of their subsistence. In most cases the sugar of their profit is being gobbled up by ant-like publishers. We hear everywhere that there is a slump in the book market, and the royalty rates for new writers is not even discussed. If those pioneers of society, who portray the past in the present and the present for future posterity, who paint a picture of the future for the people of the present, are forced to starve or half-starve, this will certainly not be to the credit of human society. It is unthinkable for these creative geniuses to have to curse their own fate.

In my opinion sáhityikas themselves will have to find the solution to this problem. They should publish their books themselves on a cooperative basis. It is not possible for insolvent sáhityikas to operate this business individually, nor is it desirable, for then they might develop a capitalistic, materialistic mentality. Nor is it desirable to constantly blame governments without reason; indeed, if the book publishing business falls into the hands of the government, sáhityikas may suffer more harm than good. The publishing business must be kept completely in the hands of organizations other than governmental ones, or else literature will cease to be literature and will be transformed into the bulletins of various parties, as has been, and is, the case in many countries of the world.

The Critics and Patrons

All have the right to criticize artists or their art – artists who do not like criticism have no future. But it is also appropriate to say a word or two about critics. First, their criticisms should help artists, not discourage them or belittle them. Secondly, those who criticize others should also be well-versed in art and literature. To pass opinion without having studied or written anything oneself, after merely going through a few books of criticism, is nothing but officious meddling and interference. Such critics, who lack adequate knowledge, indulge in literary gasconades based on superficial views, and are able to get away with it. (Such sham and hollow intellect has no value when people comment on science writings, or on philosophical writings or other kinds of scripture; for it will ultimately be exposed.) So even sincere and discriminating artists who are truly willing to change often feel greatly disturbed by such criticism.

In this connection there is one more important point to make: those who could not succeed as authors themselves, even after writing dozens of books, are the most vocal in criticizing others. In other words, they betray their own repeated failures through their criticism. It is futile to expect any help or constructive guidance from this class of so-called critics. In all spheres of life it must be remembered that if one seeks to display one’s authority, one also has to shoulder responsibility. We have the right to walk on the streets, and so we also bear the responsibility of keeping them in good order by forming a municipality. Those who love art and artists should criticize them with a sympathetic mind. In such criticism there may even be caustic censure of serious and sizeable flaws, yet behind all this the sympathetic feeling of the critic’s heart should be easily understood by any sáhityika or artist; then the artist may easily accept the critic. Indeed, today we need this type of critic.

These days Sáhitya Sarasvatii [the goddess of art and learning] is mortgaged to Lakśmii [the goddess of wealth], for the value of the goddess of learning now depends upon the favours of the goddess of wealth. Whatever the quality of the writing, if the publisher is well-established, the book will sell well in the market due to effective advertising. Thus the indigent sáhityika suffers humiliation as he or she cringes at the doors of reputed publishers; and publishers are quick to exploit this situation in their favour. Due to publicity stunts and propaganda, it has become impossible for the common people to know which book is good and which is not.

There is a flagrant dearth of developed critical literature or critical magazines in every country of the world. Books sell in the market on the strength of publicity skills, or on the strength of how they excite the lower human propensities, or in some cases by their crude ability to provide entertainment for the common masses. That is why we find that books published by the authors themselves, regardless of how good they are, do not sell well in the market. On the other hand, books which excite people’s sexuality, whatever might be their content or language, sell extremely well. Every reader knows that books such as those of Sasadhar Dutt’s Mohan series or Dinen Roy’s Rahasyalaharii series sold much better than any of the good-quality books of Bengali literature. Thus sales are not a criterion for judging the superiority of a book. It is therefore a great problem for the readers, purchasers and library directors to select books, and there will be no solution to this problem as long as high-quality critical literature and critical reviews are not available.

Caught in the eddies of commercial and party cliques, sáhityikas have to face yet another disadvantage. Literary criticism, whether right or wrong (though in my opinion all samálocaná is just samálocaná⁽¹³⁾ and should always be constructive), must acquaint the readers with the writer. But where literature is not given proper recognition for any particular reason or where the writer is kept remote from the readers and does not receive an introductory review, the situation is very difficult for the writer. It is to avoid such problems that today’s writers have started knocking at the doors of reputed publishers. This is certainly not a healthy sign for the world of literature.

Powerful people have exploited sáhityikas in various ways, taking advantage of their indigence. This has been going on since ancient times. In those days even kings and emperors encouraged court poets, giving them gifts of tax-free properties, and in that way bought their head and their hands. Talented sáhityikas or artists frequently had to do uncongenial jobs under circumstantial pressure for the amusement of their patrons. To satisfy the whims of their licentious patrons, they had to compose obscene poems and sculpt obscene statues and images. To make their patrons’ enemies look contemptible, they had to besmirch their names with scandals and calumnies. To extol the dress, colour, family, caste, class and ancestry of their patrons, they had to resort to lies and fraud and cite the revelations of the gods as substantiation. The same condition has continued even today. With very few exceptions, most sáhityikas belong to the lower stratum of society. In spite of their desire to work independently, most of them have pawned themselves, from the grey matter of their brains to the very tips of their fingers, to particular people and organizations. Even those who appear from their writings to be bold and spirited, have, under circumstantial pressure, become the playthings of political parties.

In contrast to olden times, today the different countries of the world have allocated numerous awards for sáhityikas. But that is where the danger lies. Every government, whether monarchical, republican or autocratic, is run according to a particular ideology, and so there is little chance for the government to suddenly become impartial in bestowing awards on sáhityikas. Naturally it will judge the merits and demerits of the sáhityikas in accordance with the bias of its own party, and consequently sáhityikas will be compelled to sacrifice their ideals to feed their stomachs.⁽¹⁴⁾ These observations are generally applicable to different types of governments, but especially to democratic states, for in democratic states ideological clashes are more in evidence, and hence the need to propagate ideologies is also more acute. That is why democratic states want to use sáhityikas as propaganda tools. Needless to say, such made-to-order writings cannot be called literature at all – political propaganda can never be called literature.

If a government sincerely wishes to give encouragement to good and honest sáhityikas, it should form a board of non-political educators to give awards. This task could also be performed by the universities for, on the whole, universities still maintain their non-political nature. Nevertheless the appointment of a non-political board is preferable, for these days there is an increasing tendency among universities to flatter political leaders in the hope of getting an increased government subsidy or grant. By liberally awarding doctorate degrees to ministers and their deputies, regardless of whether they deserve it or not, the impartiality of the universities is being gradually eroded.

There is one kind of critic who become extremely upset when sáhityikas attach themselves to a particular literary group; they say that since literature is for all, why should a sáhityika be attached to any particular group? I, however, hold a different view. The ideal of literature is to promote the welfare of all, but the path this endeavour will take cannot necessarily be the same for everyone. What is there to grumble about if those sáhityikas whose mode of service is similar, choose to work in a group? Those who object to the formation of literary groups and societies that dub themselves “Anti-so-and-so” lack tolerance as well as civic sense. Sáhityikas may also form “Pro-so-and-so” groups, and no one should object.

Acquiring Proper Knowledge

The greatest obstacle to the collective progress of the human race is the ignorance of the individual mind. Knowledge is for all – it should be available to all and free like the light and air. It is undeniable that the most powerful medium for the dissemination of knowledge is a good book. That the value of an object is assessed in the field of application is undoubtedly true. And so the greatest means of assessing the value of knowledge is its successful application in the practical field. We cannot accept purely theoretical knowledge as true knowledge – either it is self-delusion or a luxury. Even recognized knowledge loses its value if, after we acquire it, we stow it away like a pile of sacks in a corner of our mind. Of course, if some people lack the ability to express through language either their own feelings or the knowledge that they have acquired through study, I have no complaint against them. Yet I would say that an artist should try to convey whatever he or she knows to the hearts of the people in an easily understandable manner. Anyone who does not do this is, in my opinion, not properly conscious of his or her social responsibility. Of course, it is quite a different matter if a person suffers some sort of inconvenience or disadvantage in this regard. Those who prove their sense of social duty by placing their feelings properly before people are indeed artists; they are truly distinguished sáhityikas.

The sole cause of the internal weakness of human society is its ignorance. The superlative intuition that removes this ignorance is nothing but the thought of the Cosmic Mind. Art or literature is one of the sources from which common people get the opportunity to become established in the Cosmic Mind. If the mind of one fails to know the minds of others, if the minds of many are not comprehended by the mind of one, then how is the establishment of unity possible? The sádhaná of the artist or the sáhityika has been continuing throughout the ages, and its aim is to see one among many and lead the many to the path of one. In this effort there is no imposition, no legal injunction, no imperious pressure by any administration, only a sweet and cooperative relationship. Though separated into many countries, many states, many religions, many communities and 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 sáhityika who will convey this truth to the hearts of humanity in a still sweeter language, still more strongly and deeply.

The human race is moving at an irresistible speed. Today humanity wants to forget those whose works have centred around various kinds of fissiparous tendencies. Human beings want to channelize the full range of their vision towards the bright future – a future which will transcend all individual or group interests, all territorial limits of countries and states, and transform the individual fates of many people into one destiny. Human beings no longer want to rely on so-called providential favour.

Individual heroism is about to lose its vibrant spirit. Nowadays people have learned that if the thrill of victory is due to anyone, it certainly belongs to humanity. About seven hundred years ago the Asian poet Chandidasa, from an obscure corner of Bengal, sang about the same great possibility:

Shuńa he mánuś bhái,
Sabár upare mánuś satya
Táhár upare nái.

[O human beings, my brothers and sisters,
Humanity is the highest truth,
There is nothing beyond it.]

Today not even the Pacific Ocean between Asia and America is difficult to cross. The people of Asia and America are touching each other’s minds and have learned to accept each other sympathetically as their own. Europe, Africa, Australia, Mercury, Jupiter, the stars, the comets, the constellations – none of them are alien to the others, none are distant from the others. Gradually everyone has begun to realize the vibration of the one integral mind.

It is my firm conviction that the future of humanity is not dark. Every human being will reach that inextinguishable flame that is forever alight beyond the veil of the darkness of the present – and reach it they must. Those who carry the message of that effulgent light will be forever revered by all humanity. I see in the sáhityikas and artists of today the potentiality to become such memorable and venerable people, and that is why I hold them in great regard. The American poet Carl Sandburg has said:

There is only one man in the world and his name is All Men.
There is only one woman in the world and her name is All Women.
There is only one child in the world and the child’s name is All Children.⁽¹⁵⁾

In exactly the same strain, in perhaps sweeter language, the same idea has been expressed by the Asian poet Satyendranath:

Jagat juŕiyá ek játi áche
Se játir nám mánuśa játi;
Ek prthiviir stanye pálita
Eki ravi-shashii moder sáthii.

Shiitátapa, kśudha-trśńár jválá
Sabái ámrá samán bujhi;
Kaci-káṋcáguli d́áṋto kare’ tuli
Báṋcibár taŕe samán yujhi.

Dosar khuṋji o básar báṋdhi go
Jale d́ubi, báṋci páile d́auṋá;
Kálo ár dhalo báhire keval
Bhitare sabái samán ráuṋá.

Báhirer chop áṋcaŕe se lop
Bhitarer rauṋ palake phot́e.
Bámuń-shúdra, brhat kśudra
Krtrim bhed dhúláy lot́e.

Ráge anuráge nidrita jáge
Ásal ḿánuś prakat́ hay;
Varńe varńe náhika visheś
Nikhil bhuvan Brahmamaya.

[There is only one race in the world,
And that is the human race,
Nourished with the milk of the same Mother Earth,
Dwelling within the same compass of the sun and the moon.

The same heat and cold, hunger and thirst,
We all equally feel.
Together we raise tender green plants and make them strong.
We all struggle to preserve our lives.

We seek friends and comrades and build happy homes,
We all drown in water, we all thrive on land.
Black and white are merely external hues –
Internally the blood of all is red.

By penetrating below the surface,
The true inner nature is instantly revealed.
The Brahman and the outcaste, the great and the small,
Are all artificial distinctions that ultimately crumble to dust.

When love awakens in sleeping souls,
Then true human beings will emerge.
There is no difference between one colour, one race, and another
For the entire universe is pervaded by one Infinite Consciousness.]

Human beings of today, in chorus with Chandidasa, Sandburg and Satyendranath, will move together shoulder to shoulder towards an exalted human oneness, towards the highest fulfilment of their individual lives.

Niviŕ aekye yáy mishe’ yáy
Sakal bhágya sab hrday;
Mánuśe mánuśe náiko prabhed
Nikhil mánav Brahmamay.

[Inseparably united, all faiths and hearts will merge.
For there is no distinction among human beings –
The whole humanity is an expression of the Supreme One.]

Footnotes

(1) There is no equivalent word for sáhityikas in English. Sáhityikas are those who write with the thought of the welfare of all humanity uppermost in their minds. –Eds.

(2) “Coastal literature”. Tat́astha, “coastal”, refers to the “coastline” or “shoreline” between the temporal and the eternal (see the section “Building the Road to the Future”). –Eds.

(3) The spirit of this mantra is that all human beings are inseparably united. For the complete mantra and the English translation, see “Social Psychology”, “Ananda Marga – a Revolution” or “Problems of the Day”; for the author’s line-by-line explanation of the mantra, see “Saḿgacchadhvaḿ” in Volume 3. –Eds.

(4) See “Práńa Dharma” and “Deprivation of Práńa Dharma” in Volume 2. –Eds.

(5) Compiled by the late poet Vasanta Ranjan Roy Vidwadvallabha.

(6) Philosophically, Shiva-liuṋga refers to the Entity from which all things originate. For further discussion on Shiva-liuṋga, see “Tantra and Indo-Aryan Civilization” in Discourses on Tantra Volume 1, 1993. –Eds.

(7) Cowrie shells were once used as money. –Eds.

(8) A vegetable dish which is not meant to be hot or spicy. –Eds.

(9) A sour sauce-like disk which never contains ghee. –Eds.

(10) See also the later section The Critics and Patrons. –Eds.

(11) As is the custom with, for example, the statues used during the annual Durgá Pújá festival. –Eds.

(12) A Sanskrit verse listing the attributes of a deity, to be used for visualizing that deity in meditation. –Eds.

(13) Samálocaná is normally used to mean “criticism”, but more precisely means “proper criticism”. –Eds.

(14) See also the earlier section Society’s Responsibility towards the Artists. –Eds.

(15) This is part of the last stanza of “Timesweep”, published in Honey and Salt, 1963. –Eds.

Chapter 3	Discourses on Neohumanist Education [a compilation]

Human beings have an inherent and limitless desire for all-round victory in all spheres of life. In any sphere of life, important or unimportant, it is unthinkable that people will be content to lead insignificant lives. The idea of moving along a set path, eternally subservient to nature, has always been repugnant to human psychology. Sometimes, however, people are compelled to submit to the laws of nature due to extreme circumstantial pressure, and this is due to their lack of sufficient intellect and stamina.

All human sadhana is merely the effort to overcome internal weaknesses. In order to try to overcome their psychic imperfections, people constantly get involved in ideological conflicts and thus create ever-new philosophies of life. This is how human society evolved and established a great and rational ideology conducive to the highest fulfilment in life.

Not all human energy, however, is exhausted in the effort to remove psychic imperfections. As people have to maintain their existence in this seemingly adverse physical world, naturally they must make constant endeavours in the physical sphere. In order to conquer static Prakrti [the Supreme Operative Principle], physical science, or bhaotika vijiṋána, evolved. The Sanskrit word vijiṋána, however, is not synonymous with the English word "science", because in Sanskrit vijiṋána stands for Brahma vijiṋána [intuitional science], or adhyátma vijiṋána [the science of spirituality].

Nowadays some people claim that science is the root of all evil and that new scientific inventions have created dissension in society, leading human civilization down the path to catastrophe. With an open mind we should carefully and thoroughly analyse such claims.

In war the moment people envisage the possibility of defeat, they begin to invent new weapons to help them to achieve victory. Physical science plays its part by discovering new formulas to assist in such invention. Had physical clash not existed, the creation and evolution of the human mind would never have been possible. The emergence of subtle human intellect as we know it today would never have happened.

This type of phenomenon has occurred in all organisms, and thus all organisms have developed scientific thought processes according to their respective psychic proclivities and capabilities. For example, the building of nests by bats, the construction of pathways by white ants and the weaving of webs by spiders prove that these creatures have some knowledge of science.

Today many people have assembled here in Gorakhpur. Now I ask you, if no scientific progress had occurred, would it have been possible for all of you to walk here from your remote villages? In order to overcome physical and psychic problems and inconveniences, the people of a particular era invented and popularized bullock carts for transportation. Later they developed faster horse-drawn carriages. Subsequently, as the era changed, public demand also began to change. That is why different types of transportation, such as motor cars, aeroplanes and more recently rockets, have been invented at different times. None of these inventions should be condemned. They are all simply designed to meet the psychic demands of different ages.

We know that due to natural causes, guŕ [raw sugar] usually cannot be preserved for a long time. Besides that, many people do not even like the taste of guŕ. For these two reasons people invented sugar from molasses through scientific processes. Now, can anyone claim that the discovery of sugar has been an impediment to human progress? If we consider molasses more nutritious than sugar, would it not be more scientific to enrich sugar with nutritious ingredients, or would it be more reasonable to put out pro-molasses propaganda?

Some people take every opportunity to needlessly criticize science. Of course, such criticism comes from those who have lost their inner vitality and capacity to adjust to new situations, and from those who, due to physical inertia, have accepted some dogmatic notion as an established fact.

Engrained habits prevent people from easily adapting to new circumstances. That is why some people deliberately hesitate to recognize scientific contributions. As long as such people fail to establish a psychic parallelism with new scientific discoveries, they will denounce the very things which they themselves often use for the sake of convenience when the situation demands it. For example, those who bitterly criticize modern medical science and eloquently praise primitive medical methods do not object to using bandages approved and prescribed by modern allopathy. Even staunch supporters of khádi [hand-spun cloth], the proponents of the "molasses philosophy" and the advocates of bullock carts wear mill-made cloth, take sugar in their tea and travel by aeroplane to deliver fiery lectures denouncing modern science.⁽¹⁾ But after some time, when they get used to such applications of modern science, they stop abusing and denouncing those things. Things which they initially condemned now become easy for them to use, because the scarcity and non-availability of old things gradually forces them to adapt to the new things.

Thus it is evident that those who criticize science in reality want to turn the onward current of the Ganges back to its source, to Gangotri. This totally contradicts the principles of dynamics. In fact, such an endeavour betrays a negative mentality. No amount of shaking the world and turning it upside down will ever bring back the age of ancient sages and hermitages. The general masses will never reject mill-made cloth for the bark of trees or eat raw flesh in preference to cooked food. There is no greatness in returning back to the guŕ era from the sugar age. Perhaps those who have never tasted sugar would like to live in the guŕ age, but once people have come in contact with sugar they will never fully revert back to guŕ, even by mistake. The reason is that their enjoyment of tea with sugar has become common and natural. Of course, to enter into a guŕ-sugar controversy is meaningless because guŕ, too, was once invented through scientific endeavour.

Conflicts in the physical sphere gradually awaken dormant human potentialities. Environmental influences also increase the degree of complexity of the human body. The problems of ancient and modern people are by no means identical. To keep pace with the changing problems of life, the human body and mind have gradually become more complicated. The physical structures of ancient humans would have certainly been unfit for solving the problems of today. As the mind becomes more complex, its direct centres, the nerve cells, and its indirect centres, the glands, undergo corresponding changes. As the nature of problems changes, the human mind responds by making new scientific discoveries. I am therefore compelled to say that the steady cultivation of science must go on and that such cultivation will never be an impediment to human progress.

But most of the detractors of science do not want to recognize this obvious fact, just because they are guided by sentiment. They do not realize that their blind attachment to the past is propelling the flow of their minds towards inertia. They are making their minds more and more reactionary and losing their dynamism. Those who have lost the rhythm of life’s movement should properly be called static and inert, enshrouded in darkness.

Keeping pace with the change in time, the human mind should always be kept occupied with progressive thoughts and work methods. In order for people to be able to carry out new responsibilities, changes take place in the nerve cells of the brain. The structure of the physical glands simultaneously undergoes change. As a result not only are people’s physical and psychic structures becoming more complex, but the entire society is also becoming more complex. The number and the magnitude of the problems is rapidly increasing. In such circumstances can we afford to remain smug and silent, exulting over past glories? No. We should scientifically research solutions to our problems. As the saying goes, "As the sword, so the scabbard." No matter how complex our problems may be, science will have to develop equally complex solutions to those problems. We certainly do not want to appear ridiculous by using primitive bows and arrows to fight against powerful atomic weapons.

The more complex the body becomes internally, the more control people are able to exert over the various parts of the body. With the progress of science it may one day be possible to deposit a person’s body in a particular place in Gorakhpur and send only his or her brain to London. There will be no need to transport the load of the physical body to London. Although this sounds like a fairy tale, it is certainly going to happen. People will deposit their limbs in a body bank, and then enjoy a safe, sound sleep.

The cycle of rotation of the social classes will continue. That is to say, as class struggle continues, one class or another gains dominance in a particular era. Now if science remains completely in the hands of static people, the outcome will be disappointing. The only beneficial result will be that if the class struggle continues unabated, people will eventually understand that only sadvipras have the capacity to be the leaders of society. I call sadvipras only those people who strictly and sincerely follow the principles of Yama and Niyama.⁽²⁾ In the collective efforts of sadvipras lies humanity’s best hope of establishing peace and progress.

Democracy is incapable of solving society’s problems, because in a democratic system one class gets the opportunity to dominate the others, whose freedom is curbed to a great extent. Since democracy does not recognize any fixed principles as absolute, rivalry, jealousy, meanness, immorality, etc., take deep root and flourish unchecked. Moreover, the colour and form of democracy keep changing because it repeatedly accepts relative truths as cardinal principles.

The establishment of a classless society is only possible for those who accept Parama Puruśa [Supreme Consciousness] as the goal of their lives, for those whose entire mental power is ceaselessly directed towards one supreme goal. In a society where there is no class struggle, the remaining classes will have to disappear and all people will have to unite under the banner of one common ideology. This can only be done by sadvipras, and therefore, for the future welfare of the universe, a [benevolent] sadvipra dictatorship is an absolute necessity.⁽³⁾

The establishment of such an ideal is not possible within the democratic system because candidates depend on petty thieves, hardened criminals and antisocial elements for votes. Able and competent candidates are defeated in elections when the issues of casteism, provincialism, communalism, etc., are raised. Moreover, people with absolutely no intelligence or moral standards and no experience in politics, administration, education, etc., are entrusted with the responsibility of determining the fate of the candidates.

Most individual and social problems can be beautifully solved by sadvipras, with the help of scientific research. Science is certainly capable of solving most of the land problems that exist to some degree in all countries of the world. If the need for foodstuffs decreases, the importance and value of land will automatically diminish. To satisfy a person’s hunger, a single food tablet may one day be sufficient. The production of abundant quantities of such tablets in science laboratories will remove the disparity between the rich and the poor, because the poor are driven by pangs of hunger to become the slaves of the rich, who are then provided with many opportunities to accumulate more wealth. Of course, even before the development of synthetic food, science has already contributed in many ways to solving food problems. Although the world’s population is increasing all the time, the total area of land available is not increasing proportionately. Even so, with limited areas of land at their disposal, people, with the help of science, are increasing food production through improved manure, seeds, irrigation systems, etc. We can therefore see that science is indispensable for human progress, and without it half the population of the world today would have died of starvation.

We know, too, that medical science has helped people immensely in the past, continues to help them in the present and will continue to help them in the future. Medical and surgical developments have helped people to increase their longevity in the past and likewise continue to do so today. If people can successfully forestall ageing and death by replacing old glands with new ones, what more could they want? Medical science is now capable of doing this. One of the reasons that the physical body dies is that its glands become old and weak. Hence death can be delayed if a person’s glands are replaced.

Of course humans beings will not achieve immortality by temporarily cheating death or by increasing their longevity a little, because they possess another thing: the brain. From this brain emanate psychic feelings such as "I exist" and "I do." When the brain becomes old and worn out due to age as well as constant use, it naturally decays and distorts information. If the entire brain is replaced, the whole human personality will undergo radical changes. In such cases it will have to be considered that the former person has died and a new person has taken birth.

Through proper scientific research, it will be possible to bring about a change in the glandular structure of the body. As a consequence even a dishonest person will be able to become an honest one. But the previously acquired saḿskáras [reactive momenta] of the mind will not change. Although this process may change the flow of a person’s pratyayamúlaka karma [original actions], the flow of his or her saḿskáramúlaka karma [reactions to original actions] will not be affected.⁽⁴⁾ The brain is the receptacle of the mind, and the mind is the receptacle of the saḿskáras. Now, if the brain is replaced, the mind, with all its reactive momenta, will have to take a completely new receptacle, in which case the person will be an entirely new being. If through some scientific process a person’s brain is replaced with a monkey’s brain, the person will cease to be the owner of that human body. From the standpoint of psychology, he or she will not be human at all and the body will gradually take the form of a monkey’s body. The secretions from the glands will also become similar to the secretions from the glands of a monkey’s body. In the same way a man can be transformed into a woman or a woman into a man. And not only that: a powerful mental ideation can also bring about a change in the glandular secretions in the human body. In this way also a man can be transformed into a woman or a woman into a man. And through a partial change in his glands, it would not be impossible for a man to conceive. However, science can never change people’s saḿskáras. Therefore, for the development of their personalities, there is no alternative for human beings other than to perform sadhana.

For the sake of human progress, scientific research must always be encouraged, but it is desirable that it should be carried out under the supervision of sadvipras.

A day will come when human babies will be produced in scientific laboratories.⁽⁵⁾ Not only that, in the future spermatozoa and ova will also be created in laboratories. Thus little by little human beings will lose their reproductive power, but the reproductive urge in the human mind will never altogether disappear. Since the potential for creation exists in the original Creator, Saguńa Brahma [the Qualified Supreme Entity], the seed of creation remains engrained in all human beings, who are sheltered in Saguńa Brahma. On said auspicious day, humanity will step out of the limitations of the kámamaya kośa [crude mind] and will fulfil its creative urge through the cultivation of subtlety. The human beings of that great age will build a better society, and create great literature and more progressive art.

My personal opinion is that atom bombs will never be able to totally destroy human civilization, for humanity has not yet become intellectually bankrupt. The conflict between Vidyá [the introversial force] and Avidyá [the extroversial force] is going on magnificently now. So the conclusion is very clear: in the very near future people are sure to find a means to counter the atomic menace. They will thereby conclusively establish that science has a great role to play in promoting human welfare.

Footnotes

(1) Here the author is criticizing a group of traditionalists who support Gandhism. See also “Social Defects in Gandhism”. –Eds.

(2) Yama and Niyama are the cardinal principles of human morality. See “The Place of Sadvipras in the Samája Cakra”, or A Guide to Human Conduct, 1957. –Eds.

(3) For a discussion on the proposed shape of a benevolent sadvipra dictatorship, see “Sadvipra Boards” in Volume 2. –Eds.

(4) For further discussion of original actions and reactions to original actions, see “Form and Formless” in Ananda Marga Ideology and Way of Life Part 7, 1988. –Eds.

(5) The first test-tube baby was born in the USA in 1978. –Eds.

Chapter 4	Discourses on Neohumanist Education [a compilation]

LEARNED AND EDUCATED

We can only call those people “learned” who have read a lot, understood what they have read, remembered what they have read, and understood and acted according to what they have read, understood and remembered.

Educated and learned people may or may not be illiterate, and literate people may or may not be educated. To be learned in the real sense mentioned above, all four factors are necessary. A person who has one of these points missing is not a learned person. The following examples illustrate this.

1) It is necessary to read a lot. Limited reading or reading only one subject will not be enough. It is necessary to read many books. We would not call a person who reads only a little learned.

2) It is necessary to read a lot and to understand it. If any body reads a lot but does not understand it, then he or she cannot be called learned.

3) Whatever has been read and understood should also be remembered. If one does not remember, then one is not learned. If you were to ask a man who had previously passed his M.Sc. to appear now for the matriculation examination, he would be unable to pass it as he has forgotten everything.

4) Reading, understanding and remembering should go together and then one will have to act accordingly. If a lawyer were to do the work of a clerk, she could not be called learned. She should do only legal work. An Advocate, if she does not practice her profession, will forget all the laws, then how can she be called learned?

Only one who posses all the above four points can be called learned. Only that person is educated.

How many ways of [[studying]] are there? There are three ways of [[studying]]. First, there is [[studying]] using the eyes. Then there is [[studying]] by hearing. In the olden times, many people were not literate but they knew many things by hearing them. You may still find some old people who do not know how to read or write, but they know the Rámáyańa and the Mahábhárata very well. Thirdly, there is [[studying]] by mudrá or movement. A blind person can know about something by touching it. This is called “the tactual method”. If a man is standing far away and you need to tell him something, then you can do a mudrá to call him nearer – you can make him understand without speech. The deaf and dumb use this method of mudrá. If one indriya (sense organ) ceases to work, then the others become more sensitive. For example, there are five sense organs. Suppose that every sense organ has a power of 20 degrees. If any one of the sense organs ceases to function, then the power of that organ is shared between the remaining organs. That is, the remaining sense organs will get 25 degrees of power. A deaf man can understand everything with the science of the eyes and facial expressions and a blind man by hearing, smelling or touching.

The fine arts came into existence through the medium of mudrá. Lord Shiva is the creator of the fine arts. Mudrá is “the externalization of internal feeling” and means “to express the desires of the mind”.

Sátsaungena bhavenmuktih asatsaungeśu bandhanam
Asatsauṋgamudrańaḿ yat sá mudrá parikiirtitá

“Keeping good company leads to salvation, whereas the company of bad people leads to greater bondage.
Shunning the company of wicked people is called ‘mudrá’”.

[The following section was also printed separately as “Mudrá” in Saḿgiita: Song, Dance and Instrumental Music. This is the Saḿgiita: Song, Dance and Instrumental Music, 1st edition, version.]

To communicate ideas through gesture and posture is called “mudrá”. In the East, we find that dance is dominated by mudrá, and in the West, we find that it is dominated by rhythm. Indian folk dance and classical dance are also mudrá-dominant. Mudrá is more subtle than rhythm.

What is saḿgiita or music? Singing, the playing of instruments and dancing are together called “saḿgiita”. Where there is only singing and the playing of instruments but no dance, it is called “giita”. In the time of the Mahábhárata, what Krśńa said was called “Giitá” because He only told it, He did not dance. If Krśńa had explained the nature of Dharma while dancing, then it would not have been called “Giitá”, it would have been called “Saḿgiita”.

“Yá Bhagavatá giitá sá Giitá.”

“Whatever Bhagaván has said is Giitá.”

There are six primary rágas and thirty six primary rágińiis. Today we find two types of dance in India. First, there is Aryavarta Nrtya or North Indian style. Secondly, there is Dákśinátya Nrtya or Carnatic or the South Indian style. Both styles were given by Lord Shiva, but credit for bringing them to the public goes to Maharshi Bharata.

In the Vedas there is rhythm, because most of the Vedas come from outside India. The propagators of the Veda could not go against rhythm. They had to accept rhythm but not grammar. For this reason, there are many grammatical mistakes in the Vedas.

In Tantra, mudrá is dominant. Rhythm is guided by mudrá. In a few places, the Vedas also use mudrá. For example, in shráddha (last rites) there is pińd́adán mudrá which is also called “auṋkush mudrá”. In pitr yajiṋa, there are also mudrás, which are called namah mudrá, abhaya mudrá, varada mudrá, etc., are found in the Vedas. The portion of the Vedas which was made in India [like Atharva Veda] is responsible for these mudrás.

Instrumental music is also based on mudrá. In western countries, only instruments such as the violin are based on mudrá. Mańipurii dance, folk dance, Cho dance and Rámvásha dance, all have a predominance of mudrá. Rámvásha dance has less mudrá because it is a war dance. Cho dance⁽¹⁾, which is performed after battle during times of rest in the military camp, has more mudrá in it. The dancer only dances, and does not sing. Another person sings and narrates in song what is taking place. In the táńd́ava nrtya of Lord Shiva, there is more rhythm, and in Parvatii’s lalita dance there is the dominance of mudrá, sweet and refined. Both these dances make a person tired quickly in India because India is a hot country.

In the word “tál”, “tá” is derived from táńd́ava and “la” from lalita, so it has become tál. Tál is the adjustment of both, that is why it has become more popular.

[end of section that was printed separately as “Mudrá”]

Footnotes

(1) Cho means unusual gestures, or decorative dress or adornments. Cho dance is an ancient martial dance with decorative dress still very popular in Ráŕh areas. –Trans.

Chapter 5	Discourses on Neohumanist Education [a compilation]

SOME EDUCATIONAL POLICIES

According to PROUT, the aim of education is:

Sá vidyá yá vimuktaye

“Education is that which liberates.”

The real meaning of education is trilateral development – simultaneous development in the physical, mental and spiritual realms of human existence. This development should enhance the integration of the human personality. By this, dormant human potentialities will be awakened and put to proper use. Educated are those who have learnt much, remembered much and made use of their learning in practical life.

In PROUT’s educational system, emphasis should be given to moral education and the inculcation of idealism – not only philosophy and traditions. The practice of morality should be the most important subject in the syllabus at all levels.

The sense of universalism should also be awakened in the child. Etiquette and refined behaviour are not enough. Real education leads to a pervasive sense of love and compassion for all creation.

As I have mentioned before, the word E-D-U-C-A-T-I-O-N itself has special significance:

E – Enlargement of mind
D – DESMEP (D Discipline, E Etiquette, S Smartness, M Memory, E English, P Pronunciation)
U – Universal Outlook
C – Character
A – Active habits
T – Trustworthiness
I – Ideation of the Great
O – Omniscient grace
N – Nice temperament

Special importance should be attached to children’s education because todays child is tomorrows citizen. The receptive capacity of a child is great, but to enhance the receptivity the method of education should be thoroughly psychological.

From the beginning, children in India can be taught three languages – their mother tongue or natural language, basic Saḿskrta or the appropriate classical language, and the world language. Students should be encouraged to learn the history of their respective mother tongues. By learning the world language, students will develop a feeling of world citizenship in their minds.

According to the policy of PROUT, besides the mother tongue, students can also learn as many languages as possible. Let people know as many languages as they can. But in the practical field – government and non-government work and court work – the mother tongue should be used.

During secondary education, (in Indian this is years 8, 9 and 10), vocational education should be introduced according to the natural tendency and spontaneous aptitude of the students. Talented students should be provided with special facilities if they are poor. After higher education, students with talent should get the opportunity to do research work with the financial aid of the government.

The examination system should undergo a radical change so that the knowledge of the student both in the applied and theoretical sides can be properly assessed. Students should be encouraged to involve themselves in social welfare and other constructive activities within their school or campus. After completing their education, students should be guaranteed appropriate employment.

Proper care should be taken in the selection of teachers. Academic certificates are not the only criteria for selecting teachers. Qualities like a strong character, righteousness, social service, selflessness, an inspirational personality, and leadership ability should be evident in teachers. Teachers should get the highest respect in society and their economic needs should be properly looked after.

The framing of educational policies, the control of the educational system, and all other activities concerned with education should be managed by a board comprised of efficient teachers. This board should enjoy full freedom and authority to carry out its duties. Education must be free from all political interference. Education should be free at all levels.

Should PROUT support the participation by students in the administration of educational institutions? Grown-up students, that is, adults, may take part in the non-academic side of administration. The academic side should be controlled and managed by educationists with the help and cooperation of grown-up students, just as grown-up children may help their parents a lot in managing family duties. The relation between students and teachers should be sweet.

Radio, television, films and other media must be free from exploitation and vested interests. Qualified professionals should utilize such media for the benefit of students to ensure high quality education.

The teaching of science must always be encouraged. The study and application of science will assist in the spread of knowledge and help to ensure that the right to knowledge in every sphere of life – social, economic, psychic and spiritual – is attained by all. Knowledge and science must be free like the light, the air and the unhindered wealth of nature. They must serve all and supply the vital juice of life.

Chapter 6	Discourses on Neohumanist Education [a compilation]

THE ROLE OF YOUTH

The nature of life is to change and to grow. Where there is no change, it is just like the condition of death. In all living structures, the young are resilient and open to change. If a limb of a child is broken, it heals quickly. If a child is mentally wounded, he or she soon recovers. When new ideas and technology come forward, it is the young minds that can grasp them. The old become fossilized. To move the old is an effort; for the old to adapt to change is difficult.

Our world needs a great change in order to move forward and progress. A new order, a new wave, will have to take the place of the old to remedy all the physical, social, intellectual and spiritual ills of the world. As the vanguard of this new movement, the youth are indispensable. It is the youth, and the youth only, who have the vigour to bring about the necessary change. It is the youth who have the resilience to change and adapt and implement the vision of a new society. Without this vision, without the youth, the world will continue in the morass of suffering, injustice and exploitation that is our present social condition. It is the youth of the world only who can help bring about the new world order and the vision of a new humanity.

Chapter 7	Discourses on Neohumanist Education [a compilation]

The bondages that human beings are likely to suffer from are not purely physical – they are psychic and spiritual as well. The fundamental cause behind physical bondage lies in the psychic realm. The tortures, the exploitations, of human by human are no doubt physical phenomena, but these events have their source in the human mind: the pains and agonies experienced by those afflicted persons are more psychic than physical. Thus ultimately, the root of bondage is in the mind. Mind is independent from matter, but not altogether dissociated from it; it has some direct association with matter.

Food, clothes, education, medical treatment – these are the material needs of human beings. The world of the five fundamental factors is no doubt material, but it is not purely physical or psychic; it also touches the fringes of the spiritual world. For example, psychic diseases may create such an unhealthy situation that the spiritual atmosphere may be badly affected. Take, for instance, those for whom religion is the stock-in-trade. They may do many things that may seriously jeopardize the entire spiritual world. Because of their anti-spiritual misdeeds the affected people might become apathetic to spirituality. Thus the disease, though fundamentally psychic, has some direct relevance to the material world and also to the spiritual world. The demoniacal human beings of this type are not only depriving their fellow humans of their physical wealth, or deceiving them in the psychic sphere, they are also depriving them of their precious spiritual treasure.

Just consider for a moment what enormous refuse these people are bearing with them. These people with defective mentality, who are wallowing in geo-sentiment, socio-sentiment, or ordinary humanistic sentiment, have not done any good to society, nor can they do so in future. They do not have any such capacity. A strong determination must be taken to rectify them. And when you take such a determination to rectify them and act accordingly, you will notice that those who refuse to be rectified will be destroyed – they will be completely annihilated.

Such people attempt to cover their harmful or defective sentiments under a veil of hypocrisy. This concealing mentality is one aspect of hypocrisy. Consider, for instance, the case of vocal revolutionaries. They talk glibly of revolution outwardly, but in their heart of hearts, they want to avoid revolution. They say one thing openly, but they do just the opposite in practical life. It is very hard to identify such gilded human chameleons. At least the reactionary forces can be easily identified: they are openly antagonistic to anything which they do not like. They say directly, “We won’t allow this to happen. We won’t grant liberty to the people. We won’t provide them with full-stomach meals. We will keep them languishing in poverty… or else where shall we find menials for our domestic chores?” However, it requires some knowledge of human behaviour to identify those people who are difficult to detect.

Study

I said that there are two ways to fight against those people who are motivated, knowingly or unknowingly, by geo-sentiment. One of these ways is through study, and the other is through rationalistic mentality, rationalistic outlook. “Study” here means intensive intellectual analysis. What do I mean by intensive study? – internal assimilation, subjective assimilation of objective happenings. You should remember that existence is also an event, an external event. The assimilation of events is achieved through study. Now, knowledge can be divided into two categories, and indeed the entirety of knowledge does not come within the scope of study.

Knowledge is of two types: parájiṋána, or áptajiṋána [transcendental] and aparájiṋána, or práptajiṋána [non-transcendental]. Transcendental knowledge operates in the purely spiritual world, and derives its inspiration from the Cosmic Centre, the Universal Nucleus. It has nothing whatever to do with worldly gain or loss, exploitation or administration; nor has it any relation with imperialism, fascism or any variety of ism. This transcendental knowledge will inspire people to move in the purely spiritual world; it will inspire them with countless elevating spiritual ideas. It is also called self-knowledge. Those who, in the name of this transcendental knowledge or in the name of God or of incarnation theory⁽¹⁾ hoodwink the simple and semi-educated, unwary masses to achieve their selfish ends, deserve extreme reprobation. But here our topic of discussion is not this transcendental knowledge; that comes within the scope of purely spiritual philosophy. Here our main concern is non-transcendental knowledge related to this material world. I have already spoken about transcendental knowledge, and I will do so again in future.

There are so many defects or drawbacks in study as well. Even in the case of intensive study, one may commit certain errors. You may ask, how will an illiterate person study? To this I will reply that such people can also study; they will learn by hearing others’ discourses; so no one is handicapped in this regard. Moreover, study does not mean only the study of books. Study is of two types: literal and non-literal. Those who can read and write can avail themselves of literal study, and those who cannot read can benefit from non-literal study by listening to others.

Regarding non-literal study, people can collect much information from the material world by coming in contact with different objects through their various senses. There is a necessity for both literal and non-literal study, and human beings can avail themselves of both.

Now, there may be defects in both literal and non-literal study; thus knowledge acquired through study cannot be accepted as absolute, nor should it be. There are two kinds of defect. What is the first? Defect due to ignorance. And the second is defect due to change in tempor [time].

The person who taught me or the person whose writing I read – within that person’s knowledge there may be a defect, and that defect may be passed on from person to person. This is called defect due to ignorance.

The second defect is due to change in time. For instance, a certain book was written at a particular time, or certain knowledge was imparted at a certain time. That book or that knowledge expresses a certain reality according to its own temporal perspective; but the moment there is a change in time, then that reality loses its validity. In my childhood, we used to read in geography books that Allahabad was the capital of Uttar Pradesh (Uttar Pradesh had a different name then). But now that is considered erroneous due to change in time, because now Lucknow is the capital of Uttar Pradesh. After the shifting of the capital due to the change in the time factor, what was written in that book in those days is now confusing. So if the internal, or subjective, assimilation of external objectivity is effected through study alone, it may be wrong.

Suppose you collected certain knowledge through study, but the knowledge thus collected is defective. Those people who are motivated by geo-sentiments have been harming society in countless ways. You cannot identify such people through your defective knowledge; you cannot detect those human chameleons. So what is the solution? They will certainly continue to follow the path of vice; they are sure to harm others.

If you alone are personally harmed by those people, if you alone are persecuted, humiliated, or exploited, it does not matter much. But if a whole social group is affected, that cannot be ignored. You will have to identify such reactionary forces in the society, such vocal revolutionaries who claim to be socio-economico-political reformists, but who actually befool the people by adopting such pseudo-reformist, pseudo-humanistic strategies. You will have to recognize them all.

When you fail through study to detect those pseudo-revolutionaries, those who are depriving the masses of the minimum necessities of life, what will you do? You will have to identify them. You will have to analyse each and everything in the proper perspective. Until you come to a clear conclusion after proper analysis, you cannot rescue the people from the tightening noose of exploitation. Here the importance of study is tremendous – you will have to do it. You cannot afford to shut the pages of your books and remain like frogs in the well. You must enlarge your mental horizons and move ahead by shattering all social bondages.

What sorts of bondage? The bondages of geo-sentiment. You will have to shatter all of them. The frog in the well thinks that its well is perhaps the biggest body of water in the world. But when it comes in contact with a big pool, it realizes that the pool is greater than was the well. After coming in contact with a pond it further realizes that this is greater still than the pool. When finally it sees the ocean, it realizes that this is something really big. It thinks, “As long as I was in the well, I thought the well to be the greatest.” Similarly, until geo-sentiment is removed, people will fail to realize the truth. Hence the tremendous importance of study.

But at the same time, care must be taken to avoid the limitations inherent in study. For instance, we are taught that our country is blessed with profuse water and laden with fruits. After hearing this, we may pass on this information to thousands of people. But after proper study, we come to discover that our country is suffering terribly from an acute scarcity of water: People do not even get a sufficient supply of drinking water, what to speak of water for irrigation. We are told, “Our country abounds in agricultural produce, especially fruits, which are then exported to different countries;” but after we study, we discover that our country is importing thousands of tons of food grains from different countries, and the very lives of our people depend upon these imports. Sometimes even rotten flour comes from distant lands, and that flour, after being soaked in water, serves as food. Yet we say, parrot-like: “My golden land, I adore you.” These are some examples of the bondages of geo-sentiment which people fall into due to their ignorance. Those who detect the facts later on simply burst into laughter and think, “When I repeated these tall tales to others, I wonder what they thought of me!” These types of false notion based on geo-sentiment have to be totally smashed, and for this there is no other way but careful study.

But even study is not enough. There are some people, particularly vocal revolutionaries, who glibly speak many high-sounding words. Through these high-sounding words, they sway the weak and sensitive parts of the mind. For instance, they say: “My native land is like this, like that”… “We are such-and-such race”… “We are a race of heroes and heroines.” This is how they sentimentalize people. And, caught up in these geo-sentiments, the people become devoid of rationality and also shout to the same tune. At that time, they do not realize that their shouting is inspired by false information.

One will have to escape from those bondages of false information. “The water of such-and-such river of my country is so pure that it never becomes spoiled. By drinking it – what to speak of human beings only – each and every protoplasmic cell of the human body will attain liberation!” But strangely enough, in that river there are so many fish and aquatic creatures who do not attain liberation! Moreover, scientists, after examining that water, concluded that that so-called pure water is not fit even for bathing, much less for drinking! These are all different expressions of geo-sentiment.

Thus the importance of study is tremendous. Those who are educated must conduct seminars among themselves and also among the less-educated – they must make the latter understand. Knowledge must be disseminated throughout all sections of society. You must create opportunities for all people to judge everything in the light of truth. Liberate the intellect of each and every person. Human intellect is now bogged down in a marshy quagmire – let people enjoy the sweet taste of intellectual freedom.

Rationalistic Mentality

You should remember that defects in study – defects due to ignorance and defects due to change in time – are all non-transcendental – práptajiṋána and not áptajiṋána. That which establishes one in the spiritual realm is transcendental knowledge. It is also called ápta vákya in Sanskrit. How to eliminate these defects? Through rationalistic mentality. Everything written in books should not be automatically accepted. I may read and understand everything written in books, but my mental acceptance will come later. When shall I accept it? After thoroughly verifying all that I have read. Now for this verification, one must develop rationality. You should remember that study is the first step, and rationalistic mentality is one step higher. In which direction? Towards the establishment of Neohumanism.

The first step towards the establishment of Neohumanism is study; the second step is rationalistic mentality. I will hear something, then I will analyse its positive side and its negative side through rational analysis. I will weigh the pros and cons of everything. If the positive side is predominant, I will give my verdict in its favour – I will say, “Yes, it will do.” And when I see that the negative aspect is predominant, I will conclude in the negative – that is, I will say, “No, it will not do.”

(This sort of clear conclusion, this logical decision – not a mere decision only – in favour of either the positive or the negative is termed siddhánta in Sanskrit. So siddhánta means “logical decision”. Not just “decision”, “logical decision.” Do not confuse the word.)

This logical decision in favour of the positive or negative is not final either; you will still have to proceed ahead. And in which direction is that next step? If that logical decision is conducive to human welfare, for the benefit and happiness of all beings, for the spiritual well-being of all, then only will we support and propagate that idea and devote ourselves wholeheartedly to its implementation. Otherwise we will some day say, “This decision is good, no doubt, but it has no value in the practical world. Its dazzling colour will vanish after some time, just like a firefly’s glow.”

Similarly, when you reach your clear decision in favour of the negative, and when you see that the rejection of that idea leads to the benefit and happiness of all beings, the spiritual well-being of all, you will reject it permanently – “My ‘no’ is final.”

Or else, if you see that by proper cultivation it may be used for human welfare, then you should say, “My ‘no’ is not final – this idea may be used in future.” That is, regarding anything that may later be used for promoting human welfare, the “no” is not a final one; but if it cannot be used at all for human welfare, the “no” is final. Perhaps in the future you will support it; not only support it, you may devote all your time and energy for its propagation. So this final discrimination for promoting human welfare which is the final outcome or desiderative point of discrimination, is called viveka – “conscience”.

Now, what will you do to counteract geo-sentiment, to safeguard yourself and also the collective body? (It is more important to protect the collectivity than to save yourself.) First, you will study. And what will you do to remove the defects in study? You will have to come to a logical decision after examining the positive and negative sides. And then, after reaching a conclusion, you will decide whether that conclusion will be implemented or not; whether or not you will materialize that conclusion will be decided on the basis of whether or not it is conducive to human welfare. When you reach this final decision, this final desiderative point, that is your conscience. Finally, through your conscience, you can successfully combat geo-sentiment.

Many people have come into this world, who by their cunning have instilled various dogmas in peoples’ minds and exploited them in various ways. Ultimately the greatest necessity to fight against them is your conscience. I have already explained to you what conscience is. You must keep your conscience ever-vigilant. You must never merely applaud after hearing others’ words or reading books. You must not give undue importance to any person or any theory. In this way you will have to fight against geo-sentiment through study and rationalistic mentality.

In the first stage you study; in the second you analyse the positive and negative sides; and in the third stage you arrive at “blissful or non-blissful, auxiliary or non-auxiliary.”⁽²⁾ When you complete this whole process of logical reasoning, the outcome is your “awakened conscience”. This state of awakened conscience is what is called “rationalistic mentality.”

Keep your conscience ever-vigilant. Develop a firm rationalistic mentality, and no one will be able to deceive you by false geo-sentiment. This rationalistic mentality will provide you with sufficient inspiration and strength to fight against socio-sentiment, ordinary humanistic sentiment, and pseudo-humanistic strategy. You will not only gain vocal strength, but become strong in all respects.

Footnotes

(1) The idea that someone is the direct descent of the Almighty. –Trans.

(2) That is, that which does or does not contribute to the welfare of all. –Trans.

Chapter 8	Discourses on Neohumanist Education [a compilation]

Between the points of no magnitude there is a flow of cognition. In that fluidal flow of cognition, bubbles are created. These bubbles are the bubbles of ideas. In the Cosmic emanation of the Supreme, when these bubbles touch the unit “I feeling”, then unit ideas are created as a result of close proximity to the Cosmic Ocean. These are the reflections or refractions of Cosmic ideas. When these ideas concern the unit, the unit “I” tries to express them through its own psycho-physical structure. It endeavours to express its unit desires and longings according to the capacity of the vocal cord and its hormone secretions. These reflections or refractions of ideas are expressed either within or without. The expression within is called “inner voice” and the expression without is called “outer voice.” These expressions within and without are collectively called language.

According to structural, environmental, climatic and racial differences, languages are expressed in different forms, thus we get different languages. So far as the refraction of the bubbles is concerned, the language of the universe is the same, was the same and will remain the same forever. The language of the “inner voice” is always one and indivisible. Only in the outer manifestation do we get so many languages. In the expressed world linguistic differences have a little value, but in the inner world they have no meaning, no import and no value.

In the entire world there are different linguistic groups. These groups may be divided according to the following criteria:

1) Those languages in which the verbal form changes according to changes in the number and gender of its subject, like French and Saḿskrta.

2) Those languages in which the verbal form changes according to the number and not the gender of the subject, as in English. For instance, we say “Henry is coming” and “Henriette is also coming” but “Henry and Henrietta are coming”. Here the gender of the subject does not affect the verb, but the number certainly does.

3) Those languages in which the verb changes according to the gender and not the number, like Maethilii and Bhojpurii. In Bhojpurii the verb is not fully expressed. For example, in the case of “you” masculine it is “tu gailá” but in the case of “you” feminine it is “tu gailii”.

There are some languages where the use of the “be” verb is avoided, as in Bengali. For example, “He is a good boy” is “Se bhála chele” in Bengali. Here the Bengali equivalent of “is” in English is not mentioned.

The Languages of India

In the ancient past, in the hoary past, India was inhabited by the Austrico-Negroid-Mongoloid races. The northwest was thickly populated. The Caucasian people came to India from the central portion of South Russia, so we can say that central southern Russian Aryan blood was incorporated into the body of India. There was less Aryan blending in the south and east of India, and more in the north and west of India. The Aryans who came to India 393 spoke a distorted Vedic language which was blended with the Austrico-Negroid-Mongoloid tongues and was thereby changed. The Austrico-Negroid-Mongoloid languages were also blended with the Vedic language, so they have a large percentage of Vedic vocabulary. Even languages of non-Vedic origin have a large number of Saḿskrta words, like Malayalam for instance, which is an Austrico-Negroid language containing 75% Saḿskrta and Vedic vocabulary. Bengali is an Austrico-Negroid-Mongoloid language, but it contains 92% Saḿskrta vocabulary. Punjabi is a direct descendent of the Vedic language – it contains 80% Tadbhava Vedic or distorted Vedic. Due to the close proximity of the Punjab with Persia and Turkey, Persian and Turkish vocabulary are also included in Punjabi. There was a blending in the cultural history of these countries, and a similar blending also took place in the linguistic structure.

Saḿskrta has four zonal intonations: a) Gaoŕiiya; b) Káshiká; c) Maharastra; and d) Dakśini. In a particular language there are different intonations which even vary district-wise. The languages of Bihar and some of the languages of Uttar Pradesh do not have any position in their region. Bhojpurii was spoken in Deoria and Gorakhpur and known as Tarai Bhojpurii. There is a variation between lower Gangetic Bhojpurii, which is the Bhojpurii of Bhojpur, and upper Gangetic Bhojpurii, which is spoken in the east of Gopiganj. Bhojpurii is spoken to the east of Gopiganj, and Bagheli is spoken to the west. Dogrii, which was a flourishing language 500 years ago, could not be revived due to the silent opposition of the Kashmiri Brahmins. At that time Urdu was influential in Kashmir.

During the Saḿskrtic age, like today, languages were not given their proper status. Saḿskrta was called “Bháśa” and the peoples’ language was called “Bhákha” to give it a lower status. Saḿskrta was compared with well water and the peoples’ language with flowing water (Bahatá Niira). Vernacular means “the language of the slaves.” You should do something for the recognition of peoples’ languages.

There are certain similarities in the languages derived from one source, for example, Mágadhii Prákrta. Eastern Demi-Mágadhii Prákrta is like Bengali (and Maethilii, etc.) because these languages use “má” and “ca” in the present tense – “ámi yácchi” in Bengali and “ahán jáechi” in Maethilii – “la” in past tense – “se gela”in Bengali and “same gaeli” in Maethilii – and “ba” in future tense – “ami jába” in Bengali, “hama jáiba” in Maethilii and “mu jibi” in Oriya. Western Demi-Mágadhii Prákrta, which includes Magahii, Bhojpurii, Nagpuria, Chattisgarhii, etc. is different. In the present tense “ca” is not used – “Ham já rahalbani” etc. – in the past tense “la” is used – “gel”, “geli” etc. – and in the future tense “ba” is used. So Western Demi-Mágadhii Prákrta differs from Eastern Demi-Mágadhii Prákrta only in the present tense. These specialities have to be studied carefully if one wants to acquire knowledge of intonation and philology.

The average longevity of a script is 2000 years and the average longevity of a language is 1000 years. After this period they undergo metamorphosis. Vedic and Saḿskrta are not the same languages. The language of the Aryans is Vedic Saḿskrta, or rather Rg Vedic Saḿskrta. Saḿskrta is of Indian origin. “Aham,” “ávam” and “vayaḿ” in Saḿskrta are “mam,” “asmákam” and “nah” respectively in Vedic. “Mam,” “asmákam” and “nah” in Saḿskrta are “me,” “no” and “nah” in Vedic. The translation of, “This is my house” into Saḿskrta is, “Idaḿ asmákaḿ grham asti.” In Vedic it is, “Yetad nah dhama.” “That is my house” is “Tad asmakaḿ grham asti” in Saḿskrta, “Tad nah dham” in Vedic Saḿskrta and “T́ad nas dham” in Russian. Russian has a close proximity with the Vedic language. Due to spatial, temporal and personal factors some changes took place in the Vedic language. The five languages of South India abound in Vedic Saḿskrta, even though they were not of Saḿskrta origin.

South Indian languages are of Austrico-Negroid origin, but the scripts are of the Indo-Aryan group (that is, “ka,” “kha,” “ga,” “gha,” etc.) Examples are Telegu and Kannada, which contain about 80% Saḿskrta words. Although ethnically Tibetans are Mongoloids of Indo-Tibetan origin, their script is Indo-Aryan. That is, the same script is used in Kinnaur and Ladakh. Multáni is a blending of Punjabi and Sindhi which evolved about 3000 years ago; Pahari Punjabi, which uses “da,” “dii,” and “de” in the possessive case; and Marwari, which uses “rá,” “rii” and “re.”

The seven peoples’ languages of India are known as Prákrta. In eastern India the spoken language was Mágadhii Prákrta. (In the past India was comprised of several countries and Magadh was one of them). The speciality of Mágadhii Prákrta is that in pronunciation instead of three “sa” – that is, “sha,” “sa” and “śa” – only one “sa” – that is, “sa” – is pronounced. In central northern India the peoples’ language was Shaurasenii Prákrta. Shúrasena was the country between the Ganga and the Jamuna – it was known as “Brahmavarta” in ancient times. During the time of the Mahabharata it was called “Shúrasena” and Mathura was the capital. During the Pathan and Mughal periods, it was called “Doáb” or “the land between two rivers.” In the west of Shaurasenii, Paesháchii Prákrta was spoken and in the west of Paesháchii, Páshchátya Prákrta was spoken. In Sind and Baluchistan, Saendhavii was the language of the people. In the west of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat, it was Málavii Prákrta. In Maharáśt́ra, Goa and parts of Karnataka, Maharáśt́rii Prákrta was spoken. The Prákrta languages were “petticoat languages,” that is, they were the languages of the kitchen. The Prákrta languages underwent further transmutation. From Mágadhii Prákrta came Eastern Demi-Mágadhii and Western Demi-Mágadhii. From Western DemiMágadhii Chattisgarhii, Nagpuria, Bhojpurii and Magahii evolved, and from Eastern Demi-Mágadhii Asamia, Bengali, Angika, Maethilii and Oriya evolved. All these nine languages come from Mágadhii Prákrta. Buddhá spoke in Páli, that is, Mágadhii Prákrta. “Palli” means “village” and “Pali” means “language of the village”. From Shaurasenii came Avadhii, Bundelii, Baghelii, Brajabhaśa and Hariyánavii. From Hariyánavii (which had Persian and Turkish vocabulary) came Urdu, the language of people who wear “vardii” or military dress. From Paeshachii Prákrta came Multáni, Eastern Punjabi, Western Punjabi, Pahaŕii (Sirmaurii – a dialect of Nahan) and Dogrii. From Páshchátya came Pashto, Afghanii, Peshavarii, Kashmirii, Tazakii, Kurdis and the languages of South Russia. From Saendhavii Prákrta came Sindhi, Kacchi, Bahici and Brulii. The last two are Dravidian and not Indo-Aryan languages. Several languages emerged from Málavii Prákrta in the east and were spoken in Bhopal, Vidisha and nearby places, Gujrati and Kathiavari or Saurashtri. To the western side Marwarii, Mewaŕii, Harautii, Dhudhárii and Mewati were spoken. From Maháráśt́rii Prákrta came Varad́i, spoken in Vidarbha, and Debastha Merathi, spoken in Pune and Konkon. In Paesháchii Prákrta the use of diphthong is rare. In Páshchátya, as in “Padam Pośa”, diphthongs are occasionally found. Kulu is a blending of Pahaŕii Punjabi and eastern Dogrii.

I once said that all the languages of this universe are mine, but you know only 5,7 or 10 of them. Suppression of the mother tongue is suppression of human sentiment and suppression of human expression. Such a thing is not only bad, it is nasty!

The Scripts of India

In ancient times there were two scripts in India – Brahmi and Kharaśti. These two scripts have been found on goat hides from the time of the first Muslim king. They date to pre-Muslim times, making them at least 1500 years old. Brahmi was written from right to left and Kharásti from left to right. Late Kharaśti died and Brahmi bifurcated into two scripts – Shárdá, the script of the people northwest of Prayag (Allahabad), and Nárada, which was used in the southwest. These scripts were written from left to right like English. Prayag was the meeting point of Shárdá and Nárada. A third script developed and was known as Kutilá script. Since it was developed in Kausambii, it was also known as Kausambii script. It was also known as Sriharsh script since the seal of Sriharsh was written in this script. It was popular in the east of Allahabad.

Nárada script was also known as Nágarii script due to the domination of Nágar Brahmins. After the Gupta period, the influence of Kányakubja Brahmins declined and that of the Nágar Brahmins increased, hence Nárada began to dominate Kutilá script. Previously, the scholars of Kashi wrote in Kutilá script, but later, due to the influence of the Nágar Brahmins, Kutilá disappeared and Nágrii took its position. Kutilá used to be the script of the entire eastern portion of India.

Ancient támralipi, or inscriptions written on copper, and shilálekha, or edicts written on stone slabs, have been found in Kutilá script from the time of Harshvardhan when Kutilá dominated. Nágrii came after the Gupta period. During the Mughal period the Kayasthas wrote their official records in a distorted form of Nágrii. Since the Kayasthas wrote in this script, it came to be known as Kayathii. It was popular in east Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Bhojpurii was written in this script. Of course, the official language of the Mughals was Urdu. There is no diphthong (yuktakshara) in Kayathii, which was used in the courts during the British period. Kayathii has a close proximity to Gujrati script, which used to be found over 70-80 years ago. When the United Provinces of Agra and Avadha was consolidated after the merger of Agra, Avadh and Ruhelkhand, Kayathi disappeared from the courts and Urdu took its place.

The Sárada or Sárasvata script had three branches – Kashmirii Sárada, used in Kashmir; Dogrii Sárada, used in Dvigarta; and Punjabi Sárada, used in Saptasindhu. Later Urdu was accepted in the Punjab and the Sikh Guru Arjuna Deva developed Guru-mukhi script, however Persian script was more popular. Punjabi contains more Tadbhava Saḿskrta words which cannot be written properly in Persian script, so in Punjabi school and station are “sakool” and “sateshan” respectively. Later Landei script developed as a distortion of Punjabi Sárada and the shopkeepers of the Punjab and Sind would write in it.

Ranabir Singh wanted to popularize Dogrii script in Jammu and Kashmir, which was a Hindu theocratic state. At that time only Brahmins and Sandhivigráhks (Kayasthas) could be government ministers in Hindu theocratic states. Such a system, however, is not proper, as the state is for all citizens equally. The Brahmins in Jammu and Kashmir favoured Kashmirii Sárada and were more familiar with Persian script, and due to their influence Dogrii script was not accepted.

Assamese and Bengali horoscopes and books were both written in Sriharsh script, while in Mithila horoscopes were written in Sriharsh and books in Nágrii. In Kashmir, horoscopes were written in Sárada. In the Punjab, during ancient times, horoscopes and books were written in Punjabi Sárada, that is, Saptasindhu Sárada, while today horoscopes are written in Punjabi Sárada and books in Gurumukhi script.

Oriya script used to be written on palm leaves with iron pens. To avoid tearing the leaves, it was written in rounded letters. Bengali, however, was written in angular letters. But on shilálekha, or edicts written on stone slabs, both scripts are written in an angular style because stone is not easily damaged. Oriya was written in Sriharsh script in circular style or Utkal style, and Sriharsh script was written in angular style or Gauriiya style.

Sárada denotes intellect or intellectuality. The script used by the intellectuals of Kashmir was called Sárada script. When the Vedas were first composed, they were passed down from guru to disciple through memorization because script had not yet been invented and so no written record of them could be made. The Vedas are also called “Shruti.” (During the time of the Rg Veda there was no script). It became a dogma not to write down the Vedas, and a great portion of the Vedas were lost due to this dogma. Out of nearly 100 Rks, most were lost. Despite this the scholars of Kashmir were the first ones to write the Vedas down, and they wrote them in Sáradá script. They wrote the Atharva Veda.

Nárada was the script used in the southwest of Allahabad up to the Gulf of Kachh, north of Bombay. It was invented by the Nágar Brahmins of Gujarat, therefore it is also called Nágrii script. Nágrii script derived its name from the Nágar Brahmins. These Brahmins started writing Saḿskrta, that is, Devbhása, in Nágrii, so this script was called Devanágarii. Thus Devanágarii script came from Gujarat and not from Uttar Pradesh. Gujaratii is written in a simple way without a line over the letters. When Saḿskrta was written in this script, lines were also drawn over the letters. This script came to be known as Devanágarii script, a specific type of Nágrii.

Kutilá is the script used in the east of Allahabad. Since complicated diphthongs were used in this script, it was called “Kutilá”. Kutilá means “complicated”. During the days of King Ashoka, Kutilá was the popular script but stone edicts were written in Brahmi script. After the Gupta period and up to the Pathan invasion of India, the influence of Kányakubja and Saryupáriin Brahmins decreased and their position was taken over by the Nagar Brahmins of Gujarat. Nágar Brahmins were dominant in Varanasi. Consequently, Kutilá became less dominant and Devanágarii took over its position. Varanasi accepted Devanágarii as its script. Some British scholars learnt Saḿskrta in Devanágarii when the British came to India. The German scholar Max Mueller also used Devanágarii script for writing Saḿskrta. Devanágarii became the script of Saḿskrta in this area, though Saḿskrta has no special script of its own. It is written in several scripts. Paesháchii and Paśhcátya Prákrta abounded in Tadbhava or distorted Saḿskrta words. In ancient times human beings wandered like nomads and gypsies. Later they settled down permanently in villages. In Vedic Saḿskrta the word “anna” is used for staple food and “pind́a” for any food. The place where people took food was known as pinda + ik = pindiik. In Paesháchii Prákrta it became pińd́a. Today in Punjabi pinda means “village.” Punjabi contains a lot of Tadbhava Saḿskrta words.

There are three scripts in Bhojpurii: Nágrii script is used in the west of Allahabad. Max Mueller wrote the Vedas in Nágrii script which came to be known as Devanágarii 800 years ago. Sárada script is used in the northwest of Allahabad and is 1300 years old. Kutilá script is used in the east of Allahabad. It is the script for Oriya, Bengali, Bhojpurii, Maethilii, Angika etc. Bengali is 1100 years old.

The mother tongue of Krśńa was Shaurasenii Prákrta. Later on Brajabhaśa emerged from Shaurasenii Prákrta, and is spoken in the west of Allahabad. Raskhan (a Muslim poet), Rahim and Surdas were the poets of Prákrta. The Agrawalas of Braja belong to the Braja area and are not Marwaris. The Muslims of Allahabad speak the Avadhi language. Only the Shiás speak Urdu.

Other Languages of the World

The languages of the entire world have been divided into several categories. Some of these languages maintain a parallelism with racial and ethnological factors, but this is not always the case.

Racial factors in Assam, Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, east of Allahabad, east Madhya Pradesh, south Maharastra, Andhra and South India are not Aryan. In Maharastra there is some influence of the Mediterranean Aryans, but in Bengal there is the blending of Caucasian blood of the Mediterranean sub-race with the Austrico-Negroid-Mongoloid races.

The languages of Assam, Bengal and Orissa all abound in Saḿskrta vocabulary. The base is not Aryan – the language is Saḿskrta. Bengali is 92% Saḿskrta, Oriya 90% and Malayalam 72%, though the Malayalese do not belong to the Aryan group. Vedic Saḿskrta is of non-Indian origin, while Saḿskrta is of Indian origin. An illiterate woman of Bengal may say “bina,” “tele” and “rendhechi” (from randhana) – all three are Saḿskrta words. Saḿskrta is not a foreign language in India, but the Vedic language is different. It is a foreign language.

Tibetans are members of the Mongoloid race. The Nipponese sub-group of Japan and all the people in China except those in Tibet, Outer Mongolia and Korea belong to the same race. The Indo-Tibeto-Mongoloids or the people of Bhutan, Sikkim, north of Nepal, north of Udayan (Garhwalii and Kumayunii), Kinnari in Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh near Jammu and Kashmir are also of the same origin – the Mongoloid race. Indo-Tibetans have a large physical structure and a tall body. The Chinese have a small figure like the Filipinos, Indonesians, Malays, Vietnamese and Thais living in the southern portion of Thailand. The Burmese people are different. They have no single language, just like India. India is a multilingual, multi-national country and so is Burma. Amongst the languages of Burma, Burmese is the most important language. The people of Mizoram, Manipur, Naga hills, and some portion of Meghalaya belong to the Indo-Burmese sub-group of the Mongoloid race. They vary from each other linguistically.

The languages of Burma are different from those of China – they do not follow the Chinese pictorial script. They use words like “ka,” “kha,” “ga,” etc. The people there utter the mantra “Om Mani Padme Hum”.

Japan follows the pictorial script of China. Ethnologically and racially the people have maintained a parallelism with China, like the people of Outer Mongolia and Korea. In Bhasa Malaya Saḿskrta vocabulary is used. The Thai language contains 80% Saḿskrta vocabulary, while Bengali contains 92% and Oriya 90%. Malayalam, which contains 72% Saḿskrta vocabulary, stands fourth. The Malayali people do not belong to the Indo-Aryan stock. The forefathers of the Nayars and the Nambooderies of Kerala, were Bengalees. The Gaur Saraswat Brahmins of Maharastra, (like the Senoi, Pai, Patil, etc.) eat fish like the Brahmins of Bengal.

The Malaysian and Indonesian languages have a high percentage of Saḿskrta vocabulary. Although the percentage is less than in the Indian languages, it does not come under 40%. Burmese has 40% to 50% Saḿskrta, while Chinese has between 2% and 3%.

Chinese has three dialects, but Mandarin is the standard Chinese. In the Philippines words like “raja” and “guru” are used. In Thai, a road is called “rájapatha” and a government hospital is called “Rájánukúla Hospital.” There is a hotel in Thailand called the “Apsará Hotel.” “Apsará” is Saḿskrta for “angel.” The Indonesian airline is called “Garuda Airways.” Garuda is Saḿskrta for a mythological bird. Indonesia is a Muslim country, but since it has been influenced by both the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, an Indonesian king named his son “Sukarno.” He selected the name “Sukarno” after Karna in the Mahabharata. According to his understanding, Karna was a great warrior who had certain imperfections. The king wanted his son to emulate Karna’s good attributes but avoid his defects. “Sukarno” means “good Karna.” Sukarno married a Japanese girl who was given the name “Ratnásaŕii Devii” after marriage. Sukarno’s first daughter was called “Meghavarná Sukarna Putrii” because she was born on a rainy night.

Dravidian influence is evident in the southern portion of Bengal, whereas Mongolian influence is evident in the northern portion. But, in general we can say that Bengali contains a greater percentage of Saḿskrta words than any other language in the world. Amongst the Caucasian languages, certain languages like Russian, Polish, Czech and Slovak languages have been greatly influenced by Vedic vocabulary.

The Mediterranean countries of Europe have a Latin origin. Original Latin underwent some changes after 1000 years and developed two branches – Occidental Demi-Latin and Oriental Demi-Latin. From Occidental Demi-Latin came Basque, Spanish and Portuguese, and from Oriental Demi-Latin came Italian and French. Other languages greatly influenced by Latin and Vedic were the languages spoken by the Alpine and Nordic people. Polish and Slovak are of Alpine origin, and they were also greatly influenced by Latin and Vedic. They contain a certain percentage of the Scandinavian languages which are of the Anglo-Saxon group. This group includes the countries of Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Iceland. Modern English is a blending of Anglo-Saxon, Normandy French, which was spoken in the northern portion of France, and Latin. French evolved from Oriental Demi-Latin.

To know English properly, people must acquire good knowledge of Latin and Anglo-Saxon terms. Distance is measured by feet, but in Saḿskrta it is measured by gaja, a longer unit of measurement. Gaja means “elephant”. In ancient times the measurement was done by hand. Some ten thousand years ago the measurement unit was from the end of the elbow to the tip of the middle finger. In Latin foot is called “pedas”, and from this came “pedal.” Pedal is also used in the sense of “to bicycle”. Pedal is the adjective of pedas. The Saḿskrta word “naktram” is “nocturnal” in Latin. In English “bloody” has two meanings – one is used in a negative sense. In Latin the term for bloody is “sanguinea” and its adjective is “sanguinary.”

English vocabulary abounds in Nordic, Alpine and original Normandic words. English is a blended language and it has two sets of pronunciation – the Latinic style of pronunciation and the Nordic or Anglo-Saxon style of pronunciation. For example, The English word “knife” came from the French word “kanif.” In English “knife” is pronounced incorrectly when the “k” is silent. “Education” in Latinic style is pronounced “ajukation” and in Anglo-Saxon style “ejucation.” In the same way “guardian” is pronounced differently.

In Africa, languages differ according to climatic conditions and river basins. Several Negroid tongues originated in the south of the Sahara, and altogether there are 27 dialects. In the north of the Sahara the original language was Egyptian. When the Arabs conquered Egypt, the language was influenced by Arabic, and dialects and sub-dialects developed. From Morocco to Iran and from Lebanon to Yemen Arabic is spoken. The Persian and Afghani languages are very close to Rg Vedic Saḿskrta. For example, “asti” is Saḿskrta and “astá” is Persian; “bhrátara” is Saḿskrta and “biradar” is Persian. Persian is the grandchild of Rg Vedic Saḿskrta.

Later Hebrew and old or later Arabic came from old Hebrew. Later Hebrew died out when the Jews had to leave the Middle East and settle in Europe and the United States of America. A new language, Yiddish, emerged, but now it is virtually extinct. Hebrew became the official language of Israel when the Jews resettled in the Middle East. Hebrew has close proximity with Arabic. For example, the Arabic words Abraham, Yusuf, Yacub and Daub are Ibrahim, Joseph, Jacob and David respectively in Hebrew. Both are semitic languages and both are written from right to left.

This is a linguistic survey of the entire world.

Chapter 9	Discourses on Neohumanist Education [a compilation]

I will now deal with the educational system during the Mahábhárata period.

In the Vaedika age there was no educational system in particular. Generally students would go to the guru’s house, at the age of five, and, completing their studies by the age of twenty-four, would return home. The reason for not having a solid educational system in the Vaedika age was the incomplete establishment of even monarchism at that time. The gurus would maintain their catuspathiis by begging from the public. The students were in turn maintained by the catuspathiis.

As the first phase of learning, one should be taught grammar. But in the Vaedika age there was no grammar of the Vaedika language. The Vaedika language was a spoken language. In addition to this, there was no script, and people did not know how to write. Therefore the students would memorize the things uttered by the gurus. This is why a solid system could not be evolved. Since the students were listening to their gurus and remembering the things spoken, the Veda was named “Shruti.” “Shruti” means “ear” as well as “to listen” The people in the Vaedika age did not even realize well the value of education, a must for sharpening the intellect. If you go through the Veda you will come across a thousand and one grammatical mistakes, i.e. no grammar had been made. A strong Saḿskrta grammar was made by Panini. Panini, a great scholar and the first grammarian of Saḿskrta, was a Pakhtoon of the Peshawar area.

During the Mahábhárata period there was a system in the educational field to some extent. In the catuspathiis also there was some financial solidarity, as the kings as well as the people helped financially. The Vaedika language had died in the Mahábhárata age. The language of the people was Prákrta. Though there was no solid written grammar, there was some kind of a grammatical structure.

Though everybody would go to the guru’s house to study, there were some day-students too. Students from far-off places would live in the guru’s house. In the first phase they would learn grammar, then general knowledge of different subjects. After this they would learn the art of operating various weapons, according to their abilities. Those who were interested in learning the shastras were taught them.

In the Vaedika era there was division by caste, but there was no casteism at all. But during the Mahábhárata period, there was both caste division and some sense of caste, or casteism. Still, intercaste marriages were customary, and in one family someone might be a vipra, someone a shúdra, someone a vaeshya, as mentioned earlier. Casteism had not yet entered in. Those who had ability for the use of weapons would study martial arts more than the scriptures. Even a person born in a vipra family could study the use of weapon more than the scriptures if he was interested. For example, there was Drona, who though born in a vipra family, was an expert in operating weapons, since he was interested in them. But persons born in vipra families lost respect if they became very skilled in the use of weapons.

There was also a close link between the educational system and the social system, i.e., the society wanted persons coming from kśatriya families to be expert in military skills, as it was the duty of the kśatriyas to defend the country. The social system was that only the kśatriyas were to defend the country, if invaded; this resulted in a great weakness of the society, leading to the defeat of India when invaded by outside forces 2000 years after the Mahábhárata, wherein the majority of the kśatriyas had been killed, causing a great reduction in their numbers.

Logic (nyaya), social code (smrti), Saḿskrta grammar and the science of spirituality were included in the educational curriculum of the then period. But that which we call philosophy today had not yet been born.

The oldest philosophy in the world is the Samkhya philosophy of Kapila. Though the Samkhya philosophy was written down some time after the Mahábhárata period, the philosophical trend had already crept into the minds of the people of that period. The first world philosophy was formulated in India, and had its preparation on the battlefield of the Mahábhárata. As said above, there was neither philosophy nor books in the Vaedika era, but there was spiritual teaching, in the period of the Mahábhárata there was spiritual teaching, there were books, but there was no philosophy. After the Mahábhárata, people began to think very seriously about the origin of the world, the duties of human beings, on the basis of Lord Krśńa’s teachings in the Giita. Due to these questions, people created the first philosophy, after getting the answers to these questions. Therefore Maharsi Kapila was after the Mahábhárata, not prior to it.

In the Mahábhárata age education was given through the medium of Saḿskrta. The Vaedika language was a dead language then. The people’s language was Prákrta but teaching was not in the Prákrta medium. Books in Prákrta were also very few. Generally people did not write in Prákrta. The Prákrta language was reformed, and the language which came into being out of the reformation was named Saḿskrta.

Saḿskrta is not the Vaedika language. After the death of the Vaedika language Prákrta was born. The synthetic language which was made by rectifying the Prákrta language was known as Saḿskrta. “Saḿskrta” means “reformed” – the reformation of the Prákrta language.

In the Vaedika age the expression of address was “Bho arya” – “arya” means “ respectable.” In the Mahábhárata age, i.e., in Prákrta, “arya” became “ajja.”

In that age, after the death of the Saḿskrta language (meaning here the Vaedika language), there emerged seven Prákrta languages. Towards the east of Allahabad in East India was Magadhii Prákrta; towards the west of Allahabad and east of Delhi, i.e., in Northern Central India, there was Shaorasenii Prákrta; in the Punjab, Kashmir and Himachal, i.e., to the northwest of Delhi, there was Paeshacii Prákrta; towards the west and north of this Paeshachii land (in Afghanistan and South Russia) there was Pashcatya Prákrta; towards the south of Multan, i.e., in Sindh and South Baluchistan, there was Pahlavii Prákrta; in Central India Malavii Prákrta; and in Southwest India, i.e., Maharastra and Goa, there was Maharastrii Prákrta. These were the seven Prákrta languages.

But educated persons did not use Prákrta. They wrote few Prákrta books. The leaders of the Mahábhárata, the Pandavas and the Kaoravas, spoke in Shaorasenii Prákrta, but they did not write that language. When the Pandavas were talking with Kuntii they used a blended language of Paeshacii and Shaorasenii Prákrta, but when they spoke with a gentleman they used reformed Shaorasenii Prákrta, i.e., Saḿskrta. Saḿskrta was not the natural language (matrbhasa) of anybody nor had it ever been. The natural language of Krśńa was Shaorasenii Prákrta. With Vasudeva, Nanda and Yashoda He talked in this very language, but with the Pandavas and the Kaoravas in Saḿskrta.

As I told you earlier, in the Vaedika era a gentleman was addressed as “arya.” In the Shaorasenii language, the natural language of Krśńa, the grandmother of Hindi (which is a matter of glory for Hindi) “arya” became “ajja.” After that, when Shaorasenii died, “ajja” became “ajjii” in Ardha Shaorasenii, the mother of Hindi. “Ajjii” became “jii” in present Hindi.

The education in that period was in Saḿskrta, and people wrote on bhurja leaves, not palm leaves. The famous book of that age is the Mahábhárata, a part of which is the Giitá. In the Mahábhárata age people began to write the Veda, but the writing was completed after a pretty long time. On the Giitá we find the influence of only one book or set of books – the Vaedika Upaniśads – because the only book which could have been called older than the Giitá was the Veda, which was not fully written either. The portion of the Veda dealing with knowledge is the Upaniśads.

You know that the Veda has two portions – the first is Karmakanda and the second is Jiṋánakanda. In Jiṋánakanda in turn there are a couple of portions – Aranyaka and the Upaniśads. So the influence of the Upaniśads on the Giitá and even on Krśńa is very clear. And the influence was expressed when Lord Krśńa began to answer the complicated philosophical questions of Arjuna. And Maharsi Kapila’s Sáḿkhya philosophy is just the philosophical explanation of the Upaniśadik Jiṋánakanda.

About two hundred years after the Mahábhárata we find in the catuspathiis and in the educational complex of India the teachings of philosophical lore. In that period philosophy meant Kapil’s Sáḿkhya philosophy. Though the teaching of philosophy started two hundred years after the Mahábhárata, we can speak of Kapil as a contemporary of the Mahábhárata, as two hundred years is not a very long period. And in that period, if people talked of a man of letters, it invariably meant Kapil. In the Saḿskrta language the word “Kapila” has acquired the meaning of “first scholar” (adi vidvan), i.e., it was Maharshi Kapil who first received recognition as being a scholar.

During the Mahábhárata age the panditas who were teaching in the catuspathiis were helped both by the government and by the public. People considered it to be a sacred deed to help the catuspathiis, which they did with food, clothing, etc, This was something spontaneous. Each pandita was the conductor of one catuspathii, and there was no such thing as a university. Each pandita set up his educational system and curriculum according to his wishes and his own teaching. Each student belonging to a catuspathii was the adopter (dharaka), supporter (vahaka), and patron (pariposaka) of a particular thought. Students connected to different panditas had considerable variation in their knowledge. There was internal clash of thoughts and interpretations in all these catuspathiis, i.e., every catuspathii was a small university in itself.

But in the Buddhistic age that was not so. Instead, controlling universities were there. As for instance, in East India there was Vaneshvarpur Vihara University, which is in the Rajasahi district in present Bangladesh. In East India, in Amga Desha, in the Bhagalpur district near Kahalgaon, was Vikramashila Vihara University. In East India, in Patna District, was Nalanda University. Nalanda was the greatest university, the controlling one. Towards the frontier side near Peshawar was Taksashila University. This was also a controlling university.

In the Mahábhárata period the university system was not set up by the people. The difference between the catuspathiis of the Mahábhárata age and the viharas of the Buddhistic age was that the latter were not helped by the public but only by the kings. This had a very damaging effect, as after the end of the supremacy of Buddhism, when Neo-Hinduism came in full swing, all the viharas failed, as none of the kings continued aiding them. So within only one hundred years of the end of the Buddhist states, all the viharas in India ceased to exist. Hence we see how dangerous it is for schools to depend completely on governmental aid. Educational institutions should depend on public help and not on governmental help.

There is a well-known word, “chátra.” This was first applied in the Mahábhárata period to any of the pupils staying under the canopy (chatra) of any particular pandit. As the pupils were under the control of, within the jurisdiction of, one pandit with one school of thought, they were known as “chátra”. “Chátra” has now wrongly been used to mean any student. Present students are not chatra. “Chátra” means one who is under the control and jurisdiction (chátra) of a school of thought of one guru.

Chapter 10	Discourses on Neohumanist Education [a compilation]

BASIC DIFFERENCES IN ATTITUDE BETWEEN THE EAST AND THE WEST

Though the human society is one and indivisible, still there are certain differences in the attitudes to life and the world between the East and the West. Both have their distinctly different mentalities. The East is predominantly subjective in outlook, whereas the West has a mainly objective bent of mind. The East, throughout its development, has maintained a subjective approach, whereas western countries put great stress on objective development. Too much emphasis on either one of these approaches is not conducive to the all-round growth of the society. We can build up an ideal society only on the basis of a happy adjustment between the subjective and the objective approaches. Here is the greatness of Ananda Marga ideology.

While the East is essentially spiritual in outlook, some philosophies have distorted spirituality to such an extent that they regard the world as an illusion. Some Indian Monists emphatically declare,

Brahma satyaḿ jaganmithyá.

“Brahma is the only reality; the expressed world is an illusion.”

Human life is like a drop of water on a lotus leaf, therefore it is futile to try and develop the material world. Such philosophies advise “atmanam viddhi” or “know thyself”. All the religions of the East have clearly instructed their followers to try and accept the path of shreya or that which leads to supreme benevolence only, to the utter exclusion of preya or that which leads to the acquisition of mundane objects! It may be that this sort of philosophy is not logically incorrect, but in practice this type of extreme idealism preaches that the world should be ignored. The individual human being may develop conscience, morality, renunciation, etc., and may reach the height of spirituality, but the society as a whole will not thereby progress. The maximum development of the society will be reached when there is balanced development in the physical, mental and spiritual spheres.

The Asian countries, in spite of their long heritage of morality and spirituality, have been subject to great humiliation during periods of foreign invasion. While the higher knowledge of philosophy propagated by the oriental sages and saints has been accepted as a unique contribution to the store house of human culture and civilization, the people of these lands could not resist the foreign invaders. The history of all the Asian countries, a region of so many religions, has been dominated by foreign powers for centuries together. This imbalance brought about their material deprivation and political subjugation.

On the other hand, the West is completely obsessed with physical development. It has made spectacular progress in the fields of politics, economics, science, warfare, etc. In fact, it has made so much material progress that it seems to be the sovereign master of the water, land and air. But for all that, it is not socially content and miserably lacks spiritual wealth. Unlike the East, in the West plenty of wealth has created a crisis. Therefore, it is abundantly clear that no country can progress harmoniously with only one-sided development.

Therefore, it behoves both the East and the West to accept a synthetic ideology that stands for a happy synthesis between the two. Here, the East can help the west spiritually, whereas the materialistic West can extend its material help to the East. Both will be mutually benefited if they accept this golden policy of give and take, expressed in Bengali as, “Dive ar nive milave milive.”

In the educational system of the East, there is the predominant element of spirituality. Oriental students used to go to their Guru’s house at the age of five and live there up to twenty-five years of age. They led a strictly ethical and spiritual life and were mainly taught paravidya or spiritual knowledge and some aparavidya or mundane knowledge. Then next in their domestic life, they cultivated mundane knowledge and spiritual knowledge up to 50 years of age, and in the last quarter of their life they cultivated spiritual knowledge exclusively. So the people of the orient could not but be spiritual in their thoughts and actions. Whereas there is, in the western system of education, a clear and unilateral emphasis on mundane knowledge. So to build up an ideal human society in the future, the balanced emphasis on the two is indispensable.

We should remember that morality, spirituality and humanity, and a happy blending of occidental extroversial science and oriental introversial philosophy is the very foundation of our system of education. Unlike Rudyard Kipling who wrongly observed that “East is East and West is West, and never the twain shall meet,” Ananda Marga believes in one universal society with one ideology and one cosmic goal.

Chapter 11	Discourses on Neohumanist Education [a compilation]

THE SUBTLEST WAY OF ENMITY IS THE DEPRIVATION OF PRÁŃA DHARMA

The words práńa dharma mean the cardinal characteristic of a person which differentiates one person from another. Just as each human being has his or her own traits, similarly an entire race living within a particular geographical, historical and cultural environment will also inhere some traits which distinguish that particular race from other. These traits or specialities are inseparably embedded in the internal behaviour of the entire population, and they help to form a particular bent of mind, expression of external behaviour, attitude towards life and society, and on the whole a different out look.

If we look at the racial stocks of the world, this fact becomes evident – that in their approach of life, different races invariably differ from one another. This variation is less external and more internal. The gradual development of internal discipline springs directly from the mode of living and education. This internal discipline is known as práńa dharma. To be more clear, when the vital expression of a race takes a particular course of manifestation, that course of manifestation is known as práńa dharma.

Take the example of India. The people of India have been inhering their own práńa dharma since time immemorial. They are basically subjective in their approach to life and the world. By nature they are parabhimukhi from the very inception of childhood – that is, they ascribe Godhood to every action, thought and expression. The reason for this is very clear. In ancient India, at the age of five, a boy was sent to the residence of a Guru or enlightened teacher to learn till the age of twenty-five. The child used to learn mainly paravidya or spiritual knowledge and some aparavidya or mundane knowledge from the Guru. After the completion of student life, the youth could return to Garhasta Dharma. In the Garhasta Dharma, he used to cultivate both spiritual knowledge and mundane knowledge. After reaching 50 years of age, he used to leave Garhasta Dharma and entered into Vana Prasta where he used to only cultivate spiritual knowledge. This is the very reason why people developed a subjective approach towards life. This subjective approach to life became the práńa dharma of the people of India. We find that in India, even when a notorious robber goes to commit a crime, he takes the name of Mother Kali. In the educational system of India, the cultivation of spiritual knowledge was primary, and this instilled in the students a high standard of behaviour, reverence and modesty.

Now, the best way of enmity against a person or a race is to deprive the person or the race of the freedom to cultivate their práńa dharma, and to prevent them from channelizing their potentiality accordingly. For example, the best way of enmity against a bird is to put it in a cage so that it will become a biped animal. The long confinement in the cage, which is against the práńa dharma of the bird, will deprive it of the capacity to fly.

Capitalism and communism are both ultravires to the práńa dharma of the people of the world. PROUT wants to maintain the integrity of práńa dharma of each and every race. Capitalism, by its hydra-headed greed for economic exploitation, has made human beings slaves to circumstances beyond their control. In India, capitalism has sucked the vital energy of the people by rendering them poverty stricken. Similarly, communism has gone against the very vital life surge of the people of India. Communists mouth enchanting, hollow slogans, and are trying to push the entire race down the path of animality where cardinal human values are non-existent.

The English colonialists were also cunning enough to discern the práńa dharma of the people of India, and they deprived them of the freedom to express their práńa dharma. The British wanted to bring the entire Indian race under their colonial grip to make the people slaves. They reformed the old educational system of India and bluntly introduced the English system of education. The English education system was contrary to that of India, because it was based on an objective approach and the complete denial of the subjective approach. The British colonial masters educated the subjugated race on the lines of their own education system, and produced a peculiar group of people who were neither Indian nor civilian nor serviceable. These so-called educated people of India were a complete departure from the mass of Indians in their habits, behaviour, thoughts, modesty and personal integrity. That is why a gulf of difference developed between the so-called educated people and the village people of India. By applying these subtle tactics, a group of people in India became European in attitude although they were Indian in colour, and this group were instrumental in perpetuating the British Raj in India.

The British colonialists applied the same tactics in China. The Chinese people, before the Kuomintan regime, were laborious and dexterous as well as religious. But by introducing opium, the British made the entire Chinese race inactive and indolent. Afterwards the communists, under the leadership of Mao Zedong, killed the religion of the Chinese people and deprived them of their práńa dharma. In this way, the British and the communists brought the entire Chinese race under their grip.

PROUT does not want to turn the hands of the clock back. PROUT does not reject the western educational system. But at the same time, the western education system utterly failed to inculcate a sense of morality, reverence and a high standard of behaviour among the students of India during the time of the British Raj. That is why in PROUT’s system of education, we stress the need to start “Ashramic Schools” in every village of India. If this is done, the corrosive tendency introduced by the British can be checked at an early stage. In the post-independence period of India, the leaders and educationists could not deeply understand the prevalent crisis of the Indian education system. This crisis was largely due to the defective British education system which was fundamentally against the práńa dharma of the Indian people. All the attempts to reform the education system proved futile and led the nation towards further degradation. This was because India’s educationists could not reform the education system according to the práńa dharma of the Indian people. Our Ananda Marga school curriculum is based on the práńa dharma of the people of India, and furthermore, it strengthens the people in their práńa dharma.

PROUT is of the opinion that the different races will assimilate PROUT philosophy according to their práńa dharma. There is wide scope for adjustment.

Svadharme nidhanaḿ shreyah paradharma bhayabahah

“It is better to die while pursuing one’s Dharma
Than to be led to catastrophe by following adharma.”

During the Muslim period in India, social distress increased in the fabric of Indian society. But the Muslims could not deprive the people of India of their práńa dharma. But during the British rule, both in the social and spiritual spheres, the people were deprived of their práńa dharma. Some so-called western educated people even now look down upon villagers for their simplicity and na ivete. These so-called educated people were misguided away from práńa dharma because they were denied any subjective approach in the western education system. This is why such people have failed to become one with the mass.

PROUT equips human beings with their own práńa dharma and thereby reinforces and strengthen their march along the path of progress.

Chapter 12	Discourses on Neohumanist Education [a compilation]

Most of the people who realize that they have to do much work in life often think to themselves, “Indeed I must work – but how little is my knowledge, how scanty my intelligence – why should anyone listen to me or follow me?”

Yet, it is true that there is much work to be done. Human beings have made but little progress from the inception of their journey of evolution. During the long span of one million years since human beings came onto this earth, they could not make any significant advancement. Since the time of the bullock carts, they have had to acquire much knowledge. Perhaps you know that many of the world’s civilizations are very ancient – the Indian, Chinese and Egyptian civilizations, and the Mayan civilization of the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. But considering the vast period during which human beings have been evolving, we cannot say that they have made very remarkable progress. In some civilizations they have made some progress, yet even these civilizations could not defend themselves against the onslaught of time. The reason for their failure to survive was their lack of coordination in various aspects of life: they could not bring about a proper adjustment among the different spheres of existence.

Some people advised the entire society to renounce all and retreat to the Himalayas; obviously in this way other aspects of life would be neglected. Others advised, “No, there is no necessity of renunciation; all should remain as householders, for they also have to encounter a multitude of problems. If we tell someone to set out immediately for the North Pole, will he or she be able to do it? Rather he or she will say, ‘No, I cannot – I must wait for three months. My daughter will be married, and my son will have to appear in his examination.’ In this way householders have to face countless problems in life.”

According to still others, it is sufficient to follow moral principles. But the question is, is it really enough to follow the path of righteousness? Suppose the road you are following is very good, but how will you reach your destination? It is not enough to move upon the right path: you must also know your goal. Leading a righteous life, and knowing one’s goal – both are necessary. One must know the way to move along the right path: that is, on the journey forward, one must make provisions for the movement, one must make proper adjustment among all spheres of life. Because of the lack of this adjustment, some old civilizations perished; some are still gasping for breath; and some, after coming in contact with other civilizations, were completely transformed so that their original form is no longer recognisable.

Perhaps you know the old story of a milk vendor. Once a customer asked a milk vendor. “How is it that you sell me milk at one kilo for one rupee, whereas the other vendor gives it to my neighbour for two kilos a rupee?” The vendor replied, “If you like, I will also give it to you for two kilos a rupee.” So the vendor started giving milk at that price. After a few days, the customer said to him, “Look here, another milk vendor sells 16 kilos of milk for one rupee. Why don’t you?” The vendor replied, “I can also, if you like.” After a few more days, the customer said, “See here, another vendor is selling milk at 18 kilos for a rupee!” “I can also do that if you want,” answered the vendor, “but this time I will not be able to retain the original colour of the milk!” That is, the vendor will have to pour such a great quantity of water into the milk that it will no longer remain white!

Some civilizations after coming in contact with other civilizations have been so transformed that their original form can hardly be traced. Take the case of our old civilization of Bengal. Bengali civilization is pre-Aryan, prehistoric: its original form is no longer discernible. The women of those ancient days did not use a veil on their heads because they used to insert collyrium case in their hair bun. You know that if a collyrium case is tucked into the hair, a veil cannot be used. But today Bengali women no longer insert collyrium cases into their hair. Similarly, all the youths of Bengal used to keep with them a small box for pan and betel nuts and leaves, but they do not do so any more. Yet even today at marriage ceremonies, the bridegroom carries a nutcracker for betel nuts, and the bride wears the sis in her hair. So judging from these remnants of the old customs, one can easily surmise what type of ancient civilization it was.

Now these old customs are no longer prevalent. Everything in this universe is changing, nothing remains permanently. In some ancient civilizations like the Egyptian civilization and the Mayan civilization, even the remnants of the old customs are now no longer discernible. What was the cause of their downfall? The Mayan civilization lagged behind for one reason: they could not invent the wheel. Their sledges were drawn by deer. In the North Polar region there are still sledges without wheels in use, that are pulled along the snow and ice-covered areas. Wheels are symbols of speed, and as the Mayans could not invent the wheel, they could not develop wagons and carts. And because transport and communication were hindered and mechanical energy could not be harnessed, the civilization began to lag behind.

But the Egyptian civilization which once preserved mummies and developed so many spectacular things, also began to lag behind due to the lack of kśatriyan spirit which is essential for the preservation of civilization. The Chinese civilization did not perish altogether; it still survives through metamorphosis. The Indian civilization also did not perish; it, too, has survived through transformation. But the Indian civilization has undergone so much changes that it is extremely difficult to find its original colour these days. There is hardly any connection between the pre-Vedic and the Vedic way of life and that of modern India. One can only trace the remnants of these great civilizations with much difficulty.

To protect civilization, care has to be taken regarding certain aspects; a civilization can survive only if there is a proper balance among all these special aspects.

Now let us come to our original topic. In our spiritual way of life no aspect of life should be excluded or ignored. I have already said that dharma means the balanced state of all aspects of human life. Our ideology also provides a code of conduct for householders. Our social life includes all; we do not exclude anything or anyone, nor will we do so in future, because we want to utilize the services of all. Thus we have been able to unite the entire humanity under one banner, and in the future we will perhaps be able to do this in a still better way.

You should continue to perform your mundane duties keeping this always in your mind. You should remember that human life is not like a single flower; it is like a bouquet or a garden of flowers blooming with many varieties of flowers. And this variety of blossoms adds to the collective beauty of the garden. Had there been only magnolia graniflora or one variety of rose only blooming in the garden, although that single flower might be very attractive, still the garden as a whole would not be very lovely. A garden is all the more beautiful because of the flowers of various types and hues.

Similarly, we human beings must also move forward while maintaining a harmonious adjustment among all the diverse aspects of individual and collective life. We must discover unity in the midst of colourful diversity. Not only will we realize this in the future, we are realizing it even today, and thus we have been able to consolidate even our limited power. And you know that even a little power, if consolidated, becomes stronger than even a mighty force. You should always be vigilant that not a single individual of our collective body is in the least neglected or ignored. Let not a single boy or girl feel within them that no one is concerned about them – let not a single person be allowed to think, “No one cares whether I have taken my food or not.” You must pay special heed to this.

Particularly those of you who are in responsible positions of leadership should remember that you should never think, “No one is bothering to enquire whether I have eaten or not.” Rather, you should always be concerned with others’ necessities, not your own. You should always think more about your duties and responsibilities than about your rights.

So far as women are concerned, they already have the natural habit of paying attention to others’ comforts and necessities; and I expect our girls to pay even more attention to others’ needs. It is a fact that women habitually eat less themselves, sacrificing their share of food, to give it to the other members of the family – this is a woman’s nature. It is never the nature of a woman to eat more, thus depriving her guests.

So you should always be vigilant in collective life that no one is ignored, that no one is deprived. The seed of the true progress of society lies in remembering this principle, of thinking of others’ interest first.

Sakaler tare sakale ámra
Pratyake ámrá parer tare

[We are all for all Each of us is for others.]

Yes, I said that the ancient Mayan civilization could not invent the wheel, and since there were no wheels, there were no carts. This was due to a very minor defect in society.

There are many individuals who think that they should do something, but in spite of thinking thus, they cannot actually do the work. Others think, “Something should be done, and I will do it”; they also have the desire to work but they cannot, because they see many imperfections in themselves. They feel that they lack the knowledge or the capacity for strenuous effort necessary for the task. There are many different reasons why people cannot accomplish more in their lives. Some people have the desire to work, but they have no confidence in their own strength. They think, “Can I really do it? There are many people more intelligent than I, who are not able to do it! There are more people more courageous than I who cannot do it! How shall I be able to succeed?” Such people’s minds are full of doubts and hesitations.

Once I said that according to Lord Shiva, of all the factors for success in life, the first and most important fact is firm determination: Phaliśyatiiti vishvásah siddher prathamá lakśanam. “I shall surely succeed” – this sort of firm conviction is required for success in life. This firm determination is the most important quality. If one lacks this determination, how can it be developed?

You know, a genius is not made – only a technician is. A genius is born, and a technician is made by constant practice. Some people succeed in their efforts, and some do not; but those who have inborn capacity will surely succeed in life. Rabindranath was an inborn poet. There may be some persons who suddenly develop the desire to write poetry; some can do it, and some cannot. Moreover, the standard of many is not very high; they merely rhyme their line after much difficulty. Perhaps they will write one line:

Pátáy paŕe nishir shishir…

[On every leaf falls the night dew…]

Then they will wait for several hours until they can suddenly find another line to rhyme with the first one:

Táte kibá yáy áse ámár pisir?

[What does this matter to my aunt?]

Poets of this type should be called technicians, not geniuses.

There are many people whose original thinking is almost nil; what can they do in the field of literature? Those who have no original thinking yet still have the desire to write, select two forms of literary composition: one is literary criticism, and the other is parody. Literary critics, while making a critical appraisal of Sharatchandra, point out, “Had Sharatchandra written in this way instead of that way, it would have been much better… it was incorrect of him to write thus…” But they themselves cannot write a single line; they cannot create any thing original themselves, so they become expert in criticizing others. Regarding this band of literary critics we may say that their creative activity has reached a negative stage. When the litterateur cannot provide any original ideas to society, they turn to criticism. This is very bad. Or they write parodies – simply altering somewhat another’s original composition. For example, a poet wrote:

Pákhii sab kare rab ráti poháila

[The birds are chirping, for the night is past.]

While parodying this original line, they write,

Pákhii sab kare rab fazar haila

[The birds are chirping, the dawn has come.]

Or suppose the original line is,

Otha shishu, mukh dhao para nija besh,
Ápan pát́hete man karaha nivesh.

[Oh child, get up and wash your face, put on your dress, and put your mind on your lessons!]

While parodying this, they write,

Otho shishu oju kara para luuṋgi fej,
Ápan kitábe man karah ámej.

[Oh child, get up and take a half bath; put on your lungi and cap, and try to concentrate on your books.]

Of course, Rabindranath and other geniuses like him did sometimes themselves parody their own compositions. One of Rabindranath’s devotees was an excellent musician. Once Rabindranath went to the Star Theatre with him. They were seated in different places. After some time Rabindranath said, “I see something shining below.” When they met again, Rabindranath said, “When I was looking for you, I saw something shining below, and that convinced me that it was you sitting there, for the light was reflecting off your bald head!” Rabindranath had previously composed this song:

Amala dhavala pále legeche
Manda madhura háoyá

[On the brilliant white sails blows the gentle breeze.]

Then he parodied his own lines:

Telálo cet́alo táke legeche
Jháṋjhálo roder háoyá

[On the gleaming bald head is reflected the scorching heat of the sun.]

But in this case, this sort of parodying does not indicate the exhaustion of the poet’s genius; a genius always writes, or does, something original.

Here we are not discussing technicians, we are discussing genius. Genius is an inborn faculty; all people do not possess it. But one must always attempt to utilize whatever potentiality one possesses, and the best approach in this regard is to remember that Parama Puruśa is always with me, and I am endowed with power because of Him – I am powerful because of Him. One need not lament if one does not have sufficient power; one should think, “Since Parama Puruśa is inseparably associated with me, the flow of capability and energy will emanate from Him and operate through me. Then why cannot I do great things which others can do, certainly I can!”

However little one’s capacity might be, if one constantly remembers that Parama Puruśa is always with him or her, that they are in the closest contact with Parama Puruśa, they will be able to do everything. They are not as small as they think themselves to be. And as long as they remember this closest association with Him, they can do much more than ordinary human beings. When this idea becomes permanently established in their minds, they become great. This is why no one should be disappointed or depressed in any circumstances; let everyone constantly perform great deeds, remembering that the flow of their capacity is coming from Parama Puruśa, and thus they can do everything. Those people whom we call genii are also like this: Parama Puruśa has infused them with a special capacity, not in great measure, but to some degree.

I say only to some degree, because I have always maintained that human beings use only a small fraction of their innate ability; perhaps only 1% or 2% of their capability, and 98% remains unutilized. Let us take the case of Rabindranath Tagore. We think that he was such a great poet, but that Rabindranath hardly utilized 10% or 15 % of his entire capacity. We did not give him the opportunity to fully utilize his potentialities for he had to pass his time amidst numerous vicissitudes of life. Had we saved him from all those troubles, perhaps he would have produced much more literature. It is my personal opinion that we should help those people who have some genius to maximally utilize their potentiality. It is because human beings have to exhaust so much of their energy in coping with the numerous mundane problems of life, that they do not get any opportunity to utilize their higher capabilities. If Sharatchandra had not to be engaged in the struggle for existence, perhaps he could have produced much more literature than he did. The same applies to Rabindranath Tagore as well. In fact, this applies to most people of genius. We never appreciate them during their life times; rather we treat them with hostility and create obstructions in their activities. As a result, the entire society is harmed.

Before Rabindranath was awarded the Nobel Prize, there were many scurrilous attempts to belittle him in every way; similar attempts were made in the case of Michael Madhusudhan Dutt. He was the genius who first introduced blank verse into any Indian language. (Actually it is incorrect to say in any Indian language, because blank verse was already used in Sanskrit; therefore it would be better to say that he first introduced it into a modern Indian language.) But he had to face hostile criticism opposing his writing anything in blank verse. Michael was the first to use nám dhátu (nouns as verbs). For instance, he wrote,

Calecha ki naranáth yujhite samare
Praviira puttrer mrtyu pratividhitsite?

“Are you going on an expedition to avenge the death of your valorous son?”

[[Pratividhitsite means “Pratividhán karte” [“to avenge”].]] The use of this nám dhátu was not previously in vogue. People used to parody his language saying, “Huŕ huŕ kari, huŕukilá mashárilá mashá!” [“Clubs clubbing him and mosquitoes mosquito-ing him!”] That is, they criticized his overusing nám dhátu.

We should develop our character in such a way that we encourage people to express their latent genius, rather than pulling them down by creating obstacles in their path. One of the main defects of people is jealousy. Let us all remain free from this defect. If someone prospers in life, others always seek to pull them down saying, “Why do you rise so high above us? Sit down! Don’t rise up, we cannot tolerate it!” If we encourage a genius to unfold his or her potentialities, then the whole human society will be benefited.

And those who have less genius or none at all, if they too remember that Parama Puruśa is with them, then He will supply them with the necessary strength. Thus thinking, if they set themselves to any task, they also will be able to accomplish great deeds. Such people will achieve more than twice as much as ordinary people – in fact they will achieve two hundred or even five hundred times more!

So now you understand the difference between a genius and a technician. Genius is an inborn faculty; it cannot be created. A technician possesses an ordinary qualification, developed to an extraordinary degree of efficiency. This is the fundamental difference between a genius and a technician.

Chapter 13	Discourses on Neohumanist Education [a compilation]

Today’s topic of discussion is “The Ever-Expanding Domain of the Microcosm”. The domains of all microcosms are not equal. It also cannot be said that they are all expanding in all spheres: because certain microcosms according to their destination or goal are losing their psychic dimensions – they are gradually becoming smaller and smaller. As their psychic dimensions are shrinking, their existences are also becoming crude. As a result, they are gradually losing the opportunities for their psychic receptivity. But it may still be said that whatever microcosmic entity a person possessed in the prehistoric period, it used to function within a very narrow sphere.

In the most ancient times, in the very first stage of manifestation, human beings, like animals, used to roam about the whole day worrying either about food or how to find the means to protect themselves from their enemies. They had no other tasks to do than this. Through clash and cohesion the area of microcosmic mind gradually began to develop and the human body as the vehicle of microcosm also gradually became very complex. Now, the interesting aspect of this is that the container of microcosm, the human body – although it became more and more complex with increasingly complex permutations and combinations of the five elements (páiṋcabhaotika) – did not increase its physical power; rather, on the contrary, it lost some of its physical strength. As the nervous system developed, the hands and legs, teeth and nails lost some of their strength, and the eyesight also became weaker. But all these fundamental developments in microcosm occurred through sheer clash and cohesion – and the microcosmic area also expanded, as did its vitality.

In those ancient times people were divided into small groups or clans. During the daytime they used to come down to the plains and at dusk they used to climb up in the trees or on hillocks. With whatever materials they could gather, they used to bind their small huts in the tops of trees, just as birds build their nests. Even today people in the colloquial language, specially in Bengali, do not say “build a house”; they say “binding a home”.

As the struggle of life intensified, human beings also began to think more deeply about various matters; and with this their nervous systems also developed to fulfil the requirements of their expanding psychic domain. This transformation of their nervous system was also reflected in their skin and other parts of their bodies. The people of one clan used to treat the people of other clans who lived on different hilltops or trees, as their enemies. Thus people began to identify themselves by their particular lineage on the basis of their habitation and locality. And with or without cause, one group would start fighting with another group. The more their groupism and numbers increased, the more conflict developed, and with these clashes, the activity of their psychic sphere also began to intensify.

I have said that no true progress can occur in the psychic or in the physical realm of the five elements (páiṋcabhaotika); progress occurs only in the spiritual sphere. But due to the expansion of the dimensions of their mental realm, human beings became very active. One of the many reasons for their hectic activity was the increasing distrust among human beings. In those times this distrust found its outlet in open fighting and clash; but not today. Today human beings’ thoughts, words and deeds never coincide. In civilized language what we call, “diplomacy” is also increasingly practised. As a result, people have lost their tranquillity; with the increasing rate of excitement, peace is lost. What is the overall consequence of this phenomenon? Mental disorders have become rampant – more and more people are becoming insane. Not only that, a plethora of doctrines and ideologies are proliferating among the people of the world today.

Let me give you an example. Buddha did not leave behind anything in writing. As a result of this lapse, great differences in opinion developed among the bhikkus (monks) some time after his death. Two groups of bhikkus emerged – Sthaviravádii, the southern school of Buddhist doctrine, and Mahásáḿghika (the northern school), which later on became known as “Hiinayána” and “Maháyána” respectively. But that was not the end of it. Innumerable branches and sub-branches emerged, countless philosophies of Sthaviraváda, Vijiṋánaváda, Shúnyaváda, Mahásukhaváda, and Atisukaváda. Each one of these groups became so engrossed in their own ideologies, doctrines and subdoctrines that they did not have any time to do any constructive work: they were always engaged in vindicating their own doctrines and maligning others’. In other words, they strayed far from their original ethics and objectives. This state of affairs which began to develop in the Buddhist age is still occurring – and not only in the Buddhist sects. It is also continuing in all respects, in all spheres of life. Wherever there are two individuals there emerge two parties. Conflicts between ideologies have become unavoidable, and have become the order of the day. The reason for this is that human beings have progressed in the mental sphere but not in the spiritual sphere. The spiritual goal is one. But in the absence of this unitary goal, factionalism emerged. Factionalism does not mean only groupism; it is also a conflict of doctrines. And it will prevail until human beings accept a singular goal in the process of synthesis. “Stop, stop – do not quarrel – there is no use of fighting – peace, peace” – uttering all these good words will not do; it will stop no one. Peace may come for the time being, but it will not be permanent; like an ash-covered spark, unrest will again flair up. If human beings want to save themselves from this catastrophe, the only way is to march forward towards a single goal. Humanity must be guided to follow the path of synthesis and not the path of analysis.

There is also a lack of amity among human beings. The cause of this lack of amity is the same: an outlook which is not synthetic but only analytic, compels people to see the differences and bring divisions among different nations. In the one human race there are Aryans, Negroes, and Mongolians. Among the Aryans there are Mediterraneans, Nordics, Alpines – also there are subdivisions of Latins and non-Latins. An analytic perspective brings divisions, and divisive tendencies create impediments to peace. The only way out now to save human beings from destroying tranquillity is to adopt the path of synthesis; there is no other way than this.

Some people declare that evolved human intellect developed religion in order to bring about human welfare. Those who utter these words are civilized and noble people and are entitled to deliver such sermons. But I do not use such polished language, as I am always frank in speaking. I must say clearly that, while “welfare” might be a factor behind the development of religion, the motive for indulging in factionalism was more evident. If welfare to people was the actual aim, then people should not have allowed themselves to be accused of perpetrating falsehood. I do not want to hurt anybody’s feelings nor do I intend to do so. Yet I will say openly that in many scriptures there are some statements which are not at all logical. These sayings will be nullified if they are only tested and rubbed on the touchstone of humanism. Therefore if something is to be done for human welfare, the path of synthesis should be followed, and not that of analysis. “Your God is the only God. You are His blessed sons and daughters, and others will burn in hellfire.” By these sermons, unity among human beings can never be achieved. The human entity exists within the boundaries of time, space and person. While remaining within the scope of time, space and person, people should endeavour to go beyond, to transcend these limitations and march on towards the Infinite. There is no other alternative to reach the goal of the Infinite than following the path of synthesis, than evolving a synthetic consciousness. Thus one will have to adopt the way of mysticism, to break free from the bondages of limitation and merge with the Infinite. There is no alternative.

But this is not happening now. The limited human beings have kept themselves confined in smaller and smaller areas, resulting in the emergence of different types of “isms”. In each area, people inhabiting a particular country have a particular identity. And not only do they have a particular identification, they are also unable to accept as their own, other people who have a different identity. As long as they are unable to counteract this phenomenon by adopting the path of synthesis, peace in human society cannot be established. Continually mouthing the empty slogan, “peace, peace,” is nothing but a hollow sham. Actually, cutting the roots of a tree and then pouring water on its top will yield no result. Emphasis must be placed on the fundamental unity, through the path of synthesis and not the path of analysis. Human beings must march forward by cherishing noble values and ideas. When people will try to bring about unity among human beings, they will have to realize the valuable treasure of their existential stamina, and then that stamina will be properly expressed. And the spontaneous expression of that stamina will lead them along the path of synthesis. Therefore human beings will have to learn and understand many things, and they will have to establish themselves in the Supreme One, together with all. They must bring all people to the same platform, and in doing so, they will have to make enormous progress in the field of thought.

Thus it is also imperative to develop language as the vehicle of thought. In human society today, language is undeveloped; the vocabularies of the world’s languages are very poor. In the German, English and Saḿskrtá language, we do not find more than five hundred thousand words, including all the groups, sub-groups, suffixes and prefixes. Most languages still suffer from this deficiency. The fact that our vocabularies are very poor and dull generally escapes our attention. If we do pay attention, the expression of our thought process will develop, and with that development, we will be able to embrace all within one and the same Entity.

In India the largest vocabulary is in the Bengali Language, with about one hundred and twenty-five thousand words. The second richest language in India is the Gujarati language, which has ninety-two thousand words. Amongst the most developed species of apes, there are only about eight hundred words or sounds, whereas there are about nine hundred words among the most backward human tribes. What difference is there, then, between these undeveloped humans and the apes? Practically speaking, there is none. Yet those people who possess only about nine hundred words in their vocabulary – we could not bring them near to us. We could not do so because we did not follow the path of synthesis, and now we are suffering the consequences: presently distrust amongst human beings is rampant.

So those people who have an expanded vocabulary should come forward to help those people with undeveloped vocabularies so that they may become more eloquent in their expression. It is our duty to make them more expressive, but this we did not do. That is, we did not direct the ever-expanding domain of microcosm towards the goal of welfare; instead, we used it for our own advantage. Because we took an analytic approach, human treatises and scriptures could not become as progressive as they should have been. Likewise, in archaeological research, we have made few inroads; many old scripts are yet to be deciphered. Even now many scriptures remain entirely unread and unknown. The methodology of studying and teaching different histories, geographies, philosophies, etc. is yet to be evolved. And yet our intellect is developing well. This is not a matter of glory – rather it is a most inglorious chapter of our failure.

How much progress has been made in the sphere of social science? Whatever progress we have made, to whatever extent, we have utilized for our own selfish interest and welfare, and thus we have used this social progress to bring about harm to ourselves. And what is the result? Today the materialist scientists of the world have become the objects of fear for the human race, lest they invent and produce various types of lethal bombs.

And in the field of science, what is known to be the most developed subject – applied psychology – has not been really cultivated. As a consequence the number of insane people has increased in most of the countries of the world. We have not been able to bring these people under proper medical treatment; we have not given them proper love and affection, for we followed the path of analysis, not the path of synthesis. During the long 15,000-year-old course of human civilization, we have followed only occasionally, and for short periods, the path of synthesis. Most of the time, by following the path of analysis and neglect, we have lost the great opportunity to build a noble society. Human beings, by their inborn instinct, have love for beautiful and subtle things. They appreciate and seek to cultivate what is beautiful and subtle in their internal and external lives, and in the world of ideas. This love for art is the fundament of the aesthetic science (nandana vijiṋána). Yet we have shattered this science of aesthetics by stamping doctrines upon it. We could have very well utilized this aesthetic science for our welfare through our developed wisdom, and based on this aesthetic science we could have guided human beings to follow the path of synthesis which, alas, we did not do.

I will say that people with developed intellects have been able to realize that the domain of their intelligence is gradually expanding. They ought to have taken it as their foremost duty to refine this aesthetic science and, by the untiring and impartial cultivation of knowledge, to create further avenues for its expression. This aesthetic science uplifts humanity from the dust of this worldly abode to taste and feel the subtler worlds. Therefore every effort must be made to develop aesthetic science – a task not at all beyond the capacity of human beings. As I said before, the periphery of intelligence of human beings along with their knowledge is ever-expanding. The domain of their wisdom is also widening very steadily and rapidly. Now is the time to garner great achievements in their physical and mental spheres. And the cultivation of knowledge should go on side by side with aesthetic science.

Therefore let all the various human scripts be studied and developed impartially, and let the result be utilized in the cause of aesthetic science. Then human beings will certainly achieve rapid progress; the conflict between states, between societies and between races will cease in no time. They must march ahead vigorously with firm steps, keeping a synthetic goal ever before them. “Caraeveti, caraeveti” – “March forward, march forward”. This should be the slogan of today’s humanity.

Chapter 14	Discourses on Neohumanist Education [a compilation]

In all three worlds – human world, animal world and plant world – there are some common characteristics which determine their respective identities. In spite of that, living beings and plants are not exactly the same. Living beings have certain special duties and distinct characteristics which distinguish them from plants.

Had living beings not possessed these special characteristics, we would not have called them “living beings” but would have called them “plants” The characteristics that are common to animals and plants are also inherent in human beings, but human beings also have certain additional characteristics, without which they would be no different from birds, animals, plants and creepers, etc. It is the bounden duty of each and every human being to awaken and develop their unique characteristics, for upon this depends the excellence of the human race.

Human beings lacking these characteristics are not worthy of the appellation “human” – they should be called something else. No human being wants to become degraded. To prosper in life, to move along the path of development step by step, is the natural desire of all. It is the duty of those accorded a status of excellence to move together with the rest of society. For some to advance far ahead while others lag behind is not at all desirable. If anything like this were to happen, it would not be at all glorious for those who have advanced.

History has been written and is read – it was written in the past; it will be written in the future. But I suggest that in the writing of history there should be a radical change. The history written so far is a history of kings and monarchs. It should be thoroughly overhauled and completely rewritten – rewritten in the interest of humanity and the universal well-being of the human race. If the chronicles of history merely describe who succeeded to the throne and when, who plundered the neighbouring countries or kingdom, and who became a minister, they will be of no importance whatsoever, nor, indeed, of any interest to the common masses. If human beings are to profit from the study of the annals of history, they must reflect the weal and the woe, the hopes and aspirations of the masses.

The annals of human history should show which communities brought about which amount of progress and prosperity in which area of social life and in which part of the world – only such significant events are worthy of being recorded. History should also maintain special records of the trials and tribula tions which confronted human beings, how those trials and tribulations were overcome, how human beings tackled the numerous obstacles to effect greater social development, and so on. Only such history would I call the complete history or complete cultural history of the human race.

The history of the human race should be written according to the inherent special characteristics of human beings. Only then will we know how successful the human beings of the past were in developing their latent noble qualities, and how much they have progressed today. A handful of people out of millions may reach the pinnacle of progress and provide inspiration for thousands of others, but this will not benefit the entire human race. We will have to be particularly persevering to ensure that the special characteristics, that is the innate Dharma, of all people are fully developed. Some people may be dissatisfied with such a writing of history, but from this type of historical analysis people will gain inspiration and derive great strength to move ahead.

Some people say that both sannyasins (renunciates) and householders are required for the smooth running of society. Now the question is, is their Dharma different? Will there be a separate history for each of them? My emphatic answer is, “NO”, because the quadri-dimensional manava dharma (human dharma) is one and the same. It includes: vistara (expansion), rasa (flow), sevá (service) and mokśa (spiritual emancipation). Is the observance of manava (bhagavad) dharma equally obligatory for both the sannyasins and the householders?

The only difference between them is as follows: householders have to care for two families whereas the renunciates have to care for only one. The householders’ two families are their own small family consisting of father, mother, brothers, sisters, husband or wife, sons, daughters, etc. and the larger human family, that is, the entire universe. The householders will have to maintain a balance between both these families.

The householders will have to look after the larger family as well, but for that they may take the assistance of the sannyasins. Sannyasins do not have a small family of their own – their family is the entire universe. In order to maintain that family they, in turn, may take the help of the householders. Therefore it is clear that manava dharma is the same for both the householders and the renunciates.

When we write the history of genuine human progress, the glorious role of both the householders and the renunciates will be written in letters of gold. Only by writing such a history will human beings one day prove not only to this world but to the entire universe, that Parama Puruśa was justified in creating human beings.

Chapter 15	Discourses on Neohumanist Education [a compilation]

Yesterday I said something about history; I said that modern history usually deals with certain very common events such as when a certain king succeeded to the throne, or plundered a neighbouring country, or perpetrated atrocities on his subjects, or died, and so on. What benefit could common people possibly derive from studying such useless information? This is why they have no interest to study this sort of history at all. True history should be a faithful record of the entire human life.

The recognized definition of history is,

Iti hasati ityarthe itihásah.

That is, history is a resplendent reflection of collective life, whose study will be of immense inspiration for future generations. “Iti hasati” literally means, “the glowing example of glorious human dignity.”

Human beings should not be compared to individual flowers, but to an entire flower garden. A flower garden is made up of innumerable varieties of flowers, each with its own fragrance and colours. Human history is like this: the beauty of history lies in its kaleidoscopic variations in spatial, temporal and personal factors. We cannot afford to spoil its characteristics; nor can we forcibly impose a particular type of history on a certain community.

Every individual or community will advance by virtue of its own inner vitality and assist in the collective fulfilment of the entire humanity. This is the true spirit of history. While writing history we will have to consider the various spheres of human life and ensure that proper directions are given for the development of each sphere. For instance, history should focus upon the prevalent educational system, cultural standards, thoughts and ideas, dress, the social condition of women, the role of women in the social and economic spheres, and the socio-economic conditions of the weak and backward communities of the society of a particular age, etc. If any of these aspects are omitted while writing history, it will be incomplete.

There is yet another popular definition of history:

Dharmártha káma mokśártham
Niiti vákya samanvitaḿ
Purávrta katháyuktaḿitihásah pracakśate

That is, only that treatise which increases human beings’ arena of spiritual awareness and thus renders the intellect more subtle, which enhances the knowledge of various branches of art and science – such as literature, fine art, pure science, technology, social science, etc – and which places human beings on a firm foundation, deserves to be called genuine history.

Let us see how people write history or get it written. In most cases history is written in the interest of a particular vested interest. History books are selected in order to establish the glory of a particular era. For example, the heroic tales of the chivalry of the Kśatriyas era, their war-strategies, etc., form the main basis for the writing of the history of the Kśatriya era. History books are filled with eulogies of the bravery and chivalry of the Kśatriyan rulers. Similarly, the history of the Vipra era is full of praises for the glorious deeds of the Vipra leaders, and the history of the Vaeshya era contains an abundance of stories about the glories of the Vaeshyas. While studying such biased history, the readers lose both interest and patience. Besides that, the study of this sort of so-called history injects some kind of dogma in the readers mind, and consequently chokes the development of a spontaneous human intellect.

There should be proper arrangements for the study of history. But that history must be real history, not the history of a particular class, king or minister.

Unfortunately, the biased history is always written according to the dictates of the ruling class of different countries. The study of this biased history is detrimental to society. It should not occur.

You people of today are more enlightened. Your intellectual capacity is no less than anyone else’s. That is why you should write a new history of the human race by your collective endeavour. The history that you will write in future must unequivocally reflect such important factors as how human society has evolved through trials and tribulations; what difficulties were confronted and how human beings overcame them and moved towards their goal with firm steps; and how even today they are advancing by solving numerous problems.

Chapter 16	Discourses on Neohumanist Education [a compilation]

The subject of today’s discourse is “The Faculty of Knowledge”. In the mechanical sphere, knowing, or the functional side of knowledge, occurs with the perception of special types of reflections and refractions, but in the psychic sphere, it occurs as a result of the subjectivization of objectivity or objectivities.

For example, if a particular type of vibration hits an object or plate it meets some resistance and may get reflected or refracted, as in the case of an echo; or a certain portion of the vibration may pass through the plate. In the mechanical stratum, knowledge, or the faculty of knowledge, is thus attained. But in the psychic stratum, knowledge involves the subjectivization of any external objectivity or objectivities. We take an external object inside ourselves, be it an elephant, a horse, a vocalized word, a touch, or anything else with which we come in contact in the outer world, and assimilate it in our psychic existential “I” feeling. This is the process of knowing – it is something related to the psychic sphere. So, knowledge has two aspects – first, the aspect of reflections and refractions, and secondly, the psychic aspect; that is, the process of attaining knowledge in the psychic sphere.

The word jiṋána (knowledge) is derived from the Sanskrit root verb jiṋá (to know). In very ancient Sanskrit, which is otherwise known as the Vedic language, this root verb jiṋá was not very popular. Perhaps you know – especially those of you who study philology, or deal with the science of phonetics and vocabulary – that a language in its infancy starts with a very limited vocabulary. Later, the more the community using this limited word-stock advances in different spheres of practical life, the more enriched the vocabulary becomes, but if that community lacks the will to advance, their vocabulary will not grow. The ancient Vedic language, which was originally spoken in central Russia by the Aryans, gradually developed as the Aryans moved from country to country, undergoing innumerable experiences and realizations as they went. The natural outcome was the enormous development of their vocabulary. In that ancient dialect, the root verb jiṋá was not in common use; another verb, vid, was used.

I have just said that as a community passes through various phases in different spheres of life, its collection of words simultaneously increases. The language of monkeys will serve as an example. It is a fact that monkeys have their own language. Among the different species of monkeys there are those who remain in the jungles and forests. As they hardly ever come in contact with human beings, they have little knowledge and few words in their stock, perhaps thirty to forty words. They do not need to create compound words; they manage well enough by uttering certain significant expressions using sounds such as kiun, kun, kin, kain. There is no necessity for them to formulate compound words by joining kiun and kun, for example, otherwise they would have done so, thus creating the compound word kiun-kun to give a new meaning. But there are a large number of words in the languages of those monkeys which live close to human habitation. They come in frequent contact with humans and are required to fight battles of wits (to escape death, for instance). Certain varieties of monkeys have, in fact, as many as seven hundred to eight hundred or even nine hundred words in their dialect. Of course, they do not have a codified dictionary. They acquired as many words as they needed to move in different domains. In the case of humans, very undeveloped communities such as the Zulus, the Pygmies and the Maoris have a very limited stock of words. On the other hand, there are certain languages which have enormous vocabularies of over 500,000 words, such as the Sanskrit, French, English and German languages. In Bengali there are about 125,000 words, and in Gujarati nearly 100,000. Other languages have less than 100,000 words in their vocabularies.

A community which develops in a particular environment creates an increasing number of words relating to that domain. For example, in Bengal, which is close to the sea, there is a particular type of sea-creature called timi (whale). In North India, where there is no sea nearby, the English word “whale” is more popular than the Bengali word timi. Again, another sea-creature, the lobster, has numerous synonyms such as galdá, bágdá, kuco, kádá, mocá, etc.; as so many varieties of lobster are available only in Bengal and not in North India, in North India the words are not in currency either. In the case of sharks, there are two words used in Bengali, háunar and kámat́. The one that inhabits rivers is called kámat́. In North India there is no salt water, and there is neither háunar nor kámat́. A shark that lives in the sea is called háunar, while the one living in a lake, [not] in a salt-water area, is known as kámat́. In English there is only one word to describe both, “shark”.

When the Aryans began to spread out in all directions from their original homeland, their vocabulary also began to develop and their language began to flourish. In ancient Sanskrit, even in Rgvedic Sanskrit, the vocabulary was very limited. The root verb vid became inadequate as it was discovered that there were various other ways of knowing. For example, one can gain knowledge by reading books, by listening to others, or by undergoing some kind of training, etc. Thus, knowing can be done in several ways. Long ago, when Bengal was a sovereign country, the military personnel who used to impart training to their recruits were nicknamed jáná. Even today there is a Bengali title jáná for those people whose forefathers were military officers. The verb vid, no doubt, meant knowing, but that did not carry the full import of what the speaker wanted to convey. To cite another example: previously, people would use the verb vid to describe both the farmer’s knowing when the harvest should be reaped, and the scholar’s discovery, after much research in his psychic laboratory, of a very intricate theory. The problem was, however, how to differentiate between these two types of knowledge. Hence, the root verb jiṋá was evolved in those ancient days, which meant subjectivization of objectivity in a mechanical way through reflections and refractions. The verb jiṋá invented by the ancient Aryans, was changed into keno in Old Latin language. In Sanskrit the pronunciation is jiṋá, in Bengali jiṋa, in the Rgvedic language jiṋa, in Old Latin keno, and in Modern English “know”. (As the original spelling of the word was “kenow”, we still spell the word with a “k” at the beginning without actually pronouncing it.) Those who learned the science of Tantra Yoga and Rája Yoga from Lord Shiva, cultivated the physical and psychic aspects of knowledge – the expressions and waves of vibrations. Consequently, the Shaivites became followers of the cult of knowledge (jiṋána márga) whereas the non-Shaivites became the followers of the cult of devotion (prapatti márga). You should know the difference between the two.

The first question that the jiṋána márgiis pose whenever they see an object, whether psychic or spiritual, is invariably, “What is this?” Their next question is, “What is its source or origin?” Then they proceed further along that line to another source of knowledge where both reflection and refraction end. That is, the mind of the inquirer reaches a point where it fails to comprehend that plate on which the processes of reflection and refraction operate. The point where the mind loses its capacity to analyse or compare further is the Supreme Point; and this is the Shaeva cult of knowledge. Judged in this light, Ananda Marga philosophy also supports the Shaeva cult as it strives for the further enrichment and advancement of the cult of knowledge. It encourages the development of intellect and wisdom, and thus motivates people to acquire more and more knowledge. This is a great boon for humanity, as the highest treasure of human beings, which distinguishes them from the other creatures, is their intellectual superiority. Had there been no intellect in humans to distinguish them from other creatures, there would be hardly any difference between humans and animals. Therefore, this philosophical consciousness, which can also be called “Ananda Marga consciousness”, will lead humanity to greater intellectuality. And the constant pursuit of intellectuality leads one to its furthest point, the place where intuition begins. Hence in the realm of spiritual practice, it is immensely helpful. The path of sádhaná is not devoid of intellect or intuition; rather it is based on intuition. It gives no scope for superstition or blind faith. Instead it facilitates the maximum all-round progress of humanity and the manifestation of the highest human excellence.

The other cult, the non-Shaeva cult, which I prefer to call prapatti márga, is said to have a serious defect: it hampers, at the very outset, the development of humanity. It states that whatever is happening in this universe is due to the Cosmic will, without which not even a single blade of grass can move. This doctrine is called prapattiváda. A jiṋána márgii says in refutation, “Well, it is a hundred percent true that nothing in this universe, not even a blade of grass, can move without His will. This is exactly what we wish to discover in jiṋána márga: that He desired it, and then the blade of grass moved. What is the harm if we want to find out how His desire causes everything to happen?” And here lies the difference between the two cults, and the superiority of the Shaeva cult over the non-Shaeva cult.

Chapter 17	Discourses on Neohumanist Education [a compilation]

(1) Question: Suppose in a particular land there is no shortage of food and other physical necessities of life, but psychic structure moves within the four walls of a particular “ism” – there is no scope for free psychic movement. Can there be physical or psychic Pramátrikońa in that land?

Answer: No. Even if nature is bountiful or human dexterity is bountiful in a particular country, there cannot be physical pramátrikona if there is want or shortage in neighbouring countries.

In India, Punjab and Haryana are a bit affluent; Orissa, East UP and Bihar are extremely poor. Side by side light and darkness cannot remain. Naturally, political peace is sure to be disturbed. America is affluent, Mexico is poor.

In Africa, countries south of the Sahara are extremely poor; physical Pramátrikońa is not possible in such countries. For physical Pramátrikońa there must be sufficient food and other physical necessities for the entire world.

(2) Question: There are certain psychic diseases which have their origin in the physical sphere – they are physico-psychic diseases. Can there be a radical cure of these diseases if there is no free psychic movement?

Answer: There are certain diseases which have their origin in the psychic sphere – they come to the physical level from the psychic level. Microvita may create physico-psychic diseases also – diseases starting from the physical level and coming to the psychic level. If the psychic self is not properly balanced, a radical cure is not possible.

(3) Question: Suppose in a particular country people are very much moralist: there is no dearth of food and other physical necessities, and there is free psychic movement also – there is no bar in reading a particular book or coming in contact with a particular philosophy. Even in that case can there be spiritual Pramátrikońa in that country?

Answer: For spiritual practice you are to create a spiritual urge. Therefore you are to create a proper system of education. Education should be imparted in a spiritual and psychic style. When they get proper education, a proper spiritual urge is created and then they will start Sádhaná. So we must start primary schools throughout the entire world to create a spiritual urge amongst the little pupils. I am not in favour of starting colleges; I am in favour of starting primary schools. In the entire world we have got one degree college at Ananda Nagar and thousands of kindergarten schools.

That is why it is desirable in the first phase to start many primary schools instead of colleges. Merely opening high schools and colleges without a proper system of education will not serve the purpose. Rather, thousands of kindergarten and primary schools must be started with this new system of education, to create a spiritual urge amongst children throughout the entire world.

(4)(a) Question: Suppose a particular country is very poor. There is no shortage of food, but there are other shortages in the realm of physicality. Can there be psychic Pramátrikońa or spiritual Pramátrikońa there?

Answer: No. As the country suffers from shortages of physical necessities other than food, physical Pramátrikońa is not possible. So the question of psychic or spiritual Pramátrikońa does not arise.

(b) Question: Then what is that country to do? Should that country attack another affluent country to get its necessities of life?

Answer: No. Unless agricultural production is increased no Pramátrikońa can be established in that country. To attack or think to attack another country to get sufficient necessities will cause political unrest in the region, and will undoubtedly increase economic instability. As a result no Pramátrikońa can be established.

(c) Question: Suppose the country is densely populated. Then how is it to develop? Can the problem be solved through barter trade?

Answer: The problem can be solved through commercial transaction or barter trade. Say there is surplus food or hide or leather or jute in one country; and there is another country which is willing to enter into barter trade with that country in order to meet its shortages – won’t the problem be solved? Burma has a shortage of leather and hide, and Bangladesh has a surplus of leather and hide, but a shortage of rice; there can be barter trade between them.

(5) Question: Suppose in a particular country people suffer from dogma, but there is no shortage of physical necessities, can there be any spiritual Pramátrikońa?

Answer: What to speak of spiritual Pramátrikońa, even physical Pramátrikońa is not possible where there is dogma.

(6) Question: Suppose, there is freedom of thought in a particular country but people’s minds are influenced by innumerable dogmas – What is the remedy? What step can be taken to remove the dogmas?

Answer: All the countries of the world suffer from dogma. Religion means dogma, communism means dogma, capitalism means dogma – all the political “isms” are expressions of dogma. There is no shortage of money in a number of countries of the world they may be rich, but they are still undeveloped and backward due to the influence of dogma. There physical Pramátrikońa has not been attained. There are certain countries whose dogma does not support money-lending and the taking of interest; but if there is no interest, no rolling of money, no movement of coins, how can there be development? But those very countries also have banking, which is fundamentally against the doctrine of their dogma.

There are dogmas in certain other countries which preach mutual tolerance; if someone slaps you on one side of the face, you must give the other side to be slapped. But those are the same countries which fight against each other. Both great wars, one and two, were fought by those very countries. Can there be any physical Pramátrikońa? Not even physical Pramátrikońa is possible where there is dogma.

Dogma is rampant in the political sphere also. The dogma of a number of countries does not even recognize the existence of a certain other country even though the people of that country were the original settlers and they have every right to live there. But that country is a developed country – according to cardinal human principles, should it not get proper recognition by the nations of the world? These are the plays of dogma.

Even those countries professing religion are fighting amongst themselves; take the case of Iran and Iraq. It is all a fight of dogma.

(7) Question: Suppose in a particular country, there is a balanced physical Pramátrikońa, balanced psychic Pramátrikońa and balanced spiritual Pramátrikońa but these three types of Pramátrikońas do not coincide – generally they coincide in the spiritual stratum – in that case how can the good thinking people fight against the depraving effects of enemy microvita?

Answer: If millions of physical Pramátrikońas, psychic Pramátrikońas and spiritual Pramátrikońas do not coincide, there would be a tug-of-war amongst them and finally they will get deranged… they will reach the stage of disruption. Their inner balance will be destroyed. When they coincide, the triangles of forces come in close proximity of Guńatrikona. If Pramátrikońas are destroyed, in that case good people would take the help of friend microvita. Some microvita are, in effect, your friends and some are your enemies. By nature, no microvitum is either a friend or enemy of human beings.

Na kashcit kasyacit mitraḿna kashcit kasyacit ripuh
Vyavaháreńa mitráńi jáyante ripavastathá.

[No one is the enemy of anyone by nature. By one’s behaviour a person may become friendly or inimical to others.]

By nature inimical microvita may also become your friends if controlled by good people. Though poison is fatal for humans, it is also a life-saving drug. Even snake venom is recognized by all as a medicine.

(8) Question: In order to encourage the movement of positive microvita and to discourage the movement of negative microvita, should the education system of the entire world and the entire universe be reoriented? What should be the phases, the physico-psychic and the psycho-spiritual approach?

Answer: We must develop the physico-psychic aspect of the students through proper physical culture, which will include Yoga Ásanas, proper diet, games and sports, etc. And to develop the psycho-spiritual aspect, we must reorient the entire curriculum of all schools from kindergarten to post-university level according to the Neo-Humanist philosophy, and must incorporate the practices of Astáuṋga Yoga into the curriculum in all grades. This will be the practical approach. And the guiding philosophy, the controlling philosophy should be: “This universe is ours” – and “we” means humans, animals and plants.

Chapter 18	Discourses on Neohumanist Education [a compilation]

If human beings think seriously, they can perform small and big tasks unitedly in a beautiful manner. Work can be accomplished in a short time and with very little effort, the welfare of a maximum number of persons can be effected. To work in such a united way, we have prepared a plan for the establishent of a gurukul for educational and research purposes. In this scheme, several responsible persons have been inducted.

In olden times, an educational institution enrolling about a hundred students was called a “Pathshála”, that with 100-1000 students was called a “Catuspáthii”, and an institution of 1000-5000 students was called a “Mahá-catuspáthii”, Vidyapeetha or “Seat of learning”. Pupils of ancient Semitic and Middle Asia whose branches are the Ottoman Turks, Arabs and Jews used to call it “Academy”. Institutions with 5000-500,000 students were called Gurukul. The learned scholar of Vikramaditya’s court, Shri Amar Singh opined that a Gurukul should not enroll more than 500,000 students because it adversely affects the administrative efficiency.

In later times, when in ancient Greece, the system of Academies progressed, they were upgraded and during the Roman Empire, they were reconstituted as “Universities”. The Universities represented a grand educational scheme. During the tenure of the British Empire, the institution of universities were also initiated in India – particularly in Calcutta, Madras, Bombay, Lahore, Allahabad and Nagpur.

We have lost the tradition of over a thousand years. Is it proper to use the term “University”? It has been loosely translated in the vernacular as “Vishvavidalaya”. This is a misnomer. We already have a proper term for a university and it is “Gurukul”.

Anyway, we have made a beginning. From today itself, a Homeo-College, Electro-Homeo College and Ayurvedic College have been opened in Anandanagar. From tomorrow, a medical school is being opened for the training in different “pathies” A separate institution for girls is being opened at Uma Nivas. Certificate courses in NATAC (Naturopathy, Acupuncture and Chandsi) are also going to be offered soon. I hear that from 3rd October, 1990, a music college and fine arts college will be opened. A Textile Institute is also to be started soon in order to provide the textile-training for improving the self-reliance of the people. A branch of the same can also be opened for ladies.

I also hear that from 5th October, 1990, a Sanskrit Vidyapeeth will be opened. Sanskrit is the vehicle of cultural history of the entire India, Tibet and South East Asia. To go away from that culture means to lose a vital link and to destroy oneself. That is why, we cannot forget Sanskrit, we cannot ignore, neglect or disrespect it. To neglect Sanskrit means to disrespect our forefathers, our ancestors. It would be a crime which none should commit. That is why, we are opening a Sanskrit and Bangla Vidyapeeth. The Hindi language is under the burden of complexity of its grammar and is also at the threshold of sudden death. I have tried to save it in a different way. I earnestly hope that the new Hindi with a fresh lease of life will move forward. For this purpose, we have established “Hindi Bharati”. This Hindi Bharati will also publish new books in a novel style and create an intellectual stir in every mind in every nook and corner of India. Let humanity progress in every sphere of life. With this wish I have told you all these good news on this auspicious Vijay day. I also want that we should take other languages of this earth forward in a similar fashion. Probably, in the very near future, we shall also be able to do something for the progress of the Oriya language. While telling you all these good news on this auspicious day of Vijay, I also declare that Gurukul is not going to be established but rather it has already been established. May you all strengthen it and ensure its progress with collective efforts.

Everyone’s work is to establish it with collective support. You people know that when clothes are woven white ants and mice try to eat them. So the cloth has to be saved from the destructive activities of white ants and mice. So whenever you make something, establish a protective fence to protect it from the evil forces.

In days of old, when womenfolk used to prepare dried mango cakes, the young boys used to sit by the side to keep the crows away with a stick in the hand. Similarly you should be careful and alert always.

From this very auspicious moment, you should take a vow to progress individually and collectively and build a new society on the planet Earth. We have come to build a new society, to construct and to remain engaged in constructive works throughout our life. This would be the greatest mission of our life.

Chapter 19	Discourses on Neohumanist Education [a compilation]

Gárgaka: Garga + yujak. Many people are inclined to call the [[“Yujak”]] prefix “Yuj”. If the yujak suffix is added to a word, the conjoint word will end in KA sound. That is why later on many people changed the Yuj suffix into yujak. However, you should know that both Yuj+Yujak is usually used in the sense of colleagues, co-workers, one’s retinue, or band of followers. Maharsi Garga was the Kulapati (chancellor) of a Gurukul (University). He was a distinguished celebrity commanding a lot of name and fame. In those days, the usual practice was that if someone was willing to invite a particular Muni or Rsi, the latter was to be invited together with all his disciples. Hence, it is easily desirable that it was not easy to invite the sage Maharsi Garga because he had over 5000 disciples (chatra).

Do you know the meaning of the word chatra? In those days, whenever the teachers of a gurukul would impart lessons in the forest hermitage or in the periphery of the educational complex, they would sit under a huge umbrella. Those of you who have been to kumbha mela at Prayag have, of course, seen that sannyasiins having affiliations to different groups or categories are seated under the huge umbrellas. The teacher of gurukula would sit under still bigger canopies. Their advanced students, lecturers, teachers and students of higher classes who could sit under that huge umbrella were known as chatras. Hence it is clear that those who would sit under the chatra or umbrella of the kulapati were specially known as chatra+an=chatra chat +rak=chatra.

The word chatri which is commonly used feminine gender of student means the wife of a student. If a girl student was found to be seated under the guru’s umbrella, she was called chatra. Hence one should not say chatras and chatriis of school and college. Rather one should say chatra and chatrás of school and college. Those who would not usually sit under the chatra were students of primary stage called vidyarthi. If other gurus or kulapati were invited, some of those invited would sometimes go alone unaccompanied by their disciples. But Maharsi Garga was a meticulously ideological person. Unless invited together with his disciples, he would not accept an invitation from any person.

Chapter 20	Discourses on Neohumanist Education [a compilation]

1. One of the meanings of Kulapati is the supremo of kula (family or lineage), i.e. whose greatness in comparison to that of others has been recognized.

2. Another meaning of kulapati is the headman of the family. Suppose there is a family having 105 members. The person whom the remaining 104 persons obey unhesitatingly and accept his undisputed authority is called kulapati.

In ancient days, the students during the period of their study used to reside in the house of the preceptors. The children who had developed some signs of intelligence used to be left by their guardians in the care of preceptors. The children would study in the catuspáthii attached to their preceptor’s residence till they were 24 years of age. They were provided with food, accommodation and clothes free of charge. On or after 24 years of age, they used to return home with Abhijiṋánapatram (Certificate of Merit) given by the preceptors. Sometimes, some meritorious students would return to their own countries and home with certificate of merit after completing their studies even before completing 24 years of age.

In those days there were a large number of important seats of learning such as: Kanchipuram (people mistakenly utter Kanchibharam), Dakśińii Mathura (Madurai), Trichur, Udipi, Punyánagini (Pune), Ujjayaini, Avantiká, Brghukaccha (Baroch), Shrii Shaelam (Salem), Vishákhápattanam (Vizag), Vidishá, Shivapuri, Takśashilá (Taxila), Baráhamúlá Jálandhara, Kányaubja (Kanoj), Vriśńipur (Bidhur), Prayag, Káshi, Urubilva (Gaya), Saoráth (Mithila), Madhubani (Mithila), Banagram (Mithila), Maheshii (Mithila-Mandan Mishra’s village), Visarpii (Vispi-the birthplace of poet Vidyapati Thakur), Bhagadattapura, Bhargavapur, Bhagalpur (Angadesh), Kalhangráma (Kahalgaon-Angadesh), Jainagar, Janakpur (Nepal), Kantiká, Contai (Midnapur), Táralipta (Midnapur), Bardhmána, Ekacakrá (Birbhum), Indrahása (Birbhum), Indráhása (Bankura), Kantakiipura (Katwa-Burdwan), Navadvipa, Kaliina (Kalna-Burdwan), Vansavatiká (Bansbere), Dvarbaśinii (Janai, Hooghly), Panduka or Penŕo (Hooghly), Jagdala (24 Parganas), Bilvapuśkarińii (Nadia), Pancastúpii, Pánchthupii (Murshidibad), Phullashrii/Gaelá (Bakharganj), Koálipáŕá (Faridpur), Vikrampur (Dacca), Kalikuccha (British Tripura’s district headquarter was Comilla), Srihat (Sylhet), Shońipura, Prajjyotiśpur (Assam), Bhattapalli or Bhápárá, Kumárhatta or Hallishahar, Darshaná (Nadia – at present Kuśt́hiyá), Srikhanda (Burdwan), etc.

The guardians used to consider themselves fortunate in sending their children to these seats of learning. Usually, the Upádhyáyas (lecturers or assistant lecturers) used to give classes to the students. The academic side was controlled by Adhyápakas, the adhyápakas activities were supervised by the Ácáryas who in turn were assisted by upa-acáryas. The meaning of the word acárya is: one who imparts lessons to others by their exemplary conduct – Ácarańát páthayati yah sah ácaryah. That means, the Ácáryas will have to teach others by their exemplary conduct. Only then the education imparted by them will be firmly established and properly assimilated by the pupils.

Those who used to run the catuspáthiis, whether big or small, didn’t have enough resources of their own. Their only wealth or capital was sufficient academic knowledge earned through untiring zeal and efforts. The local kings, rich persons and the public used to provide them with money and other resources and they would give it unconditionally. That is to say, no strings were attached to praise the donors in exchange for their monetary help. These catuspáthiis were not the flag bearers or proponents of any set dogma or ism. Their only task was to disseminate the flow of knowledge and wisdom through out the length or breadth of the country without partiality. People would give respect to the head of the Catuspáthii or Mahavidyálaya⁽¹⁾ whose erudition had brought universal recognition, even more than they would honour the king of the land. Even the king used to rise up from the throne in honour of such scholarly heads of Catuspáthiis. Of those great scholars or Mahámahopádhyáyas, those who would provide ten thousand students of his institution with free food, clothes, education and accommodation were called Kulapati.

These days, we notice that in some places in northern India, the chancellors of universities are called Kulapatiis or vice-chancellors (upakulapati). (In those days, the universities were called Gurukulas). The word vishvavidyálaya is of recent origin. It is just the literal translation of the English word university. Indiscriminate use of these terms creates confusion in grasping the meaning because present chancellors do not provide 10,000 students with free food, accommodation, clothes or education, but if anyone does something like that or will do like that in future, will certainly be qualified to be considered as Kulapati. In Bengal, people mistakenly call chancellors as Acáryas or vice chancellors as upacáryas. It is also a case of defective use of terminology because the acáryas or upacáryas do not teach or do not set an example of ideal conduct. For this the proper term should be Prajiṋa-dhiipaka (Prajiṋa +adhiipaka) or Vidyádhiipaka (vidya + adhiipaka). I suppose you have properly understood the meaning of the word “kulapati”.

Footnotes

(1) College or residential university, i.e., a large Catuspáthii where there was provision for teaching every branch of knowledge.

Chapter 21	Discourses on Neohumanist Education [a compilation]

Different groups of people contribute to the building of society in different ways. This diversity carries a special significance for the social structure as a whole. If diversity had not existed, human society would not have advanced even as far as the Stone Age, let alone the present stage of civilization. So we have to impartially consider and support all the diverse ideas, forms and colours which are conducive to fostering personal growth and social development among human beings. If we fail to do so, that section of society which has been built around a particular idea, form or colour will wither and die. I direct this not only to those who think deeply about social welfare, but to all members of society, to impress upon them that no one, through their thoughts, words or actions, should ever condone injustice.

If any physical, psychic, social, moral or spiritual weakness becomes apparent in a particular activity or in any sphere of individual or social life, it is the duty of the other members of society to eradicate that weakness with all the sweetness of their hearts. However, due to a lack of genuine humanism or spiritual outlook, people do just the opposite. The moment opportunists discover a weakness in somebody, they exploit that weakness and devour all the vitality of the person. They even consider it a weakness on their part if they reflect on the sufferings and heartaches of those who are weak.

The Status of Women

As in the societies of most other species, in human society also females are physically weaker than males. Because their nervous systems are weaker, their minds are also slightly weak. Nevertheless women have no less value in human society than men. Selfish men, however, have disregarded the value of women; they have taken full advantage, and are continuing to take full advantage, of their weakness. Although men have publicly declared that women should be respected as the mothers of society, they have actually relegated them to the status of domestic cattle and sheep.

In every sphere of life men have either substantially limited the rights of women, or made the ability of women to exercise their rights subject to the whims and caprices of men. Such an attitude never existed among the primitive human beings who lived at the dawn of human history. Nor had primitive men conceived of the deceitful practice of establishing their supremacy by keeping women in bondage in the name of social purity. Even today among primitive races we do not find significant lack of magnanimity concerning the freedom of women.

By nature human beings are not wicked; rather most people are peace-loving and thus inclined towards personal purity. This inclination of the individual keeps the collective mind pure. Although women enjoy freedom in so-called underdeveloped races, we can observe that there is not even one per cent of the social purity in so-called developed races that there is among those races. When freedom is forcibly curbed a hostile reaction is produced in the mind, and purity rapidly disappears as a result. This is one of the causes of the lack of social purity in the so-called developed societies of today. To try to camouflage this impurity with high-sounding rhetoric or ostentatious religious rituals cannot do any real good for society. Those who want to keep women subservient to men by holding out false hopes or the illusory prospect of heavenly enjoyment in the afterlife, fail to understand that although such false hopes or the lure of heaven may be sufficient to keep women passive or in servitude, no real good can ever come to human society from this. The reason is that if, due to dogma and superstition, half of society is bogged down in a state of inertia, the other half will undoubtedly find progress difficult carrying a heavy, inert burden. In individual life purity is equally necessary for both men and women, and to make this possible real spiritual vision is essential. As long as injustices against either sex exist, purity is impossible.

Everyone should realize that to construct or preserve anything, there must be close cooperative action among the constituent parts. Human beings are not lifeless matter, so not only should all of their collective structures be based on cooperation, but that cooperation must be of a special type. It should not be based on the relation of master and servant, but on mutual cordiality. It should be a coordinated cooperation and not a subordinated one.

What sort of treatment have women received so far? It is very true that women have gradually lost their rights or freedom in certain cases due to lack of competence. There are those who think that, because of this, special abilities are the only criteria for having rights. Such people, however, actually want women to be wageless slaves under the strict supervision of men. But is it merely due to their lack of competence that women have lost their rights? Have not the overflowing sentiments of their hearts also been partly responsible? Have not women, swayed by their emotions, ignored their own petty interests and gradually given everything – even the high social status that fascinates them – to their husbands, sons and brothers? Is it not reasonable to expect human beings (certainly human beings are not animals) to pay proper respect to such humility and large-heartedness? If a guest arrives unexpectedly, who volunteers to forgo a meal to feed the guest? Who deprives herself first when a delicious dish is prepared? Who leaves home to keep house for others, giving up her paternal property rights (regardless of what the law says)? Are not these observations applicable throughout most of the world? I do not say that men are ordinary human beings and that women are angels; I have only focused on women as human beings and mentioned their special qualities. Does a husband, when his wife is ill, nurse her with as much care as she nurses him when he is ill?

If men wish to prevent helpless widows from remarrying by taking advantage of their sentimental female hearts, they convince those widows that they will be reunited with their late husbands after their deaths – so how can they consider remarrying? Shame on such men! Perhaps such tales may make women, already sentimental, even more so. The prospect of being reunited with the spirit of their deceased husband after their death may induce helpless widows to undertake rigorous lifelong penance, and to fast on every ekádashii [the eleventh day after each new moon and full moon]. Are not those who want to keep women slaves to dogmatic ideas guilty of acting against the dictates of their consciences?

The very idea of heaven and hell is sheer nonsense anyway. Such stupid ideas thrived in the minds of those who popularized ancient myths, but they have no capacity to find a foundation in the solid ground of rationality. If, however, in order to humour such fools, I accept the existence of heaven and hell, I might ask, “If the spirit of a wicked husband goes to hell and grazes in the fields as a bull, should his virtuous wife also go to hell after her death, become a cow and start grazing beside him?”

Let us end this digression. The main point of the discussion is this: those who take advantage of people’s simplicity or ignorance are veritable demons in human form, and those who deceive people by exploiting their sentiments of sacrifice are even worse than demons.

Freedom is attained through struggle. No one offers it on a platter, because freedom is not a gift; it is one’s birthright. But as far as the rights which women have lost today, at least so it seems in most countries of the world, a proper socio-psycho-analysis shows, I should say, that women have not really lost their freedom; rather, they have trustingly placed their destiny in the hands of men. This is the plain truth. That is why I cannot but laugh when I see a certain type of snobbish lady, who pretends to be learned, entrust her children to the care of a maidservant or nurse, travel about in a car purchased by her husband, attend meetings, and make lengthy speeches on the freedom of women.

Actually, when there is no question of women’s rights having been snatched away, there is no need for a movement styled on the trade-union movement. Whatever responsibility there may be in this regard, it is entirely that of men. If at all a movement is required, it must be implemented by men themselves. Today men should consider the needs of women and gradually restore to women the rights which women once entrusted to men out of feelings of helplessness or in response to their heartfelt sentiments.

It must always be remembered that freedom, or liberty, and license are not the same thing. The concept of women’s freedom is good, but license should not be encouraged in the name of liberty. Giving license to either men or women could destroy the social structure in a short time. Hence those who are the most vocal in proposing the freedom of women must carefully consider the form this proposed freedom shall take.

When we pay recognition to any simple truth, we should not be carried away by sentimentality. Only rationality based on humanism is acceptable. As children of nature, women should have the same access as men to light, air, earth and water. In fact, it is not a matter of granting rights to women, but rather a case of recognizing their rights. If, however, the recognition of women’s rights is treated sentimentally,⁽¹⁾ it may result in great social disaster.

The law of inheritance: For example, take the right of inheritance. There are diverse views on the subject among different sections of society around the world. Some people favour women having the sole right of inheritance to the complete exclusion of men; others favour equal distribution between men and women; still others give women only some tiny leftovers and in reality keep everything in men’s hands. Behind all these systems there is clearly an attempt to maintain the influence and supremacy of one gender or the other, rather than to demonstrate rational judgement and humanitarian concern.

In fact, a final decision on this issue should be based on the fundamental principle that we will not deprive anyone; we will give equal opportunities to both men and women concerning the right of inheritance. At the same time we will enact laws to ensure the orderly administration and preservation of property in order to reduce the possibility of a breach of domestic peace.

In most countries society is patrilineal. The patrilineal system has some advantage over the matrilineal one. There are two main advantages.

The first advantage stems from the fact that it is not as easy to determine the identity of the father as that of the mother, and in the absence of any direct blood relationship⁽²⁾ the mother’s affection for her children is generally greater than the father’s. Under these circumstances the patrilineal system is much better, for it awakens in the father a proper sense of responsibility for his children and precludes the possibility of the children’s identity remaining unknown or concealed. And the father is compelled by circumstantial pressure to take responsibility for bringing up his children; and therefore makes an effort to properly preserve the structure of the family. (Among less-developed creatures, fathers rarely take care of their offspring due to the absence of this sort of circumstantial pressure.)

The second advantage of the patrilineal system complements the first. Since the relationship between the father and the child is known, the mother naturally does not feel so very alone in rearing the child. The physical and mental structure of a woman is such that even though she may have all the requisite ability to take care of her children, it is extremely difficult for her to bring them up properly and to adequately provide for food, clothing, education and medical care all alone; at the same time she has to keep her children with her or near her, or else it becomes difficult for the children to survive. Therefore if men, instead of women, take the main responsibility for providing food and clothing, while women, after duly attending to the needs of the children, where possible or in cases of necessity earn money by working either at home or outside, neither the children nor society will be adversely affected in any way.

I do not support the supposed wisdom of those who advise women to spend their lives with ladles, [[tongs]] and spatulas, because this is unrealistic. Necessity often compels women to discard this convention. Such a system may suit a handful of rich or upper middle-class people, but it has no value for day-labourers or the poor. Many of those who loudly advocate equal rights and the freedom of women, in reality keep their women behind a purdah or covered with a burka. Even among such families I have noticed poor housewives going to the market with their husbands to buy and sell, or to the fields, farms or coal mines, voluntarily taking on light work. Evidently, they cannot afford to behave ostentatiously and live indolently behind a lace curtain.

However, there are people who, in the name of giving equal rights to women in all spheres of life, want them to engage in heavy physical and mental labour which is unsuitable for them. Such an outlook is deplorable. It must be accepted that the physical bodies and nervous systems of women are not as strong as those of men, so men and women cannot work in identical areas. Apart from this, for physical reasons women cannot work in the same way every day of the month, and during pregnancy and the post-delivery period the ability to work strenuously is severely restricted. These points must not be overlooked.

There are many people who sentimentally think that if a few women are made ministers or members of parliament they will serve as shining examples of equal rights and the progress of women. But is this the correct attitude? Will it not be detrimental to society as a whole if rights are granted, or a principle of accelerating progress is adopted, at the expense of competence? The recognition of rights is a legal matter as well as a collective psychological phenomenon, and the only way to expedite progress is to establish a progressive education system. A woman who becomes a minister or an ambassador in any country is not an index of the real status of the women in that country. To raise the standard of women in society is neither so easy nor so cheap.

Since rational analysis leads us to the conclusion that the patrilineal system is better than the matrilineal, the system of inheritance should be structured accordingly. Of course, at the time of drafting the law of inheritance, special precautions must be taken so that nothing is framed in the name of the patrilineal system that will make women slaves fighting for their very survival in the houses of their brothers or brothers-in-law. In other words, after recognizing the equal rights of women to use family property as long as they live and to enjoy a lifelong income from such property, the law of inheritance should be based on the patrilineal system.

The dowry system: Many people regard the dowry system, which is followed in various countries today, as being unfair and unjust towards women. But actually this is not so. The question of justice or injustice to women [[does not arise in relation to the dowry system]].

The problem is primarily economic, although there are secondary causes as well. In some societies, where women do not earn money, they are considered an economic liability once they are married. At the time of marriage the parents of the groom therefore extract a substantial amount of money or goods from the parents of the bride in order to maintain the wife for the rest of her life. These are the actual facts behind the dowry system. Similarly, in societies where men do not earn money, the parents of the bride receive a substantial dowry from the parents of the bridegroom. Of course a secondary cause of the dowry system arises when there is a disparity between the number of men and women in a particular country or section of society. So in fact, the parents of the bride give a dowry in a particular society only when the subsistence of the woman is dependent on the income of her husband, or where the number of men is less than the number of women. If it is mainly the women who earn the money or if the number of women is less than the number of men, the situation is reversed.

There are those who mistakenly think that the dowry system will cease once the equal rights of daughters to paternal property are recognized. However, it has been noticed that even in societies where daughters are heirs to paternal property, the dowry system has gradually gained prominence for economic and other reasons. Generally very few daughters these days inherit alluring amounts of property from their parents, so it is completely unrealistic to expect that the parents of the groom will relinquish their claim to a dowry in the hope of receiving inherited property. A few daughters from rich or upper middle-class families inherit very substantial properties and therefore do not have any cause for worry, whether the dowry system exists or not. Even the most unattractive daughter of rich parents gets married very easily due to the power of money.

Social interaction: There are diverse views among those who formulate social codes concerning the free mixing of men and women. It does not require much logic to convince people that the final outcome of free mixing in an undisciplined society is unhealthy. It is also true, however, that the absence of social interaction creates a suppressed longing, a special attraction or an unhealthy curiosity, as does the denial of other desires. This may lead to illicit mixing, which eventually undermines social purity. A system that thwarts social interaction is nothing but an attempt to suppress the mind. Where there is illicit mixing, the only harm done to men is that they degenerate morally, but the damage to women is far greater, because they may be cast out of society in disgrace. Thus on the one hand, men and women will have to be free to mix together socially, while on the other hand, a well-thought-out code of self-control will have to guide their social interaction.

Those who want to keep their daughters away from the influence of modernism, and are therefore reluctant to send them to school and college, perhaps do not realize that long ago the waves of modernism intruded into the privacy of their homes without their knowledge. So their efforts to protect their daughters and themselves by following the custom of purdah and making women wear burkas, are entirely farcical.

The trend of the age is irresistible, for in this too there is dynamism. It is the duty of intelligent people to channelize the trend of the age towards the path of benevolence by applying their intellect. Neither the individual nor the society as a whole is capable of resisting the powerful spirit of the age. It knocks down anyone who tries to thwart it, and proceeds ahead with irresistible speed. Those knocked down and sprawled on the ground stare at it in utter helplessness, with dazed minds and vacant eyes, as it marches by.

Educated and Uneducated

Great injustices are also being perpetrated against so-called uneducated people, although there is no legal basis for this. There is, in fact, a class of self-styled scholars who disdainfully dismiss others as fools, although I do not understand what these people actually mean when they describe themselves as scholars. If, by education, they mean the study of numerous books, then I must say there are countless instances where persons who have only completed their primary education have read more books than many university graduates. Whom shall I then call educated? If the extent of one’s knowledge is assessed by the number of degrees one possesses, a question still remains. How can one say that one has learned something when one has hurriedly crammed a few subjects just to pass one’s examinations and has forgotten everything after a few months or a few years? If education denotes refined taste or restrained behaviour, illiterate people may also possess these qualities. Then again, if education means that people have learned much, remembered much and put their knowledge to practical use in their lives, it can be argued that people may not need to attend school to achieve this. So I have to say that the vanity of self-styled scholars is totally meaningless.

In fact, human beings should not feel vanity about anything in this universe. This is even more true in the field of education than in other spheres of life. Some say, “Whom shall I mix with? Everyone here is a fool,” or “Well sir! There is not a single person here I can associate with,” or “I do not bother going to villages. What is the use? I cannot find anyone to talk to.” There are no grounds at all for such statements, only pure, unadulterated conceit.

Those who have learned a lot by reading books or by hearing lectures should remember when they talk to others, that those with whom they are talking may have far greater knowledge than they in some spheres. An ordinary farmer is not often treated with respect, but the details of rice cultivation are at his fingertips. A statistician who calculates the size of the rice crop may, on the other hand, readily believe that a chair can be made from “rice wood”! So I say that it is the height of foolishness to brag about the extent of one’s knowledge. Rather, such vanity is the living symbol of educational bankruptcy.

Once an erudite Sanskrit scholar said to a boatman as they crossed a river, “You have not been able to answer even one of my philosophical questions. Half your life has gone in vain.” In mid-stream, when the boat was about to sink, the boatman asked the scholar, “Reverend sir, can you please lend me a hand?” The scholar replied, “But I don’t know how to row.” The boatman retorted, “Now your whole life is about to go in vain!”

Generally, so-called scholars cannot express an opinion about the soil composition of a field without first having made a detailed scientific analysis of it. But I have seen an ordinary farmer, Kshetranath Pal (who could not even see properly due to extreme old age), simply pick up a handful of earth and, without hesitation, describe the merits and demerits of the soil, and the various crops that could best be grown in it. Should I call this so-called uneducated man, Khetu Pal, a fool or a scholar? Is his practical knowledge, acquired by many years of hard-earned experience and through the practical application of those years of experience, totally worthless? Should not this knowledge also come under the heading of education? It is most undesirable for the inherent intuition in human beings to be neglected in preference to theoretical knowledge or information memorized by rote.

Educated are those who have learned much, remembered much and made use of their knowledge in practical life. These virtues I call “education”. For such an education, mere knowledge of the alphabet is not very essential. It should, however, be accepted that literacy is extremely useful in recollecting what one has already learned.

In my opinion, it is a great mistake to think that refined behaviour represents education, for the true nature of a person is not limited to his or her external behaviour but is reflected in the extent to which he or she has developed his or her magnanimity of mind. If you consciously or unconsciously bump into someone and say, “Oh sorry,” without enquiring whether the person is hurt, that is enough to show one’s refinement. Although this is a sign of what we call courtesy, it does not reflect genuine magnanimity of mind. The person’s education will only be seen if he or she liberally applies a healing balm to the wound of the injured person – if the offender tries his or her utmost to mitigate the troubles of the injured person, even at his or her own expense. Then even the omission of the words “Oh sorry” will not matter.

Many things that are done in the name of education and refinement are simply hypocrisy. For example, instead of trying to remove the distress of their neighbours, some people merely ask, “What did you have with your rice today?” When the child replies, “Mummy only cooked spinach,” the enquirer merely replies, “Oh what a pity! Your family must be in great difficulty.” As they say “great difficulty” they emphasize the words to give their fake concern a veneer of sympathy. This is hardly an indication of genuine social concern or magnanimity of mind.

The main feature of what, in the modern sense, we call education or civility is that one does not have to take on the burden of others’ troubles; one only has to pay lip-service to them. If people actually do something constructive to alleviate the distress of others, this may hurt their own interests to some small extent; but if people merely take up the cause of others in parliament, they can accomplish two things at one time. First, they will not be put to any trouble themselves, and secondly, they can gain adulation very cheaply. Those who protest against such hypocrisy are extremely vulnerable to accusations of incompetence or of being the agents of vested interests. If hypocrites declare that others are fools, should we accept their pronouncements with bowed heads?

To be civilized means to give a refined form to everything, and it is inseparably connected with education. But if refinement takes second place and hypocritical behaviour becomes the primary means of expression, that cannot be called civilization or education. If a man who is invited to a dinner party only nibbles at the savouries, saying, “I am sorry, I cannot eat any more,” then goes home to devour a hearty meal and later brags that he eats very little, an impression of abstemiousness may be created in the minds of others, but there is a complete lack of straightforwardness in his behaviour. In modern society many aspects of civilization and education are of this sort.

A little while ago we were discussing how difficult it is to distinguish between the educated and the uneducated. Ordinary people wrongly consider that those who baffle the minds of others with their affected erudition are educated. Such fakes are not necessarily university graduates. In fact, many of them try to project themselves as educated by using their wealth or official status. They open clubs or libraries to impress upon others that they should not be equated with the common people. They pretend to understand and know a lot, smile scholastically with closed eyes, and speak sparingly with reserve and gravity to ensure that they do not unwittingly expose themselves!

While on the subject I would like to add that such clubs may be acceptable under some circumstances. Members of a club want to enjoy open-hearted laughter and topics of mutual interest rather than be subjected to uncomfortable formalities. However, on principle I cannot fully support the idea of establishing clubs for particular linguistic groups. If, for example, a club is set up with this intention on the basis of a common language for the sake of avoiding linguistic difficulties, it should not be opposed, but neither should this sort of trend be encouraged. Separate clubs may be formed by special groups of researchers such as doctors and lawyers for the cultivation of particular branches of knowledge. Through interaction and friendly discussion there can be an exchange of important ideas which may result in the rapid growth of a particular science or research project. However, there is at this time a class of self-styled scholars who want to establish separate clubs for themselves for no particular reason. Is there any altruistic motive behind their demand? None at all. The actual reason is that they feel that if they mix with the illiterate masses their social prestige will be undermined. If you investigate more deeply, you will generally find that in such “gentlemen’s clubs” immorality is rampant and wine flows in abundance. Should we, then, consider the members of these clubs to be civilized, cultured and educated scholars while other people are uncivilized, uncultured and uneducated fools? Such silly nonsense propagated in the name of civilization cannot be allowed to continue.

We cannot build a strong society if we discriminate against a section of humanity by drawing imaginary lines of distinction between the educated and the uneducated. People must develop closer and closer links with each other. One heart must gain a warm and deep understanding of another heart.

To make people conscious of their rights in every sphere of life – social, economic, psychic and spiritual – is called [[jiṋána vistára; and to exercise these rights fully is called vijiṋána sádhaná.⁽³⁾]] Neglected people, who have remained ignorant of different branches of knowledge for whatever reason, should be given maximum opportunities to develop. There should not be any discrimination as far as these rights are concerned.

Vested Interests

Vested interests have taken advantage of human ignorance and have penetrated deeply into every arena of society: social, economic, psychic and spiritual. They want to suck dry the entire vitality of humanity. Vested interests do not want the ignorant to see the light of wisdom or the downtrodden to climb up the social ladder; they do not want the hungry to eat proper meals or the superstitious to be freed from their dogmatic beliefs; and they do not want the human race to gain spiritual knowledge and a thorough understanding of science, and thus get the opportunity to progress towards the realm of effulgence.

In order to remove the imaginary line of demarcation between the educated and the uneducated – to eradicate this irrational distinction – the value of human beings must be recognized. Mundane knowledge and spiritual knowledge must be as free as light and air; and like the unhindered flow of a fountain, they must keep society in a dynamic state and be a continuous source of inspiration to one and all.

As regards learning versus ignorance, vested interests intentionally try to perpetuate ignorance among the exploited masses because this provides them with a good excuse to deny the value of human beings. In the economic field, such a hypocritical stand is even more conspicuous and much more despicable. When university graduates make use of their degrees to earn their livelihood, they tend to forget that physically-strong but illiterate people are making a similar use of such assets as they have, that is, their capacity for manual labour. These educated people deprive so-called illiterates of their rights, human dignity and self-respect, and thereby develop a sense of superiority. Similarly, the rich, who inherit huge ancestral properties, accumulate vast amounts of wealth by deceiving others or amass great fortunes whether they invest capital or not, forget that, just like light, air and water, all the mundane resources of the universe are the common property of everyone, and that no property is the personal or paternal property of anyone.

All natural resources are meant to be used for collective welfare. No one has a monopoly over these resources. Some people argue, “When others by their manual labour earn money to provide themselves with food and clothing, why should I not be considered a member of the toiling masses when I earn by my intellectual labour?” In reply I will only say that by dint of intellect you may acquire as much of the boundless wealth in the intellectual or psychic realms as you like. Nobody can object to this. But if the intellect is used to appropriate limited mundane resources such as houses, land, food, clothing, money, etc., will this not deprive hundreds of thousands of people of their basic necessities? You may certainly earn your living by using your intellect, but your salary should be commensurate with the needs of your family, plus sufficient extra to take care of future contingencies, and not a penny more.

It must always be remembered that the value of money lies in its proper use. If more money is accumulated than necessary, it loses its value due to lack of use. To the extent that you keep money idle and valueless, you become responsible for the injustices done to ragged, hungry people. You will have to give value to your accumulated money by utilizing it to provide opportunities for others. So in my opinion, those who do not know how to make good use of money, which is a medium of exchange for mundane resources, are enemies of society. In them the feeling of collective movement, the real spirit of society, is conspicuously absent. They cannot establish human rights by shouting high-sounding slogans.

The sense of human value must be reflected in every action, great or small. And one of the motives, if not the only motive, behind such actions must be the acceptance of humanism in the socio-economic sphere.

Any society which accepts inequality, which wants to perpetuate that inequality by spreading false logic, is not a society worthy of the name. The standard-bearers of such false logic masquerade in the garb of righteousness and try to convince the downtrodden members of society that their economic deprivations – their humiliations, their scarcity of food, clothing and medicine, their exposure to the extremes of heat and cold – are decreed by fate, as inevitable reactions to their past actions.

Some time ago I heard a millionaire speak at a meeting. He was arguing that in modern society the karmaváda [doctrine of action and reaction of the Giitá] should be more widely propagated, because he thought that if people could understand this doctrine of action properly, the countless shrivelled-up human beings languishing in the dustbins of society would no longer blame the capitalists for their miserable condition. They would accept their misfortune with equanimity. Just imagine what a dangerous idea this is! What a wonderful capitalistic argument! Perhaps some academic stooge on the payroll of these self-seeking capitalists may even try to concoct a philosophy to support this proposition. God save humanity from such perverted philosophies!

People’s physical longings are not satisfied until they come in contact with a truly great ideology. Till then, people’s wolf-like hunger is insatiable, as if they are incessantly repeating, “I am hungry, I am hungry.” Their jaws are always open, and the foolish people of this world resign themselves to their own fatalistic beliefs and fall into them. The ferocious wolf-pack devours their flesh and blood and casts away the unpalatable bones. Should we support this wolfish philosophy? The day-labourers, porters and gate-keepers around us who wear dirty rags and have fatigue etched on their faces are not considered human by those who are rolling in luxury.

It is a characteristic of vested interests that they never bother to think of anyone except themselves. They must eat and the rest of humanity only exists to be eaten. They want increasingly more objects for their gratification. Those who earn three thousand rupees a month think that this is an extremely meagre amount, but they never stop to consider the needs of those who earn a negligible thirty rupees a month.⁽⁴⁾ A poor man has to pay his rent, maintain his family, educate his children, buy milk for his babies, and save something to put towards the cost of his daughter’s marriage, all out of thirty rupees. Are these needs only applicable to the upper stratum of society? Are they not the minimum necessities of life? Rich people do not want to consider the needs of the poor, because if they do they will have to make some sacrifices. Where will their luxuries and comforts come from if hunger does not burn the bellies of the poor? Is it not a fine idea if the daughters of the poor go on collecting cow dung forever, and their sons work like slaves in the houses of the rich for generations together? Is this not a fine arrangement? As for the high hopes of the poor, aren’t they ridiculous? Aren’t they out of touch with reality?

No two things in this world are identical, so I am not suggesting that everything should be recast in the same mould. However, for the sake of humanism, for the sake of social justice, equitable distribution of all the wealth of the universe is indispensable, and co-ownership of the world’s resources is the birthright of every individual. Even the slightest attempt to deprive anyone of this right amounts to gross selfishness. As long as certain difficulties, both great and small, exist in the practical world, however, it will not be possible to grant perfectly equal opportunities to everybody in all instances. Apart from this, all people should be granted equal rights and opportunities, except where it is necessary to inspire some people to undertake activities which will directly benefit society, or as a temporary reward for their distinguished contribution to society. In addition, every individual must have equal rights concerning things such as food, clothing, housing, education and medical care, which are absolutely essential for existence.

Some people argue, “The sufferings that people experience today due to lack of food and clothing are the results of misdeeds in their previous lives. Therefore we have no social responsibility for their suffering.” But I argue that on the contrary, if people do have to undergo torments in proportion to their original bad actions, then they may undergo their suffering in a different way in the psychic realm. Without being deprived of food and clothing or being impoverished due to social disparity, people can just as easily atone for their past misdeeds through psychic suffering. Their psychic suffering, however, cannot necessarily be removed by bringing about social justice.

In countries where people have no difficulty arranging food, clothing or medical care, they have and will continue to have psychic clash. In such countries people have to endure the pain of humiliation. They cry at the deaths of their relatives and groan in agony due to excruciating ailments. While these sufferings are beyond the scope of social justice, the problem of individual or collective suffering due to lack of physical requirements can be easily solved by implementing a system of social justice and social equality. So it is useless to blame the past misdeeds or fate of others. Actually, blaming people’s suffering on their past misdeeds is merely an argument used by vested interests to justify their position, because to admit that these sufferings are the result of social injustices implies that everyone is responsible.

A little while ago I said that, because of certain difficulties, both great and small, it may not be possible to ensure the perfectly equal distribution of mundane resources, but what prevents us from at least working in this direction? What is the harm in reducing the gap between wages of thirty rupees and three thousand rupees per month? Of course this will certainly curtail the luxuries and comforts of those who earn three thousand rupees a month, but with that money quite a number of people will have the opportunity to live as human beings. This is where vested interests will perhaps object; this is where they may feel inconvenienced. But why? Is it not proper to provide every individual with the minimum wage necessary to maintain his or her family, plus twenty or twenty-five rupees extra to reward his or her efficiency and sense of duty? This is the way justice can be applied in relation to people’s competence and sense of responsibility.

Human beings are not yet looking towards the actual maladies that afflict society. Various occupational groups have formed societies and associations based solely on a sense of individual or group interest. Consequently they try to solve every social problem only from the perspective of their own interests. They do not want to help solve the problems of the lower echelons of society. Not even one per cent of the energy that is spent to pull people down from the top of society is utilized to elevate those at the bottom. This is the greatest tragedy.

Defective Approaches

It is incorrect to think that no one has ever individually considered this problem in the past. I am not referring here to the social philosophies of the last few hundred years; nor to the social revolutions of that period; nor to the social conscious of different thinkers of that period. In the Middle Ages some people thought deeply about solutions to the problem of social injustice, and a few of them even tried to do something. But neither am I referring to the philanthropic overtures made to the poor by some capitalists. I am referring to those who thought that it was virtuous to plunder the wealth of the capitalists and distribute it among those in need.

The Robin Hoods of the medieval period perhaps thought that this was the best way to eradicate social disparity. But this does not work, so it did not work.

In nearly every country of the world such Robin Hoods have emerged, but they have not been able to solve the problem of social injustice. The main reason is no one can survive on charity. Such an approach only creates a society of beggars. This type of greedy, indolent and inactive society promises even greater poverty in the future. Moreover, plundering the wealth of the rich does not destroy capitalism, because although robbery may reduce the assets of the capitalists, it does not destroy the seed of capitalism. The adventures of medieval heroes may excite some people today, but they cannot be a source of genuine inspiration. It may be possible to snatch away the wealth of the rich by violent means, making them paupers, but this will not permanently prevent them from again becoming rich. Violence begets violence. Hordes of demons who lose their wealth become greedy for human blood, and plot greater conspiracies in the future. The less intelligent thieves are ultimately destroyed by them. The thieves suffer greater punishment at the hands of the exploiters than the exploiters suffer at the hands of the thieves.

Violence does not solve any problem, because whatever poisonous tendencies of the individual and collective minds may be destroyed by violence, the seeds of those tendencies remain embedded in the mind itself. When the pressure of circumstances is relaxed they may again sprout forth, creating even greater evil.

Then where does the solution to this problem lie? A change of heart is absolutely necessary, but such a change will never be possible through violent means. If someone who is tormented by incessant hunger does not express his or her hunger due to fear of the collective force of society or pretends to be free from hunger, it does not mean that he or she has acquired the peace of mind that comes with not being hungry or will not engage in ruthless acts of violence to appease his or her hunger if he or she gets the opportunity.

Some people are of the opinion that only humanistic appeals and no other approach can effect a change of heart. Although the principles of such people may be high, in reality the soil of the earth is extremely hard. Their appeals to do good cannot easily gain support.

What are humanistic appeals, or satyágraha? They are simply a special means of using violence to create circumstantial pressure. We can, in fact, call them the intellectual’s method of using violence. They are a way to make people eager to move along the path of human welfare without resorting to actual violence, relying on legal enforcement, or becoming angry and adopting the path of bloodshed. Or, in simpler language, they are a way to compel people to move.

What is circumstantial pressure? Does it not aim to vibrate the individual or collective mind with the wave of collective welfare through the application of force? In fact, this approach is an attempt to touch the aspect of the human mind which is very tender and capable of responding to humanistic appeals. Thus, those who have finer sensibilities and rational judgement readily respond to humanistic appeals, or satyágraha.

This sort of appeal does not hold much value for those with crude minds. To vibrate the minds of such people it is, and will forever remain, necessary to influence their minds by giving them a rude shock. Otherwise one will have to wait indefinitely for the sensitive violin⁽⁵⁾ strings of some secret recess in their hard minds to be similarly vibrated by high-minded appeals to do good. And meanwhile the existence of the helpless, exploited people, on whose behalf these appeals are being made, will have been reduced to dust.

That is why no matter how much importance was given to the benevolence of the human mind by the Gandhian and Bhudan movements,⁽⁶⁾ or how saintly their propounders may have been, selfish and mean-minded people will never accept their principles. The bleeding sores on the feet of marching protesters will never be able to soften the minds of ruthless exploiters. Gandhism may be an excellent utopian model, but in the harsh reality of the world it is absurd and self-righteous.

Yes, the human mind must be vibrated, and for this one cannot wait for the application of the sentient force or humanistic appeals. Rather, all necessary steps must be taken to create circumstantial pressure. I do not consider it at all improper if exploiters are forced to follow the right path by circumstantial pressure in a totalitarian state or by legal compulsion in a democratic one. However, the primary objective is not simply to use any means available to create a vibration in the minds of exploiters. Proper moral training must also be imparted to keep the waves of that vibration alive, and there must be a ceaseless endeavour in individual and collective life to perpetuate the waves of that vibration. One must maintain one’s zeal so that, with the passage of time, the momentum of the vibration does not slow down. Its vigour and vitality should not turn into stagnation. Staticity should not creep into the hidden corners of the human mind.

Those who depend solely on magnanimity of mind or on humanistic appeals are bound to fail. And those who aspire to establish communistic systems either through legal methods or at bayonet point without changing the hearts of the people, without implementing development programmes and without introducing moral and ideological education to reform people’s bad habits, are also bound to fail. If we do not equate this communism, established at the cost of so much suffering, with robbery, then we must consider it rather worse than robbery, because it suppresses through brute force the natural life-urge for self-expression. It runs contrary to human nature to be suppressed like this. The suppressed human mind will revolt and find avenues to express itself. (If some people want to call this type of expression prativiplava [counter-revolution] they may, but I would not.) People do not like to lose their innate human qualities or spiritual potential, to be reduced to an animal-like existence, only eating and procreating; they cannot live like that.

Yet in order to make people “magnanimous” and “virtuous” through the application of brute force, individual liberty has to be ruthlessly crushed. Total power has to be concentrated in the hands of a particular group or party, and under these circumstances there is no alternative but to deny one’s special value as a human being. To recognize people’s value would only invite trouble, because then people would have to be granted freedom to express their opinions, or at least the right to demonstrate that their opinions are beneficial for society. And if this is accepted, it will have to be indirectly accepted that it is unjust to suppress human beings through brute force. If this is conceded, then the so-called communism which took so much effort to establish would be jeopardized as a result. Within a short time the group or party in whose hands the power was concentrated would be ousted by the collective psychic and spiritual efforts of the masses who had newly attained freedom.

That is why neither Gandhism, nor the so-called communism which is based on brute force, can bring about human welfare.

People will have to adopt a path where there is sufficient scope for humanism or for humanistic appeals to be made, and which at the same time allows for brute force as well as the application of other types of force if necessary.

Genuine Love for Humanity

To build something on the basis of humanism means to build something on the basis of real love for humanity. It is not possible to build a genuine society, one which is truly dedicated to collective welfare, if its most intelligent and active members, or those who are more developed than ordinary people, constantly evaluate their contribution to society in terms of profit and loss. When love for humanity is the primary concern, the question of individual profit and loss becomes secondary. However, I cannot entirely dismiss the question of personal rewards, because if people incur losses their love for humanity may be affected. If one’s personal interest suffers seriously, or if for one reason or other one’s survival is threatened, one should, in a society based on mutual love, have the right to demand redressal. In a healthy society where the only binding ingredient is genuine love, how will it be possible for coercion or legal compulsion to manifest this love, the true expression of society?

I have already expressed my lack of confidence in the success of economic idealists and those who believe that the continual propagation of idealistic philosophies will create an ideal society. Nor can I support those who resort to violence to build society, because there is no doubt that those who are coerced into submission because of their helplessness (sometimes they are not even aware of their fault), will try to resort to violence and bloodshed in retaliation at any moment. In fact, it is the inherent nature of human beings to express suppressed propensities. If some people want to suppress the inherent nature of others, they will have to radically transform that inherent nature itself. The issue in question is based on this fundamental principle. Thus it is a complete waste of time to act on the basis of a short-term plan only.

It is natural for all living beings to search for a way to express themselves fully. Sometimes this expression takes the form of crude physical pleasure, and sometimes that of subtle psychic pleasure.

A little while ago I said that all crude objects of enjoyment are limited in nature, and thus their accumulation by any one individual is not desirable. Let everybody enjoy as much of the subtle psychic world as they can – let them accumulate as many psychic and spiritual resources as they want – but there must be provision for the application of force if needed to prevent any one individual from accumulating excessive physical resources. The application of physical force will, no doubt, deprive people of some of the wealth they have accumulated or decrease their opportunities to accumulate physical wealth in the future. But it is certainly not impossible, through proper education, to transform people’s desire for material pleasure into a desire for psychic pabula. (In fact, the desire for physical or psychic pabula “springs from innate psychic longings. The desires of the crude mind are easily satisfied.” However, I object to calling the desires of the crude mind pure psychic longings.) This type of education is essential in society today.

Such an approach does not deny the world, as do impractical idealists, nor does it attempt to suppress the higher propensities of the human mind, as do materialists.

Unless people’s propensities are directed towards subtle forms of expression, their minds tend to get enmeshed in thoughts of petty enjoyment. People who portray themselves as saviours of humanity and espouse high-sounding philosophies from public platforms at the tops of their voices, while at the same time nourishing within themselves the worms of self-interest, can, in any weak moment, deceive the naive public. This is a perfectly natural thing for them to do. Those who want to build a society based on human welfare without first developing themselves fully through spiritual practices, will not only degrade themselves, they will also cause the degeneration of the whole of society. They will not even be able to trust the people with whom they are working. They may initially try to develop their own capacity in order to attain positions of leadership, but eventually their sole aim will be to dominate others instead of developing themselves. When they realize from bitter experience that it is not possible to utilize the society as a vehicle for establishing their group or party supremacy, or when the suppressed masses rise up and revolt, the evil tendency to suppress the people will certainly awaken in them.

The human mind does not want to be suppressed. It wants to find ways to express itself. The more ordinary people try to resist individual or group dictatorship, the more tyrants oppress ordinary people through violence. Finally, as a result, they do not make the slightest effort to become worthy leaders. Instead they concentrate all their efforts on misappropriating more and more power. The same people who earlier worked for social welfare ultimately come to depend totally on brute force. If any society overemphasizes brute force, the members of that society will start fighting each other and eventually become independent, self-styled autocrats. In such a society the last vestiges of morality will disappear and chaos will prevail.

Those who choose the middle course between morality and violence will not succeed either, unless they make intense efforts to eliminate the scourge of meanness from their minds. They will eventually become like those who advocate the path of violence.

The endeavour to remove inferiority complexes from the mind leads human beings slowly but surely to the Supreme Entity and establishes them in universal humanism. Hence it will not do for those who are determined to solve the problems of humanity to accept inferior ideals; along with this they must also acquire the strength they need to implement their ideals. The active endeavour to acquire this strength is called sádhaná – the sádhaná of the Supreme. It should be borne in mind that no theory will ever bring people salvation. In fact, it is the inner strength gained from spiritual practices which helps to expand the individual mind. The tremendous force acquired from spiritual practices helps to bridge the gap between the harsh realities of human existence and the supreme desideratum of human life. This is an eternal truth, applicable to all spheres of life – social, economic, psychic and spiritual.

A person who runs after petty objects of enjoyment to fulfil his or her personal desires lacks the spirit needed to unite humanity. To unite humanity one must love the divine element latent in every human being which is the reflection of the Supreme Entity. Love does not arise in the hearts of those who are not inspired by or not sympathetic to the lofty ideal of unqualified universalism. It is completely meaningless for people to try to do something constructive if they lack Cosmic ideation – if they have not learned how to accept the most magnanimous, universal, omniscient Supreme Entity as the object of their devotion – because it is an eternal truth that those who have not adopted such an outlook are bound to disappear into oblivion after inflicting a great deal of harm upon themselves and society.

Like any other problem, great or small, there is only one way to solve economic problems, and that is through genuine love for humanity. This love will give people guidance; it will show them what to do and what not to do. It is not necessary to study great numbers of books or to rely upon those who speculate with the future of the silent masses. The only essential requirement is to look upon humanity with genuine sympathy.

Let me give a simple example. Those who are conservative, that is, who do not believe in violence, may argue that in the process of abolishing the zamindary [landlord] system or nationalizing large-scale industries society should pay adequate compensation for everything it acquires. Those who, on the other hand, believe in violence, but do not believe in changing human hearts through spiritual practices and spiritual education, argue that the capitalists have plundered the wealth of society for so long that the question of compensation does not even arise. Those who have genuine love for humanity, however, cannot accept either of those viewpoints.

If large enterprises are acquired by paying compensation, the owners will have to be paid in instalments, which will take a long time. During this period the public will not get much benefit. Seen from this perspective, compensation is not a suitable solution. If, on the other hand, there is widespread confiscation of property, a large section of society may face economic deprivation, and as a result social balance may be lost. Not all those who own land or industry are healthy, able-bodied or young. Many of them are sick, invalids or elderly, and some are widows and minors. If all their property is forcibly confiscated without compensation, what situation will they be in? Furthermore, not all property owners are rich. Many are poor or belong to the lower middle class. Even if the policy of compensation or exchanging one property for another of similar value is not accepted, those who cherish genuine love for humanity will take a sympathetic view of the plight of those who find themselves in difficulty due to nationalization, and will act accordingly. A monthly pension or a lump sum should be allocated to old people, invalids, children and destitute women. Opportunities to earn a decent livelihood must be provided to all those, young or middle-aged, who are able-bodied and healthy, if they have no alternative means of support. Such employment opportunities should take into consideration their abilities as well as their needs.

If a proprietor or an industrialist has invested all his capital in a large industrial enterprise, then after his assets are confiscated he or she should be employed in a similar profession according to his or her ability. If, out of vengeance, some powerful group or individual forces such a person to work breaking rocks or as a porter in a railway station, circumstantial pressure may compel him to resign himself to his fate. Those who have assumed power may derive some sort of sadistic satisfaction from this, but the people who are subjected to humiliation and torture and are forced into an occupation which they find demeaning will die a premature death.

We must not forget for a moment that even those who have continuously exploited others and suppressed their legitimate rights are human beings. The human family includes everyone. We have to move unitedly along the path of welfare by helping everyone to rectify themselves and adapt. If we try to progress while holding on to a feeling of revenge towards those who committed mistakes in the past, we will be following a suicidal path.

Social Progress

Social progress is not and can never be achieved by individual effort. Some people lend their brains, others their hands, and others their legs. If we consider things carefully, to say that the legs are inferior and that the brain is superior, or that the brain has no value – that intellectuals are always exploiters and manual labourers are all that count – are both equally dangerous ways of thinking. The most important point to consider is who has utilized his or her ability and to what extent. Hanuman [the mighty monkey, a devotee of Rama in the mythological epic the Rámáyańa] fetched huge boulders to build a bridge across the sea, while the squirrels collected small pebbles. Yet intrinsically both these actions have the same value. We have no right to question anybody’s sincerity, nor can we scoff at it. We cannot give more appreciation to those who have not utilized their potentialities properly but have done more work than to those who have fully utilized their talents.

Days roll on. Empires, wealth and valorous human deeds ride on the wings of time, creating only brief flashes of brilliance. Against this panorama the efforts of common people, like those of the squirrels, do not receive recognition – they are like stones lost in the shadows of towering mountains. The leaders of society perform outstanding feats which are recorded in glowing letters in the annals of history. The students of later ages do research on them. But the common people, who carried the golden banners of these heroes, disappear into oblivion. If we try to think of all of them, we will never finish. Is it possible to print everyone’s obituaries in the newspaper? Is it possible to arrange commemoration services or to build shrines in memory of everybody? But in my opinion there is no use thinking about whether it is possible or not. Those who are magnanimous will openly recognize the greatness in the outstanding achievements of those who lived in the past, regardless of their intellect, education or rank. Those who through their sweat and blood provide vitality to human society do not need our approbation; but even so, why should we commit a social injustice by ignoring the work they have done, their karma sádhaná?

If the idea “The world belongs to the toiling masses” is accepted as the highest truth, the value of intellectual work will be denied, or, even if accepted, will be relegated to a secondary position. We find poverty among intellectuals as well as among the toiling masses, hence we cannot give exclusive importance to the problems of either class. Rather, before trying to solve the problems of any class, we should first find out what the common economic and psychic needs of everybody are. Then, in a humanitarian manner, in a spirit of universal love, we should set about helping them to progress. We cannot declare that this world is the property of one social class just to satisfy the interests of a particular group.

People must make steady progress in the realms of intellect, art and entrepeneurial action, and this progress should be achieved through the heartfelt cooperation of all social classes. There must not be any discrimination on the basis of education or sex. It will not do to accept any type of social difference as an absolute system or a divine decree. If we accept discrimination, one section of society will develop a superiority complex and another section an inferiority complex. Eventually, due to conflict between the superiority and inferiority complexes, the structure of society will disintegrate. An inferiority complex creates obstacles in the path of human progress, while a superiority complex makes people think that the other members of society are not part of their society. “They are inferior, low, stupid, superstitious fools. In fact, they should be beaten before they are spoken to!” As a result of this psychology a healthy social life is irretrievably lost, and along with this, the natural ties of affection between human beings break as people become estranged from each other.

Some of those who suffer from a superiority complex are intelligent, so they try to conceal their inner sentiments behind congenial external behaviour. But if the so-called inferior people happen to speak a few strong words, the inflated egos of those people get punctured and their real nature stands exposed. It is impossible for them to accept the truth from those whom they have considered inferior. When their logic fails them they begin to use abusive language. They try to recover their lost dignity by cursing the poor for being poor, humiliating the unattractive for being ugly, castigating low-caste people for their low-caste status, and reproaching the young for their lack of experience. There is no need to waste space to show that this type of behaviour clearly betrays their intellectual bankruptcy.

There are some deep-rooted superstitions and prejudices among the older generation that must be eradicated in the greater interest of society, but the older generation does not want to accept this fact. In order to avoid accepting their just defeat they point to their long years of experience. While nobody can deny the value of practical experience, we should remember that the past does not always repeat itself, that is, past experience is not always of much value in the present. Experience helps us to determine the relationship between cause and effect, but in the absence of far-sightedness that experience cannot be effectively utilized. With a change of scene, people must maintain a consistency between past experiences and probable future events when they determine future policies.

The younger generation usually has greater knowledge than the older generation of how circumstances will change in the future, because it is their nature to look ahead, and consequently they focus more attention on the future than their elders. I am not referring here to adolescent sentimentality, but to how far an understanding of the present momentum can help to prepare for the future. The sentimentality of adolescents and very young adults is nothing but impetuosity. This impetuosity itself does not help in determining future policies. Nevertheless I cannot deny that those who are impetuous understand the nature of this impetuosity better than anybody else. This also gives them a greater right than anybody else to determine policies. How much can those who lie inert like a lump of clay understand of the significance of this impetuosity?

When the main aim is to keep formulating policies for social progress, experience cannot be the sole prerequisite for this work. Rather a combination of the past experiences of the older generation and the creative zeal of the young should determine the speed of social progress. We cannot afford to neglect either group. The human race must attain glory by giving due recognition and justice to all.

A society whose leaders have a strong tendency to denigrate others will suffer a great catastrophe. The tendency to look down upon others does not always result from a superiority complex. Many people treat others with contempt to hide their own ignorance. The superiority complex is harmful to society, and this treating others with contempt to hide one’s ignorance is even more harmful. Everyone, irrespective of their education, intellectual attainment, external appearance, internal qualities, social status or age, must remember that those whom they consider inferior know more about many things than they do.⁽⁷⁾

Although I have said this before, I will say it again: seventy-five per cent of the evils in society are the result of the injustices that people commit against each other.

Footnotes

(1) The author defines “sentiment” as follows: “This running blindly without discrimination between the proper and the improper is called ‘sentiment’. One races after the idea that has come into one’s mind, like an unbridled horse, without considering its good or bad consequences. The horse may move along the right path, or it may fall into a chasm. One cannot be certain.” (“Geo-Sentiment” in The Liberation of Intellect: Neohumanism, 3rd ed., 1987) –Trans.

(2) Between father and child there is a blood relationship, but it is not a direct blood relationship; [[between mother and child there is a direct blood relationship because the mother’s]] body has actually nourished the child’s body in the pre-natal state. –Trans.

(3) Jiṋána vistára: the expansion of knowledge. Vijiṋána sádhaná: Vijiṋána is normally translated "science", so a literal translation of vijiṋána sádhaná might be "the cultivation of science". The intended meaning of vijiṋána sádhaná seems to be "the fullest development of knowledge". –Trans.

(4) The monthly salary of a primary-school teacher or lower-division clerk in the late fifties and early sixties. –Trans.

(5) Literally viińá, similar to a sitar. –Trans.

(6) The Gandhian movement, founded by Mahatma Gandhi, was based on the principles of truth and non-violence (satyágraha). The Bhudan movement, launched by Vinoba Bhave, was an attempt to convince landlords through humanistic appeals that they should donate land to poor, landless people. –Trans.

(7) For further discussion on superiority and inferiority complexes, see “The Social Order and Superiority and Inferiority Complexes” in Volume 3. –Eds. [Footnote used in the Prout in a Nutshell Volume 1 Part 2, 1st edition, publication of this article.]

Chapter 22	Discourses on Neohumanist Education [a compilation]

The philosophers of the past used to say that human beings are rational animals. They used to believe that the only difference between humans and animals was that the former were endowed with rationality and that latter were not. While it is true that humans are rational beings, it is not true that animals are completely devoid of rationality. You must have noticed that domesticated dogs certainly have some sort of rationality, and that they are guided by more than just natural instinct. By coming in close contact with human beings, a dog learns a lot. It learns what to do, when to do and how to do. This is a kind of rationality. Hence, it is not proper to say that humans are rational animals. In doing so one does not do justice to human beings. Yet, the philosophers of the past argued along these lines.

Here a question crops up – what is the difference between animals and plants? Primarily, plants are stationary, whereas animals are mobile. With the gradual evolution of the minds of plants, a time comes, a stage comes, when plants reach their highest point of evolution. But for animals, this is the lowest point. There are some well-known plants which catch their prey and kill it. They extend their branches and sub-branches, grab hold of their nearby prey, then eat it. To a great extent, these plants behave like animals. In some other plants, floral nectar is produced in the flowers. It attracts hundreds of insects, which hover around the centre of the flower and suck up the sweet honey. The flowers of some such plants gradually close around the unsuspecting insects and devour them. This kind of plant cannot ordinarily be put into the category of plants, because such behaviour resembles that of animals. Such plants are not mobile – this is the only difference. However, there are some aquatic weeds, grasses and creepers which are also able to move. They go drifting from one place to another in lakes, rivers and the sea, stopping wherever they can to get the maximum food. Hence, it is more accurate to call these plants mobile rather than immobile.

There is a water plant called the water hyacinth which is like this. You probably know that the water hyacinth first sprouts in water, has large leaves like spinach leaves, and is spread throughout India. It can certainly be called mobile. Some eighty years ago the Commissioner of Dhaka, Mr. Lee, visited South America. There he noticed some blue flowers in a big pond. Mrs. Lee liked these flowers very much, so she brought some back and planted them around the official residence in Dhaka. From there they spread all over India. In Hindi, such plants are known as shośa. They are also known as jalakumbhi in different parts of the country.

As plant life progresses on the path of evolution, it reaches a terminal point, and there animal life commences. Animal life also reaches a similar terminal point, and there human life begins. Until now, even with much research, the culminating point of animal evolution and the starting point of human evolution has not been discovered. Through more research, one day human beings will certainly discover this missing link. When this unknown link is discovered, enormous changes will occur in the field of genetics, and revolutionary changes will take place in the world of medicine.

There is also a great deal of difference between human beings and animals. That is, human beings are inquisitive by nature, and they want to learn and understand everything. This is a fact. While explaining the difference between plants and animals, I do not think that we would say that an animal is a moving plant. No, we would not say this. Likewise, we should not say that human beings are rational animals. Human beings are human beings. Why should we hurt human sentiments by calling human beings rational animals? One who is born a human being today, even a person who has engaged in sinful acts, will become a great person in the future if they follow disciplined habits, so why should we call human beings rational animals? Hence, the opinion of the philosophers of the past cannot be accepted because it is illogical. Moreover, rationality is not the only speciality of human beings.

There are some special common attributes of plants, animals and human beings which can be termed their Práńa Dharma or Jiivan Dharma. Práńa Dharma has more meaning than Jiivan Dharma. Inactivity, rest, the need for security, reproduction and death are common characteristics of plants, animals and human beings. The physical bodies of all three are also dependent on food and water. These are characteristics of all living beings. Wherever there is life, these characteristics will exist.

Besides this, plants have some additional attributes. For example, only plants can gather vitality from inside the earth. Neither human beings nor animals can do this. Plants can even gather food from the atmosphere and give some food to it. (Human beings can also do this, but not as much.) Because plants perform this kind of work, we can say that they have their own speciality called “plant dharma.” This is the speciality of plants. There is also another attribute of the plants – they drink with their feet. It is because of this unique quality that trees are called pádapa in Saḿskrta. The same word means “that which sprouts from the earth.” Mahaiiruha means “that which comes up from underneath the soil.”

Likewise, animals also have some special characteristics. On the basis of these characteristics, different categories of animals have been made. For example, some animals are carnivorous and others are graminivorous. Carnivorous animals eat meat, fish and eggs. According to the laws of nature, canine teeth are necessary for chewing meat properly. Carnivorous animals such as cats, dogs, tigers and lions possess canine teeth, but cows, monkeys, elephants, wild asses, etc. do not possess canine teeth. Nature does not want them to eat meat. But what do greedy human beings do? Even though they do not possess canine teeth, they cook or boil meat so that they can eat it. This is done out of greed. According to the laws of nature, human beings are not carnivorous. So, if they eat meat they will catch numerous diseases. Vegetarians generally suffer from fewer diseases than non-vegetarians because they are more habituated to following natural laws. You must have noticed that those who violate the laws of nature and become non-vegetarian, even though they do not possess canine teeth, have peculiar eating habits. Sometimes it even seems as if non-vegetarians eat like dogs. Non-vegetarians have trouble chewing meat properly because of the absence of canine teeth.

There are also other categories of animals. For instance, some animals are gregarious and others are not. The tiger is not a gregarious animal – it prefers to move alone. Goats are not gregarious, but sheep, elephants and lambs are. Human beings are social beings. They do not like to remain in isolation. Besides this, animals are also guided by natural instincts. I once told you about an animal called the octopus which lives under the sea. It has eight legs, therefore it is called an “octopus.” In Latin “octo” means eight. Crabs are one of its favourite foods. In Saḿskrta a crab is known as “karkat́a” and in Latin “cancer.” The pain caused by the bite of a crab and experienced in the disease known as cancer are very similar, therefore the disease cancer was named after the Latin word for crab. As the octopus lives beneath the sea, it is able to see other creatures near the surface. When it catches sight of a crab, it rises up from the depths and devours it. The octopus does not understand that a creature like the crab, with eight or ten legs, may enjoy playing in the sea. It only knows that crabs are delicious food. If you make some crabs unconscious and take them to the bottom of the sea so that an octopus will see them, the octopus will not be able to tell whether the crabs are edible or not because they are immobile. Hence, the octopus will not attack or eat them. These are the expressions of natural instinct. In Saḿskrta also, you can call these expressions natural instincts.

Human beings remain under the control of natural instincts until their nature is properly developed. In infancy and childhood, human beings do everything out of natural instinct. For example, when children get hungry they start crying so that their mothers will understand that they want something to eat and drink. They suck the breasts of their mothers to get milk due to natural instinct. There is no need to teach children this.

[[The evolution of human beings began with the apeman and then the proto-apeman. Next came the Australopithecine, followed by its branches and sub-branches, including proto-man. One branch of proto-man were the ancestors of human beings, and another branch were the ancestor of chimpanzees, gorillas and orang-utans.⁽¹⁾ None of the proto-man group have any external tail, though they have a tail inside the body.]] A foetus in the early stage of pregnancy from an animal in this group will have a tail, but later the tail becomes shorter rather than longer. In the hoary past, there was some resemblance amongst primitive human beings, chimpanzees and orang-utans. The former group developed intellectually, but the latter group did not. Hence, the former group evolved into human beings, while the latter group remained at the animal stage.

Natural instincts did not vanish with the advent of human beings. Have you seen monkeys quarrel? They chatter and show their teeth. Human beings also behave like this when they quarrel in anger. However, monkeys are entirely dominated by instinct – they have not lost any of their natural instincts. How did primitive apemen behave? They used to live in trees, and because of this the word monkey means shákhámrga in Saḿskrta. In Marathi, the word mrga means any wild animal. Hence, mrga-carma means the skin of any wild animal, not only the skin of deer, although deer are certainly included in mrga. Apemen used to grasp the branches of a tree, just as monkeys still do. This natural instinct is also evident in human beings when infants keep their hands closed. If monkeys are afraid or quarrel with other monkeys, they catch hold of a branch very tightly so that they will not fall. When human beings are gripped with fear or ready to fight against an enemy, they also clench their fists very tightly. These are examples of natural instincts.

In the course of time, instincts were less influential in human beings than in janwars or animals, so human beings evolved into a separate species. Human beings are not animals but jandars or living beings. In the Persian language the suffix dar is used to indicate possession. One is called jandar or living in the sense that one possesses life. If jan is used in the same sense and war is added, it becomes janwar or animal. Janwar and jandar are not the same. In some cases the suffix gar is also used. For instance, jadugar means magician, saudagar means businessman, etc. The speciality of human beings is that they are endowed with rationality, which is part of manav dharma or human dharma.

Plants follow plant dharma and animals follow animal dharma. Thus, plants and animals follow their own particular dharma, and there is nothing wrong in this. Tigers may attack and kill human beings, but this is not their fault. However, if human beings consume beef, then they are following animal dharma. Human beings have to follow their own dharma. The speciality of human beings is rationality, and because of this rationality there are four aspects of human dharma. Human being move ahead through these four aspects. And those who progress through these four aspects can be described as following the path of human dharma. Thus, there are three dharmas – plant dharma, animal dharma and human dharma.

Another name for human dharma is Bhágavata Dharma. Bhagavat Dharma contains no divisions like the division between Hindus and Muslims. This dharma is for all human beings. It makes no distinctions based on isms – it is for the entire humanity. That is why we raise the slogans, “Mánava mánava ek hyáy” (All humans are one) and, “Mánav ká dharma ek hyáy” (The dharma of humans is one.) This dharma alone is Adi Dharma, Sanátan Dharma or Eternal Dharma. Bhagavat Dharma has four aspects – vistára or expansion, rasa or flow, sevá or service and tadsthiti or attainment of the supreme stance. The fundamental aim of Bhagavat Dharma is vistára – that is, psychic expansion. But in order for human beings to expand their minds, they have to realize that they are one with the supernatural cosmic flow. They have to move ahead remaining connected with the cosmic flow – merging their pleasure and pain, hopes and aspirations with the cosmic rhythm. So human beings have to move ahead, move forward, keeping pace with the cosmic flow. This alone is known as the rása liila or the cosmic dance of Parama Puruśa. Taking part in this rása liila, human beings have to move ahead towards their goal. An indivisible cosmic rhythm which started from beginningless time marches ahead to infinity. No creature can remain away from this internal divine flow.

The third aspect is sevá or service. In the life of animals, there is no scope for service. There is only scope for mutual transaction, or what we call commodity transaction.

Phela kaŕi mákho tel.

[Pay money and take the goods.]

This is the policy. Perhaps you know the story of the kumiir, which is called makar in Saḿskrta, crocodile in English and magarmaccha in Hindi. The crocodile is a carnivorous creature. Although it likes to stay in water, it is not an aquatic animal. It enters the water to catch its prey, and after devouring its prey it returns to the bank and lies quietly with its mouth open. Small birds often come and eat the pieces of meat stuck between the teeth of the crocodile. What is the result? The birds get their food and the teeth of the crocodile are cleaned. At that time the crocodile does not close its mouth, or else the birds would be killed. This is a commercial transaction.

Human beings alone have the speciality of service. At the time of doing service, the motive must be that I shall give but not take. Service is one-sided. When human beings donate something, they do not expect anything in return. For example, if you give something to a beggar, you do not expect anything in return. Furthermore, once you have donated something, you forget about it. This is the speciality of human beings. However, some people make donations for other reasons. For instance, suppose a man donates a hundred thousand rupees to a charity. At night he will not be able to sleep because he is continuously thinking that in the morning he will get up and read in the newspaper that he, Chatumal Dakuram Batpari, donated a large amount of money for the public welfare. You should not behave like this. Once you donate something, you should forget about it immediately. A donation is one-way. If you offer flowers to Parama Puruśa, and at the same time you say mentally, “Parama Puruśa, my son has just appeared in his exams, so you must see that he passes very well. Also, my daughter must get a good husband and a good house. And I should be victorious in the court case against my cousin, etc.” – this will not do. You have to offer yourself without expecting anything in return. If you offer yourself completely at that time, you will attain the highest benefit. You will become one with Parama Puruśa, you will become Parama Puruśa. But if you keep one paise out of a rupee, you cannot get oneness with Parama Puruśa because of that one paise. Hence if you want to offer yourself, offer yourself cent per cent. This alone is known as service.

The fourth aspect of human dharma is tadsthiti. In the long run, human beings have to become one with Parama Puruśa. This is not the case with animals. Hence in the Giitá it is said:

“O human beings – bear in mind that you have attained a human frame, a human mind. Hence, you have to follow human dharma. Be firmly established in it. Even if you meet death while following this dharma, even then it is well and good. But never follow paradharma. That is very dangerous; very, very horrible. This paradharma is the dharma of plants and animals. Humans must not follow this kind of dharma.”

In the Giitá, Shrii Krśńa said something more. He said that if human dharma causes pain and torture, and if paradharma (plant or animal dharma) is easily performed and results in a bed of roses being spread out before you, even then it is preferable to follow human dharma. Human beings should strictly avoid paradharma under all circumstances.

Footnotes

(1) [[Compare with the author’s “Human Society is One and Indivisible – 1”, “The Great Exceptions”, “Sambhúti and Mahásambhúti” and (in Birds and Animals, Our Neighbours, 2007) “Creation and Evolution of the Animal World – Life of Aquatic Creatures”, topic on A Sweet Lyrical Interpretation of the Evolution of the Living World. –Trans.]]

Chapter 23	Discourses on Neohumanist Education [a compilation]

The Supreme Functional Entity⁽¹⁾ carries on its work according to a particular system, and this system is what we call “nature”. The system follows a general stream, but in some cases, in the path of its movement, some abnormality is expressed, although not much. However, this abnormality is not beyond the rule of nature either. It is also an accepted law of nature; that is, it is also natural. No one will ever consider any deviation from the general stream to be a deviation from natural law. Rather, deviation is also accepted as a law of nature.

Now, human intellect, wisdom, power of recollection and contemplation – all move along the mainstream. The minor expression of abnormality – of which I was just speaking – is also a natural expression in the process of its movement; it is natural although it deviates from the mainstream. There is no unnaturality or abnormality in the universe; everything is accepted. Nothing is unnatural or abnormal. I can call it a functional faculty accepted by nature. A special type of functional faculty within the scope of nature – within the scope of the Supreme Functional Principle.

All the expressions we notice in plant structures, in animal structures and in human structures, are sometimes advancing less, sometimes more, than the mainstream. When a benevolent activity is performed in the universe by a certain structure, we call that structure “a genius”, we call it “a blissful structure” – it will be “blissful” in human structure, “good” in animal structure, or “remarkable” in plant structure. Conversely, when a structure is engaged in destructive activity, then we call that structure “demonic” in human structure, “bad” in animal structure, or “notorious” in plant structure. Here, we are mainly concerned with “blissful in human structure” and “demonic in human structure”. Those blissful in human structure utilize their genius for new inventions and discoveries of various things, and thus aid in the development of the psychic and spiritual potentialities of human beings and help them to move in unison towards the goal. They are assets of human society. It [does not] require a high degree of intellect to know and understand them fully.

But those who are demons in human structure are all in categorical forms [fall into various categories]. Although these structures, these frameworks, look like human beings, they are exceptionally clever and cunning. By inculcating various sentiments, they misguide not only thousands, but millions, of people to the path of malevolence, just for some petty social status or other temptation. Common people never think deeply about this; they have not been taught how to think deeply about it; they do not ponder over it even now. Until today this aspect of knowledge has been generally unknown to the world. That is why common people, not fully understanding these cunning people, are inclined to give them undue importance. They write voluminous books about these clever people and accept their words as authentic, thus bringing about considerable harm to the society, the state and the common masses. Simple ignorant people do not realize that they themselves are being harmed or that they, being misguided by those clever people, are harming others.

What these selfish people do is inflate the petty innate geo-sentiments or socio-sentiments of people, take them into their fold and guide them in any way they like. For instance, a certain leader of a country may inflate the geo-sentiment of his people. But when that geo-sentiment is aroused, those clever people may become fearful; because as a rule when the geo-sentiment is aroused, the geopolitical sentiment will also arise, and the matter will not necessarily end there. Along with geopolitical sentiment, geo-economic sentiment may also arise; the people may think simultaneously of economic liberty along with political freedom. This is a knotty problem for the self-seeking politicians. The cunning leaders merely want to utilize the geopolitical sentiment to attain geopolitical liberation for the people. But if people are conscious about economic liberation even before attaining geopolitical liberation, that will really pose a great problem for the selfish leaders; they will think, “It is not easy to provide two common meals a day to the hungry and ill-clad millions of this country (much less delicacies and dainties like ours!). It will be necessary to replace the existing exploitative structure with a new one. And then what will be gained by obtaining political liberation?”

They may think deeply about these things, but the common people cannot understand anything at all. The clever leaders, analysing the whole situation, think that before the geo-sentiment rises too high, they should come to a secret understanding with the rulers and attain the transference of political power peacefully. Then in the case of the peaceful transference of political power, there will be no necessity to raise the political sentiment to the highest pitch. Political power will come automatically to those ambitious politicians. And once they are in political power, they will retain the same exploitative machinery. The only difference will be that the white rulers will have been replaced by black rulers; and they will proclaim to the masses: “We have attained political liberty!” They will silence the voices of the people by telling them, “No, no, things like this [economic liberation] should not be uttered. It is a crime to speak like this at the present time!” It is not possible to identify these human chameleons by their outward appearance, but actually, how dangerous these people are! They are veritable demons in human framework.

Now, according to natural law, no truth is suppressed forever. It must come to light some day – it comes out indirectly from the sinners’ mouths. One of the characteristics of human psychology is this: though one may try to keep a secret, saying, “I will not disclose it. I will not reveal it. No, no, I will not divulge it,” one day in an unguarded moment it will surely come out of one’s mouth.

It is often found that a gentleman has managed to keep a secret to himself; but the same person, after drinking a bottle of wine, reveals everything in his drunken state. I knew a leader of a certain religious community who in his normal mood used to speak little. But in an abnormal mood, that is, after drinking some liquor, he would say openly before me, “I don’t believe in casteism” – the community he belonged to did not support idol worship and casteism⁽²⁾ but did believe in ritual sacrifices – “but I will certainly marry my sons and daughters within my own Kayastha caste. I don’t believe in so-called gods and goddesses, but since I cannot find a suitable husband for my daughter, I secretly worship Lord Satyanáráyańa [as an idol].” He revealed everything under the spell of liquor. Thus the truth is always revealed in an unguarded moment; it never remains suppressed.

So those people whom I have called human chameleons, before the truth finally comes out, will have recourse to some new means of hoodwinking the people. They will switch over to a sentiment different from the one which they were previously using (using to pursue their self-interest at the expense of the people’s interest). Now, in switching over to a new sentiment, one needs a little cunning.

This switch-over is called “metamorphosed sentimental strategy”. That is, a person discovers that the sentimental strategy which he or she previously used to misguide innumerable people, is about to be detected. (“The people are forming a bad opinion about my real nature.”) So he or she decides to exploit another sentiment just to save his or her own prestige, and that too very quickly, because any more delay means further loss of prestige. This act of shifting to a new sentiment – maybe from communalism to nationalism or from nationalism to communism – this metamorphosis of sentiment is called “metamorphosed sentimental strategy.”

These people are indeed expert at changing their sentimental strategies. Suppose a party (maybe social, political, economic, or whatever its complexion) is being divided into several factions, and each faction is utilizing a different sentiment from the other. Those who are clever enough will select the majority party and identify themselves with that group, for their political ambitions will be fulfilled thereby. What they usually do in these circumstances is to waste no time in issuing their statements – in effusive language – in favour of the majority group, denouncing the other factions. Or they may also speak out, saying, “I made a great mistake, I committed a Himalayan blunder” – and promptly shift to another party, thereby ensuring their political position. You will find people of this mentality in all spheres – social, economic, political, cultural, etc. They exploit people’s sentiments primarily for their own social position and secondarily for other purposes also.

In this regard, they are not at all eager to promote human welfare; rather they look upon people as pawns, saying, “Well, I will deploy these one hundred thousand, two hundred thousand, people for this purpose; another five hundred thousand for that purpose.” This is how they calculate. Those simple and unwary people who placed their faith and trust in them and were misguided, may become uprooted from their ancestral homes and be forced to live a life of shame and disgrace. As refugees, they have to move for shelter from place to place like street dogs.

Who are responsible for the distress of these millions of refugees? Those demons in human framework, whom those poor fellows trusted; to give ovations to whom those people rushed to meetings with thousands of garlands; for whose satisfaction people used to don special kinds of caps to cover up their sins.

(Once I asked a certain gentleman, “Why do you put on such a cap? Is it because the white cap goes nicely with your black hair?” He replied, “No, not for that purpose really. I am using the cap not to cover my sins, but to cover my baldness.” Some people wear caps to conceal their baldness, and some to show allegiance to their political bosses.)

But meanwhile the refugees roam about hither and thither, and today the number of refugees is not only thousands but many millions in various parts of the globe. And for their precarious existence, for the ignoble deaths of those millions of wretched people, only a handful of people – demons in human framework – are really responsible. They come to the world and leave it in great ruins. During their lifetime, they fully utilize all the mass media. The common people become confused and cannot think beyond that which the mass media tell them. It is a general weakness of common people that they are inclined to believe whatever is printed in books and journals.

Those demons in human form do not think that after their demise a real evaluation of their ideals and actions will take place. Only then do people realize, “My God, what a great mistake I made! I worshipped a monkey taking it to be a god! What a great misfortune I have brought upon myself! But now the situation is beyond repair.” The people become divided, the state becomes divided, psychic barriers are erected between groups of people – the collective progress of humanity is totally impaired. These types of people, I have said, and again I repeat, you will encounter in different fields of life. Some are inclined to believe that these types of people are found only in the political field, but this is not the case: they are in every field, especially in the fields of so many schools of philosophical thought. They have a heinous tendency to demolish the positions of their opponents.

In the past, many thinkers stated one thing in the beginning, but subsequently when they discovered that the plain truth would cost them public support, they somersaulted. It is not proper to mention anyone’s name – but now you have the measuring rod, the touch-stone, in your hands; you can judge for yourselves.

I will give one small example. Maharshi Kapila, while pondering his Sáḿkhya philosophy, did not initially say anything about Iishvara [the Supreme Entity]. His school of philosophy is known as Niriishvara-Sáḿkhya [Atheistic Sáḿkhya]. When he found himself in a very embarrassing position from the philosophical point of view, when he sensed that his philosophy was likely to be discarded by the people, he quickly invented a new concept of Janya-Iishvara [Proto-God] and indirectly accepted the existence of God. Another example: According to Shankaracharya’s school of philosophy, everything is Máyá – that is, there is illusion in the beginning, illusion in the middle and illusion in the end. This is called pramáda in Sanskrit. But then, that same Shankaracharya composed hymns to the River Ganges: Devii Sureshvarii Bhagavatii Gaunge [“O Divine Gauṋgá, goddess who has descended from the heavenly abode of the gods”]. According to him, the entire universe is false; so in this false universe, the River Ganges is also false! So what was the necessity of eulogizing such a false river? This is a case of somersaulting to save oneself from a very embarrassing position, just like a harmless snake pretending to be poisonous. This is a very fine example of a metamorphosed sentimental strategy. There may be some people who will consider this change of sentimental strategy to be a natural process of evolution, but in fact it is not evolution but a metamorphosis of strategy. Evolution does not take place so quickly nor so easily.

Those who have harmed humanity have various natures, and by now you have already understood those types of people. It is a bit hard to identify those human chameleons who change their sentiments in order to exploit humanity more. Sometimes they shift their ground from one geo-sentiment to another geo-sentiment, sometimes from a geo-sentiment to a socio-sentiment, or from one socio-sentiment to another socio-sentiment. They are adept at everything. To attain the support of the masses, one day a certain leader said, “I will not allow my country to be divided, to be vivisected – my country will be partitioned only over my dead body, not before.” What he did in this case was to exploit both the geo-sentiment and the socio-sentiment simultaneously. All clapped their hands in joy and said, “He is the only hope of our country,” and they considered him a god incarnate. Then when the country was really partitioned, that leader did not open his mouth in the beginning – he preferred to observe his vow of silence. Later he merely said, “I am extremely sad, I am with the people.” This is nothing but metamorphosed sentimental strategy. You must clearly recognize those people who adopt such a strategy; and to recognize them, one needs a greater degree of intellect, not merely common intellect.

Then what is necessary? First, one who attempts to know them should train one’s mind, and to train the mind there must be a proper base. Suppose some boys want to practise running; they need a place for that. Similarly, to train the mind, a base is required. In this case, the base is sama-samája tattva: “Whatever others might say, I sincerely believe that all humans have the right to food, clothes, accommodation, education and medical treatment. It is not enough for me to accept their rights in principle; as an honest person I should make the utmost effort to see that they have attained their rights.” This is the spirit of sama-samája tattva.

Proto-Psycho-Spirituality

But it will not do to stop here with the spirit only. Supposing some boys want to run. If they simply stand still on the hard earth, will that be considered running? They will have to actually run. This running, this forward movement, is known as “proto-psycho-spirituality”.

What happens through this proto-psycho-spirituality? When a person is guided by it to think in a particular way, and sees that one’s own benevolent mode of thinking is not reflected in other people’s activities, then that person can easily realize their true nature. So those who practise this proto-psycho-spirituality can easily recognize those demons in human framework. Then, after recognizing them, it is their duty to expose them to others also, to make people understand that they are repeatedly harming human society. It is not enough for one to personally unmask them; one must open the eyes of others also. Only in this way can the well-being of the world be promoted. Thus it will not be sufficient to lie peacefully in wait, like goody-goodies in isolated ivory towers. One will have to spread one’s wings and soar high into the blue firmament.

So this proto-psycho-spirituality is a dynamic force. When a group of boys run in the field, their movement is the main factor. If they lose their mobility and sit down on the ground, that will not be considered running; it will only encourage the psychology of lethargy.

This universe of ours, as you know, is circum-rotarian (that is, rotating around its own nucleus). Nothing is outside its circumference, so it is not necessary to search for its nucleus outside. One need not run about in search of the Nave, the Hub, the Nucleus; the Hub of this circum-rotarian universe is the hub of the individual also. This circum-rotarian universe is controlled by one Centre both collectively and on a unitary basis. Thus each and every grain of dust, each and every blade of grass – all are being equally controlled by that Supreme Hub. Now, if, by some means, an individual can make his or her individual psycho-spiritual hub coincide with that circum-rotarian spiritual Hub, then that individual will feel oneness with every grain of dust, with every blade of grass – that will be his or her psychology. This very realization will make one’s life-force throb throughout the entire universe. By means of this proto-psycho-spirituality one can fight against all sorts of socio-sentiments. The human chameleons who use socio-sentiments or geo-sentiments, can also be easily detected in the light of proto-psycho-spirituality.

Now you may ask, what is proto-psycho-spirituality? First, we must discuss what psycho-spirituality is. Since it is the mind which advances towards spirituality, it is called “psycho-spirituality”. And it is called “proto” in the sense that it is a flickering entity – it is like a flickering flame, not like a steady flame. It is not something unruffled or fixed; it is expressive of movement. Hence it is not complete psycho-spirituality but proto-psycho-spirituality. And the mobility portion within the systalsis of proto-psycho-spirituality is purely psychic; and the blissful staticity within the systalsis is purely spiritual. So it is a happy blending of psychic and spiritual strata. Thus I call it “psycho-spirituality”.

One thing more should be added here. Whenever people, after performing some activity, think of the Nucleus of the circum-rotarian universe, their minds become all-pervasive. Such people can never think of harming others; rather they will think only of universal welfare. In that elevated state of mind, they will easily detect those demons in human form and will acquire the necessary capability to properly guide the ordinary or extraordinary individuals or groups who tend to be misguided by all sorts of socio-sentiments (because socio-sentiment is many times more harmful than geo-sentiment).

Intelligent people should clearly realize this, and then through seminars should make people aware of the importance of sama-samája tattva and proto-psycho-spirituality to fight against socio-sentiment. This is how intelligent people will show them the path of liberation. This must be done, for although there may be some individuals who, knowingly or unknowingly, are fighting against this socio-sentiment, the majority of people are in darkness. That is why you will have to carry the collectivity with you, because the collectivity is yours. The collectivity is not outside you – your future is inseparably connected with the collective fortune. You must take the entire collectivity with you and move towards the sweetest radiance of the new crimson dawn, beyond the veil of the darkest night.

Footnotes

(1) Prakrti. –Trans.

(2) See also “Exploitation and Pseudo-Culture”. –Trans.

Chapter 24	Discourses on Neohumanist Education [a compilation]

In my previous discourse, I said that human beings reach the culmination of devotion by subjective approach through objective adjustment. I also explained how devotion develops through various psychic expressions. Now we should clearly understand both the introversial aspect (the subjective approach) and the extroversial aspect (the objective adjustment). These should be crystal-clear to one and all.

The inner psychic movement of human beings, their existential awareness, is completely rhythmic. A portion of whatever happens in the outer world, in outer existence, is adjusted with the inner psychic rhythm, and another portion is not. When the happenings in the outer world are not adjusted with the inner psychic rhythm, one feels some distress. You may have experienced in your personal life that sometimes you feel very uneasy in the company of certain people, but you feel quite comfortable with another group. When the rhythm of your movement in the external world, the rhythm of your lifestyle, conforms to your inner psychic rhythm, you feel comfortable. But when these rhythms do not correspond, you feel uncomfortable. For progress in the external world there should be clear guidelines, a clear and well-integrated philosophical base. The society often lacks this; and that is why people tend to lose balance in social life. When those who have developed intellectually come in contact with an uncongenial environment, they find it difficult to adjust.

Present-day humanity has, no doubt, made considerable intellectual progress. But in the external world, there is a lack of adjustment. This is the reason that among the educated people of today the number of lunatics – people suffering from psychic disorders – is on the increase: because there is no adjustment in the speeds of the inner and outer worlds. Not only is there maladjustment in speed but also in rhythm; that is, the pattern of internal psychic rhythm is altogether different from the external rhythm of the objective world. Obviously clash is inevitable, and the impact of this clash is felt much more in the psychic realm than in the physical sphere. As a result, human beings lose their mental adjustment.

Many theories have been propounded in the world. Some of them were concerned mainly with the spiritual world; they had no relation with the rationality of the psychic world at all. Most of these theories have been thrown onto the garbage heap of history. There were some theories that showed some concern for the psychic realm as well, but they too could not develop the mental equipoise of society, and they too were rejected by the people. Some of these philosophies pertaining to the physical realm sounded very fine indeed, but they were not in perfect tune with the hard realities of the objective world. Those philosophies were quite satisfactory in the dreamland of theory, but they had no connection whatsoever with the practicalities of the earth.

Other theories, sounding somewhat pleasing to the ear, have spoken glibly of human equality; but upon application people discovered the ineffectiveness of these theories, because the fundamental principles of these philosophies were contrary to the basic realities of the world. Vaecitryaḿ prákrtadharmah samánaḿ na bhaviśyati [“Diversity, not identity, is the law of nature”]. The world is full of diversities – a panorama of variegated forms and rhythms. One must never forget it. Sometimes the superficial display of these theories has dazzled the eyes of the onlooker, but actually they contained no dynamism. And yet, dynamism is indeed the first and last word of human existence. That which has lost its dynamism is just like a stagnant pool. In the absence of flow, a pond invariably becomes overgrown with weeds, and becomes a hazard to health. It is better to fill this sort of pond with earth. Many philosophies in the past have rendered this kind of disservice to humanity. In the end they have only flung humanity into the quagmire of dogmatism, the breeding ground of innumerable mosquitoes. They did not contribute to the welfare of any human being.

The devotional sentiment is the highest and most valuable treasure of humanity. I have said in Namámi Krśńasundaram that Krśńa is the vaeduryamańi [brightest jewel] of the human heart. This element of devotion, the most precious treasure of humanity, must be preserved most carefully. Because it is such a tender inner asset, to preserve it from the onslaughts of materialism, one must build a protective fence around it, just as people put up a guard-rail around a small tender plant. Now the question is, what is this protective fence? It is a proper philosophy which will establish the correct harmony between the spiritual and material worlds, and be a perennial source of inspiration for the onward movement of society.

Geo-Sentiment

The sentiment that grows out of love for the indigenous soil of a country is called “geo-sentiment”. From this geo-sentiment, many other sentiments emerge, such as geo-patriotism, geo-economics and many other geocentric sentiments, including geo-religion. This geo-sentiment attempts to keep humanity confined within a limited part of this world. But the innermost desire of people is to expand themselves maximally in all directions.

Now, what is the role of devotional sentiment, the most valuable treasure of humanity? It is to transform the sense of worldly existence into the supreme spiritual stance. If a materialistic philosophy contains any narrowness, like the geo-sentiment we discussed, an imbalance is bound to occur between the inner and outer worlds, and psycho-physical imbalance will be inevitable. That is why, in spite of possessing everything, people will remain poor and deprived. In the past this geo-sentiment has caused enormous harm to many individuals and groups of people. Intelligent people must keep themselves aloof from this geo-sentiment and support nothing that is based on it, because it pollutes the devotional sentiment; it degrades human beings and undermines human excellence.

Socio-Sentiment

There is still another sentiment which is more expanded than geo-sentiment – it is socio-sentiment. Socio-sentiment does not confine people to a particular territory, but instead pervades a particular social group. That is, instead of thinking about the welfare of a particular geographical area, people think about the well-being of a group, even to the exclusion of all other groups. And in the process, while they concern themselves with the interest of a particular group, they do not hesitate to violate the interests and natural growth of other groups. Perhaps this socio-sentiment is a bit better than geo-sentiment, but it is not altogether ideal; it is not free from defects.

Socio-sentiment has, in the past, caused much bloodshed and created enormous division and mutual distrust among human groups, separating one group from another and throwing them into the dark dungeons of petty dogmas. Humanity’s movement is then no longer like a broad and flowing river, but like a stagnant pool.

There is still another sentiment – human sentiment. Many persons were born in the past who shed copious tears for suffering humanity. But strangely enough, after their eloquent speeches were over, they sat down comfortably at a dinner table and treated themselves to a delicious meal of hilsa and kaimách fish⁽¹⁾ – as if those fish had not suffered pain and death. This human sentiment has expressly violated the interests of non-human creatures, but its proponents have found nothing wrong with it.

Once I read in a certain book that a great saint used to live only on locusts dipped in honey. That saint did not seriously consider that those little locusts also had vital life force throbbing in them.

Obviously human beings will have to behave rationally; they must maintain their existence while adjusting with the external environment. It is true that living creatures are the food for other living beings (jiivah jiivasya bhojanam); and indeed, the vegetables that we eat every day also have living cells in them. But regarding food, I have expressed my opinion in some of my books.⁽²⁾

This concern for the vital rhythm throbbing in other human creatures has driven people to the fold of humanism, has made them humanists. Now, if the same human sentiment is extended to include all creatures of this universe, then and only then can human existence be said to have attained its final consummation. And in the process of expanding one’s inner love to other creatures, there should be another sentiment behind this human sentiment, which will vibrate human sentiment in all directions, which will touch the innermost recesses of the hearts of all creatures, and lead one and all to the final stage of supreme blessedness.

Vistárah sarvabhútasya Viśńorvishvamidaḿ jagat;
Draśt́avyamátmavattasmádabhedena vicakśańaeh.

–Viśńupuráńa

[This manifested universe is the expression of Viśńu, the latent All-Pervading Entity. Therefore a wise person should look upon everything as his or her own, from an integral viewpoint.]

Humanity’s Greatest Treasure

All molecules, atoms, electrons, protons, positrons and neutrons are the veritable expressions of the same Supreme Consciousness. Those who remember this reality, who keep this realization ever alive in their hearts, are said to have attained perfection in life. They are the real bhaktas [devotees]. When this devotional cult⁽³⁾ does not remain confined to a mere practice, but instead is elevated to a devotional sentiment, a devotional mission, to the realm of devotional ideation – when the underlying spirit of humanism is extended to everything, animate and inanimate, in this universe – I have designated this as “Neohumanism”. This Neohumanism will elevate humanism to universalism, the cult of love for all created beings of this universe.

So the actual task of human beings is to maintain a subjective approach – that is, they will advance psycho-spiritually towards the Supreme Consciousness, inspired by Neohumanistic ideals – while at the same time they must strive for the expansion of humanistic principles and thus establish a social structure based on universalism. Otherwise, their inner psycho-spiritual rhythms will not be able to properly maintain equilibrium with narrow sentiments such as geo-sentiment, and this will have a disastrous effect on society.

As we have already said, the greatest human treasure is devotional sentiment, devotional wonts. This devotional wealth must be preserved; otherwise humanity will lose its most valuable possession. The people of the present-day world have made considerable progress, so now they must not permit this highest human treasure to be destroyed. Whenever we see that the pressure of external circumstances threatens this life essence, we should appeal to the Supreme: “O Lord, please be kind enough to protect our inner vitality from total destruction. Save us from the agony of total loss.”

Footnotes

(1) Expensive fish dishes usually enjoyed by the rich in India. –Trans.

(2) See especially A Guide to Human Conduct (1961) and Caryácarya Part 3 (1965). –Trans.

(3) “Cult” is used here in the sense of “practice” or “process”. –Trans.

Chapter 25	Discourses on Neohumanist Education [a compilation]

You know, it is the inherent nature of all living beings to expand their physical arena, and for this purpose, rather, because of this fundamental characteristic (this trait is nothing but a sort of fundamental characteristic), they exploit others, they forget the interest of other living beings. Just now I said that this is the inherent nature of all living beings, both humans and animals. But human beings have another characteristic, another inborn instinct, and that is to expand their psychic arena also. So unlike other animals, human beings have the opportunity to divert their physical longings into spiritual longings, into spiritual aspirations. Other animals do not have this opportunity. But because of this psychic characteristic human beings exploit others on the psychic level as well as on the physical level, and this exploitation on the psychic level is even more dangerous than on the physical one.

So that there may not be any intellectual extravaganza or any physical subjugation, human beings require proper training both physically and mentally. And this is what is called education – properly training the physical and also the psychic existences. Because of the lack of such a training at the proper time, there is no perfect coordination, no happy adjustment, between one’s inner being and outer being. Sometimes people seem very sincere to hear them talk, but there is not an iota of sincerity in their inner world. And this is what happens in the modern world: both individual and collective existence has become one-sided, it has lost its balance. Thus what we require most is a proper system of education.

Just to show their sincerity of purpose, just to show that they are developed human beings, sometimes people speak of disarmament. They say that there should be a check, a control, over the manufacturing of deadly weapons. They express this idea vocally, but internally they surreptitiously are prepared for even worse weapons, even more deadly weapons, just to keep others under their servitude in the physical sphere. This is nothing but the worst type of brutality. Once a certain leader said, “Keep the prospects of peace alive, but keep your powder dry.” That is what is happening today. This physical longing should be diverted towards psychic longings; but if it is diverted towards psychic longing by proper mundane education, that will not suffice. In that case there still remains the fear of psychic subjugation. So the remedy lies elsewhere.

Yes, people should be motivated by human feelings, human sentiments, human ideas. No doubt it would be good if human feelings could serve as a moral check in this competition of weapons, but don’t take this prospect as the last word: human feelings cannot check the infighting prevalent among human beings. For this purpose we should have a two-fold approach. For the purpose of training this turbulent mind, what should be done? We will have to educate the mind properly, along the lines of Neohumanism. This Neohumanist education will impart proper training to the mind. And at the same time there should be spiritual practice for proper psychic transformation. This is what we require most. There is no alternative.

Chapter 26	Discourses on Neohumanist Education [a compilation]

Primitive human beings had no society and the whole set-up was individualistic. Even the concept of family was absent. Life was brute and non-intellectual. Nature was the direct abode and physical strength ruled the day. The strong enjoyed at the cost of the weak, who had to surrender before the voracity of the physical giants. However, the sense of acquisition had not developed in them, and they worked manually, and there was no intellectual exploitation in that age. Though life was brute, it was not brutal.

If shúdras be defined as those who live by manual work or service, this primary stage of nature’s brute laws could be named the Shúdra Age, because all were manual workers. The reliance on physical power gradually led a chosen few to lead the rest by the strength of their muscles. They were the leaders of the shúdras.

Simultaneously, the family developed. And the above-mentioned leadership, once based upon the superiority of muscles, passed on from the father to the son or from the mother to the daughter, partly due to the momentum of fear and power commanded, and partly because of superiority of animalic breed.

Superior strength requires the assistance of other superior strengths in the neighbourhood for all to maintain their status. Generally such superior neighbours belonged to the same parenthood or were related through matrimonial ties. Gradually the leaders by physical might started a well-knit group, and ultimately formed a class known as the kśatriyas. The age when the power to rule, or supremacy in arms, was the only material factor that mattered, was the Kśatriya Age. The leaders of the Kśatriya Age were Herculean, huge giants who depended on the supremacy of personal valour and might, making little or no use of intellect.

With the development of intellect and skill as a result of physical and psychic clash, physical strength had to lose its dignified position according to the growing intensity of intellectual demand in the kśatriya-dominated society. One had also to develop skill in the use of arms, and even for this the physical giant had to sit at the feet of some physically-common men to learn the use of arms and strategy. A reference to the mythology of any ancient culture reveals numberless instances where the hero of the day had to acquire specific knowledge from teachers. Subsequently this learning was not confined to the use of arms only but extended to other spheres, such as battle-craft, medicine and forms of organization and administration, so essential for ruling any society. Thus the dependence on superior intellect increased day by day, and in the course of time real power passed into the hands of such intellectuals. These intellectuals, as the word implies, justified their existence on intellect only, performed no labour themselves, and were parasites in the sense that they exploited the energy put in by others in society. This age of domination by intellectual parasites can be called the Vipra Age.

Even though the vipras came into the forefront by the use of their marked intellect, it is more difficult than in the case of the kśatriyas to maintain a hereditary superiority of intellect. In an effort to maintain power amongst the limited few, they actively tried and prevented others from acquiring the use of the intellect by imposing superstitions and rituals, faiths and beliefs, and even introducing irrational ideas (the caste system of Hindu society is an example) through an appeal to the sentiments of the mass (who collectively cannot be called intellectual). This was the phase of human society in the Middle Ages in the greater part of the world.

The continued exploitation by one section of society resulted in the necessity for the collection and transfer of consumable goods. Even otherwise, need was felt very badly for the transport of food and other necessities of life from surplus parts to deficit parts. Also, in the case of clan conflicts, the result of the resources of one community or class versus another gained importance. This aspect was confined not only to the producers but also to those handling the goods at various stages up to the point of consumption. These people became known as vaeshyas, and ingenuity and summed-up production began to enjoy supremacy and importance, till an age was reached when this aspect of life became the most important factor. These vaeshyas, therefore, began to enjoy a position of supremacy, and the age dominated by this class is said to be the Age of Vaeshyas.

Individualistic or laissez-faire sense develops [into] capitalism when the means of production pass into the hands of a few who are more interested in personal exploitation. At this stage it can be said that the instinct of acquisition has developed tremendously. The thirst for acquisition instigated them to [develop] the psychology of complete exploitation of the human race also, and this resulted in a class by itself. In the race for greed and acquisition not all could survive, and only a few remained to dominate the society in general and the economic set-up in particular by their capital. The great majority were either duped into believing that they would be allowed to share such resources, or were neglected and left uncared-for for want of strength and did not survive the race. Such people in society ultimately occupy the place of exploited slaves of the capitalists. They are slaves because they have no option other than to serve the capitalists as labourers to earn the means of subsistence.

We may recall the definition of shúdras as persons who live by manual work or labour hard for their livelihood. This age of capitalism is the age when the large majority of society turn into such shúdras. This develops into dejection and dissatisfaction on a large scale because of an internal clash in the mind, because the psychology of society is essentially dynamic in nature and the mind itself exists as a result of constant clash. These conditions are necessary and sufficient for labourers, whether manual or mental, to organize and stand up against the unnatural impositions in life. This may be termed “shúdra revolution”. The leaders of this revolution, also, are people physically and mentally better-equipped and more capable essentially of overthrowing the capitalistic structure by force. In other words, they are also kśatriyas. So, after a period of chaos and catastrophe, once more the same cycle – Shúdra Age to Kśatriya to Vipra, and so on – recommences.⁽¹⁾

In this cycle of civilization one age changes into another. This gradual change should be called “evolution” or kránti. The period of transition from one age to another can be said to be yuga saḿkránti – “transitional age”. One complete cycle from the Shúdra Age evolving through the other [three] ages is called parikránti.⁽²⁾

Sometimes the social cycle (samája cakra) is reversed by the application of physical or psychic force by a group of people inspired by a negative theory. Such a change is, therefore, counter-evolution – that is, against the cycle of civilization. This may be termed vikránti. But if this reversal of the social cycle takes place, due to political pressure or any other brute force, within a short span of time, the change thus brought about is prativiplava, or “counter-revolution”. It is just like the negative pratisaiṋcara of Brahma Cakra.⁽³⁾ Thus the progress and march of civilization can be represented as points of position and as the speed of approaching Puruśottama, respectively, by a collective body in Brahma Cakra.

The world is a transitory phase or changing phenomenon within the scope of the Cosmic Mind. It is going in eternal motion, and such a motion is the law of nature and the law of life. Stagnancy means death. Hence no power can check the social cycle of evolution. Any force, external or internal, can only retard or accelerate the speed of transition, but cannot prevent it from moving. Therefore progressive humanity should cast off all skeletons of the past. Human beings should go on accelerating the speed of progress for the good of humanity in general.

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 Yama and Niyama, are sadvipras.

The principles of Yama are ahiḿsá, satya, asteya, aparigraha and Brahmacarya. Ahiḿsá means not causing suffering to any harmless creature through thought, word or deed. Satya denotes action of mind or use of words with the object of helping others in the real sense. It has no relative application. Asteya means non-stealing, and this should not be confined to physical action but [extended] to the action of the mind as well. All actions have their origin in the mind, hence the correct sense of asteya is “to give up the desire of acquiring what is not rightly one’s own”. Aparigraha involves the non-acceptance of such amenities and comforts of life as are superfluous for the preservation of the physical existence. And the spirit of Brahmacarya is to experience His [the Supreme Entity’s] presence and authority in each and every physical and psychic objectivity. This occurs when the unit mind resonates with Cosmic will.

The five rules of Niyama are shaoca, santośa, tapah, svádhyáya and Iishvara prańidhána. Shaoca means purity of both physical and mental bodies. Mental purity is attained by benevolent deeds, charity, or other dutiful acts. Santośa means “contentment”. It implies accepting ungrudgingly and without a complaint the out-turn of the services rendered by one’s own physical or mental labour. Tapah means efforts to reach the goal despite such efforts being associated with physical discomforts. Svádhyáya means study of the scriptures or other books of learning and assimilating their spirit. The whole universe is guided by the Supreme Entity, and nothing that one does or can do is without His specific command. Iishvara prańidhána is an auto-suggestion of the idea that each and every unit is an instrument in the hands of the Almighty and is a mere spark of that supreme fire. Iishvara prańidhána also implies implicit faith in Him irrespective of whether one lives in momentary happiness or sorrow, prosperity or adversity.⁽⁴⁾

Only those who by their nature adhere to the above ten commands in their normal and spiritual conduct are sadvipras. Such a morally- and spiritually-equipped sadvipra has to perform a fundamental and vital duty to society.

In the cycle of social evolution, during each age before it is succeeded by another age, one particular class enjoys the position of domination and superiority. Such a class, while in political power, has every chance of exploiting the society. History has shown that this is not mere chance, but has been repeating itself. Now the duty of the sadvipra is to see that the dominating class does not take recourse to exploitation. The four classes – shúdra, the toiling class; kśatriya, the warrior class; vipra, the intellectual class; and vaeshya, the capitalist class – have remained well defined in the cycle of human civilization, and the gradual domination and decline of each class shall continue to occur in this cycle.

Life is a dynamic principle, and the movement of the samája cakra continues without any break or pause. The cycle cannot be checked, as stagnation implies death. The function of a sadvipra shall, therefore, be to see that the dominating or the ruling classes do not have any scope for exploitation. The moment one class turn into 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 state of society both the few and the many get degenerated. The few (exploiters) degenerate themselves due to [an] 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 be given any scope to exploit the rest of the society.

Sadvipras are not inactive witnesses. They are active participants to see that no person or class exploits the rest. For this they may have to resort even to physical violence, because the sadvipras will have to strike at the source of the power [of the class] which is tending to become the exploiter. In case the kśatriya class are becoming exploiters, the sadvipras may have to resort to physical force, and in an age where the intellectual or vipra class are dominating, they will have to bring about a revolution in the intellectual field. In case the vaeshyas are dominating, the sadvipras may have to contest and win elections, because the vaeshya class rules by democracy, and the democratic set-up enables them to accumulate undue gains.

Footnotes

(1) A period of chaos and catastrophe ends when kśatriya leadership re-emerges, signifying the start of the next Kśatriya Age. For a more detailed discussion of this process, see “The Shúdra Revolution and the Sadvipra Society” in Human Society Part 2 by the author. [In the Prout in a Nutshell Volume 1 Part 3, 1st edition, publication of this article, this footnote is replaced by “Also see ‘The Shúdra Revolution and the Sadvipra Society’ in Volume 2.”] –Eds.

(2) See also the definitions of parikránti in the author’s Problems of the Day, section 34, and Ánanda Sútram, Chapter 5, Sútra 7. Eds.

(3) Brahma Cakra is the Cosmic Cycle of creation. The “negative pratisaiṋcara of Brahma Cakra” refers to the devolution of human beings to animals, plants, or even matter. –Eds. [Footnote used in the Prout in a Nutshell Volume 1 Part 3, 1st edition, publication of this article.]

(4) For further discussion on Yama and Niyama, see A Guide to Human Conduct, 1957. –Eds. [Footnote used in the Prout in a Nutshell Volume 1 Part 3, 1st edition, publication of this article.]

Chapter 27	Discourses on Neohumanist Education [a compilation]

Having progressively crossed the different evolutionary stages since the distant past human beings have at last reached the present stage. The journey has not been solitary: People have advanced together in society. Even in the primitive past, humans lived in clans and tribes, for alone they could not easily procure the means of livelihood. An individual who totally shuns collective life finds existence difficult, for humans are essentially social beings. Whenever one thinks of a human being one automatically thinks of the society in which he or she lives. Human existence is thus two-sided – individual existence and collective existence – and as such it has two sets of values: social values and human cardinal principles.

The social values of human beings are ascertained on the basis of social responsibilities. As a member of society a person has to discharge certain duties and responsibilities. Those who shoulder great responsibility are naturally accorded due recognition and respect, because the good of all depends upon the proper execution of one’s duties.

An analysis of history will show that in the Kśatriya era kings and emperors were honoured most. In their courts everyone bowed before them in spontaneous respect for they had conquered the hearts of the people by virtue of their heroism, valour and chivalry. During the Vipra era the Kśatriyas and other social classes were so overwhelmed by the Vipra’s intellectual might – which they had used to invent various things to further human welfare – that they surrendered before them. The Vipras were regarded as wise because their intellectual research benefited the common people. Out of awe and respect everyone prostrated at the lotus feet of these great people.

The truth is that human beings have always and everywhere paid tribute to social values, but never, not even for a moment, has anyone respected human cardinal principles.

Human Cardinal Principles

Human cardinal principles are the silver lining between the psycho-spiritual and spiritual strata of human existence. The meeting point of the spiritual and psycho-spiritual strata is called the human cardinal stratum. Human existence is trifarious, a combination of three currents: physical, mental and spiritual. Most people cannot transcend the limits of their physical existence: crude worldly pleasures become the only enjoyment of their lives. They embody all that is beastly in nature, goaded and tormented as they are by carnal desires. The subtle feelings of life, the subtle expressions and practices are beyond their reach. Their world is limited to their bodies and physical requirements.

Other people are more concerned with their minds. They feel that it is the supremacy of the mind that has differentiated them from animals. Their lives are guided by their desires for mental satisfaction. By virtue of their endeavours they create poetry, art, music, sculpture, etc. They express the finer human feelings of mercy, sympathy, love, friendship and pity. They believe that the mind flows for the sole purpose of attaining the Infinite, and hence they focus their energies on the contemplation of the Transcendental Entity. They are the spiritual aspirants, they alone are worthy of being called human beings. Drawn by the magnetic attraction of the Cosmic Consciousness they speed forward and reach the stage which marks the end of mental existence and the beginning of spirituality. At that stage one is no longer a human being, one is a veritable god. It is the duty of every person to reach this confluence of the mental and spiritual strata. It is the pinnacle of human progress. The point where humanity ceases to exist as it merges in divine beatitude. The culminating point of animality is the commencement of humanity. The highest peak of human progress is the beginning of divine bliss. Where animality ends, humanity begins, where humanity ends, divinity begins. The meeting point of the highest attainment of humanity and the blossoming of divinity is the base on which the cardinal human principles are established.

A glimpse through human history reveals that nowhere have human values been truly honoured. What is worse, nobody has looked upon humanity with sympathy. Only those were respected who, by serving their self-interests, climbed onto the higher rostrum of society. It is difficult to step down from the high position of vainglory to rub shoulders with the downtrodden. The neglect of humanity was particularly acute towards the end of each era of the social cycle. The progeny of the noble Kśatriyas, on gaining power, engaged themselves in the pursuit of pleasure and comforts, utterly neglecting their sacred duty to serve their subjects. They never cared to know people’s suffering. They were not concerned by the bent old man, decimated by poverty in the Himalayas, being mercilessly beaten by a royal servant for defaulting on his tax payment. Kind-hearted and philanthropic kings did exist, but was there any king who, besides meeting the psycho-physical needs of his people, opened the gateway to realization of the Infinite? For self-aggrandisement and in a bid to conquer the world they invaded countries, one after another. How could they afford to inquire into the tragic plight of the common people?

The Vipra era illustrated the same thing: the scholarly Vipras were hardly accessible to the common people. The innocent masses were busy appeasing the Vipras with oblations, honorariums and floral offerings. Where was the time for them to take of the needy families of the poor neighbourhoods who were perhaps dying of starvation? And what would be the material benefit of such an action? Service to the poor would pay nothing, so let them go to hell, let them die en masse. So nobody had anything to do with the poor. And anyway, the Vipras were busy with worship, prayer and observance of sacraments. All their energies were spent in the appeasement of the gods and goddesses enthroned in the temples, churches or mosques. There was simply no opportunity to inculcate more humane qualities. According to Vipran scriptures, a temple made of bricks and wood was of more value than humanity itself. Suppose an old beggar, numbed with the cold chill of the night, is standing wearily in front of a temple, his begging bowl empty. The temple is reverberating with ringing bells, and the deity is being worshipped in accordance with the scriptural dictates. While the devotees stand before the deity with hands folded in reverence, the beggar shivers bitterly outside. On completing the ritual, the people leave the temple one by one, followed by the priest. The beggar entreats him to let him sleep in one corner of the temple, but the priest replies emphatically, “I can’t afford to pollute the temple for your sake.” And the old man has to trudge into the world of uncertainty, and perhaps bury himself in the coffin of the cold. The sanctity of inert wood and bricks is valued more than a man’s life.

Notions of vice and virtue, codes of justice and scriptural texts – which are claimed to be the word of God – have been formulated by different religions to further vested interests. Those who oppose the scriptures or the system they propound are subject to severe punishment. To socialize with a person of a different caste is a great sin and those who commit such sacrilegious acts will be excommunicated. They have to make atonement according to scriptural decree, and sometimes the magnitude of their penance may be the cause of their death. If they plea for a milder dose of punishment, the priests express their helplessness: one cannot defy the scriptures!

Those who are ensnared by the scriptures cannot be expected to know the value of human life. It takes millions of years, lives and stages to get a human body. But nobody knows how many invaluable lives have been nipped in the bud, or how many innocent lives have been slaughtered at the altar of the scriptures.

Vice and virtue are the outcome of mental perversion under the influence of time, space and person. The mental perversion which is vice in one country or in one age passes for virtue in another country or another age. Thus it is unwise to attach absolute importance to the notion of vice and virtue nurtured by some individuals at a given time. Vice and virtue have their origins either in religious faith or social prejudices, as a of natural or other causes, and they undergo changes in time, space and person. In ancient India grief-stricken wives, mourning the death of their husbands, were dragged pitilessly onto the funeral pyre and burnt to death. Those who did this remained unaffected because according to the their scriptures it was a virtuous act. Today, however it is treated as a vice.

These fabricated religious injunctions have been a repeated cause of exploitation. Placing blind faith in the scriptures people used to derive pleasure from cruel human sacrifice. The scriptures also proclaimed that to live the life of a virgin was a vice. Hence, it was not uncommon for a nine year old girl to be forced to marry an old man waiting at the jaws of death. After the death of her old spouse, hymns were chanted to make the young bride believe that she was destined to return to her husband after her own death and had no right to turn a new leaf in this life by marrying again. What a tragic existence for a sentimental woman to have to live a life of austerity to ensure unison with a husband in the life hereafter.

Polygamy, on the other hand, was not forbidden for men. A woman who was married to a man having a number of wives suffered a life of misery due to her co-wives. The folk lores or doggerels bear an excellent testimony to this: “Peace will come with my co-wife’s death. Oh what joy! I shall kill my co-wife and adorn my arm with bangles.” Even today within the same social group the cutting remarks of the mother-in-law and the husband’s sisters rob the wife of her zest for life. The story goes that a wife had her rice rationed to one earthen cup full by her mother-in-law. One day, as luck would have it, that measuring cup broke into countless pieces. Oh, what joy the wife felt. But the mother-in-law cruelly remarked, “The small earthen cup has broken, but the big one is left for us. Your joy is in vain, daughter-in-law, for my hand will now be your measure.” Can there be any greater cruelty than this? Even when supplying the minimum requirements meanness was perpetrated with such cruelty.

The inhuman rules and regulations and tortures inside the house filled a woman’s life with bitterness. Nobody knows how many have wept away sleepless nights having suffered tortures for which no redress was possible. The dogma of the scriptures crushed their emotional feelings, their hopes and aspirations like a steam roller flattening soft clay. Nobody has paid any heed to their sobs and tearful outbursts. The irrational social dictates based on vice and virtue have been a perennial source of injustice for human beings. Humanity has always been hated and trampled.

I repeat that no scripture should gain supremacy by slighting or neglecting humanity. Scriptures should be written to further human progress. They should provide rules, but these rules should in no way send humanity to its grave. Their utility lies in promoting freedom from bondage and leading humanity along the path of union with Cosmic Consciousness, the source of everything. Scriptures that throttle society to death or arrest its natural movement, should never be accepted.

Vice and virtue should be defined in the interest of human values not on the whims of certain individuals. People must move towards that stage which is the zenith point of human progress and from which no further advancement is possible. That which blocks this movement is vice and that which facilitates it is virtue. To exploit an individual, a group or the entire society for one’s own interest or the interest of the group is vice. To rob a person of the right to exist is also vice. There should be scope to punish such acts; but punishment is not an end in itself. If punishment kills or prevents one from progressing along life’s path, it may also be treated as vice. Punishment should be for rectification. The penal code will be based on human values. Ananda Marga’s social treatise states: First use sweet words and inform the offender of their mistake. Then use harsher words to convince them of the social damage caused by their actions. In the third stage, inform them about the possibility of penal measures. And in the fourth stage, if the situation warrants such action, take penal measures against him, but remember, punishment should be inflicted humanely.

Those who commit acts of vice, for whatever reasons should be given scope for rectification. If they fail to realize what they have done, they should be convinced by logical argumentation. If they ignore such reasoning they will be liable for punishment. Only the offenders themselves will be punished – under no circumstances will their relatives be punished too. Penal measures will be withdrawn as soon as the offenders have corrected themselves. An entire life should not have to be wasted over a single act of vice. On no account should anybody be branded forever.

Those who worship a marble deity in the dark corner of a temple and neglect the poor multitudes – who are themselves an embodiment of God – gain nothing in this life nor for the life hereafter. The neglect of a person who is the embodiment of God is tantamount to neglecting God Himself. A truly righteous person realizes that God does not confine Himself to the temple, but manifests Himself in His creation.

“Why are you lying in the gloom of the temple?
Raise your eyes. Look! God is not confined to four walls.
He has gone where the farmers are tilling and toiling all year round”.

–Rabindranath Tagore

In the Vipra era, humanity was affronted by the creation of divisions between high and low. People of high-birth would lose their caste if they merely stepped on the shadow of the so-called low-castes. Even worse, if a Vedic Brahman touched a person from a low family he was declared an outcaste. In no other age has humanity suffered such hatred and insult. Rabindranath says, “By standing aloof from your fellow man daily, you have hated the God enthroned in his heart.”

Instead of hating anyone, the Sadvipras will encourage everyone to build good careers. This will be Sadvipra’s principle duty. None should feel that they have been doomed for good.

The Present Age and Human Values

At present life is valued on the basis of money.

Yasyástivittam sah sarah kuliinah sah panditah
Sah shutaban gunagnah sa eva vaktása ca darshaniiyah
Sarve gunah kancanámá trayanti.

That is, these days, a person who possesses wealth is respected and revered whereas a person without money is a person honoured by none. The poor, whoever they may be, have to woo the rich just for the sake of earning their livelihood. Human values have become meaningless, for human beings have become the means for the rich to earn money. The rich, having purchased the human mind with their money, are busy playing a game of chess with the other members of society. Bereft of everything, people toil round the clock to earn a mere pittance. Today the motto of people is, “I have to send some food particles into the apathetic stomach after somehow taking a dip in the muddy water amidst hyacinths.”

Those who are at the helm of society, constantly suspicious of others, forever count their losses and profits. They have no desire to think about the plight of humanity. Rather, to gratify themselves they are ready to chew the human bone, and suck human blood. For the self-centred there is no place for feelings of mercy, sympathy or camaraderie. The railway stations and market places are full of half-clad beggars and lepers desperately stretching out their begging bowls, earning their livelihood in the only way they know. They are fortunate if anyone contemptuously flings them a copper coin. The old blind beggars sitting all day long on the steps of a bridge automatically lift their bowls whenever anyone walks past. But their hungry pleas fall on deaf ears. On the other side of the social coin, sumptuous dishes are being prepared to entertain the rich dignitaries. These contrasts ridicule the present human society.

Today, those who occupy high posts are also respected. Dignity is attached to post or rank. A station master will take great pains to prepare the railway minister’s visit, but will never trouble himself with the inconveniences faced by the ordinary passengers. Luxurious houses are built for high-ranking officers while the poor live in shanty towns, barely protected from the elements. I don’t say that large houses should never be built, but that everyone should be provided the minimum requirements. “I admit that both rice and tasty dishes are necessary for people, but I shall not demand a sumptuous dish from the goddess of food until I see that India has been overflooded with an abundance of rice.”

These days educated people are so proud of their erudition that they detest illiterate people and avoid the company of commoners. Thus they shun village life and live in towns. When the question of returning to the village crops up, they say, “What on earth would we do in a village? There’s not a single person to talk to. Only idiots live there.” This explains why almost all attention is focused on the urban areas to the detriment of the villages. While soliciting votes, political leaders pay a short visit to the villages with a mouthful of attractive promises. They promptly inform the ignorant populace about their great achievements in constructing huge dams; though perhaps village cultivation is becoming impossible due to want of irrigation. They give detailed descriptions about their plans to build bridges and bungalows and install television sets, though perhaps in that village people die for want of medicine, or beg for food in poverty-stricken desperation. And yet the common villagers constitute the backbone of society. Even in the towns not everyone gets equal opportunities. The pavements have become the home for so many people. Rabindranath says, “ There are always a number of uncelebrated people in the human civilization. They are the majority, and they are the medium, but they have no time to become human beings. They are raised on the leftovers of the national wealth. They are poorly dressed and receive little education, yet they serve the rest of society. They give maximum labour but are rewarded with ignominy – they die of starvation or are tortured to death by those they serve. They are deprived of all life’s amenities. They are the candlestick of civilization: they stand erect with the candle resting on their head. Everyone gets light from it, while they suffer the discomfort of the wax trickling down their sides. In this way, the dishonest of humanity or the neglect of human values has become a social malady.”

Another glaring example of the neglect of human values is the present judicial system. When arrested, people have to stand in the dock for the accused and face a trial based on evidence and the lawyer’s eloquence, no matter if they are guilty or not. A criminal who can afford to hire a reputable lawyer may emerge from the legal processes unscathed, whereas an innocent person of meagre financial means who is unable to appoint a good counsel, may end up in prison. If a thief is set free it is a crime, no doubt; but if an innocent person is punished it is a severe dishonour to humanity.

One of the primary causes of crime today is the lack of virtuous people. Those who are honest try to follow moral principles in their private lives, but at times have to abandon moralism under the pressure of poverty. Eventually they may find themselves in the dock of the accused, charged with committing theft. The law is not concerned with the poverty which forced them to steal, nor, indeed, does the law make provisions for the maintenance of their families if they are given a prison sentence. As a consequence, their children will have to become pick-pockets and petty thieves and their unfortunate wives have to embrace an ignoble and sinful life in the underworld, for survive they must. On being released from jail, the men will meet social discrimination and alienation and, with little other choice, will be forced to select crime as their profession. In this way hundreds of families are being ruined each day. Nobody feels their agony or offers them sympathy; for today the common people are not anybody’s concern.

The black marketeers who escape punishment by virtue of money are now occupying the commanding positions in society – the more one is devious and hypocritical, the more powerful one becomes.

[This last section was also printed separately as “The Neohumanism of Sadvipras” in Neohumanism in a Nutshell Part 1. This is the Neohumanism in a Nutshell Part 1, 2nd edition, version.]

To sadvipras [spiritual revolutionaries] the value of human life surpasses all other values. So states and scriptures, societies and religions, acquire significance only insofar as they develop humanity to the maximum through learning, culture, physical health and economic plenty. It is for the sake of developing humanity that civilization has so many institutions of different kinds, that states take their various forms, that theories proliferate, and that the scriptures abound in ordinances and regulations. What in the world does the state stand for, what is the use of all these regulations, and what are the marvels of civilization for, if people are prevented from manifesting themselves, if they do not get the opportunity to build good physiques, to invigorate their intelligence with knowledge, or to broaden their hearts with love and compassion? If, instead of tending to lead human beings to the goal of life, the state stands in the way, it cannot command loyalty, because humanity is superior to the state. According to Rabindranath Tagore, “Justice and law at the cost of humanity is like a stone instead of bread. Maybe that stone is rare and valuable, but it cannot remove hunger.”

It is customary to give preference to social value over human value. Sadvipras want to strike at the root of this custom. For them, human value takes precedence over social value. Human beings form the society, and hence human value must lay the foundation for the social value. In other words, those who show respect to human value will be entitled to social value. It was mentioned earlier that human value means nothing but to treat the joys and sorrows, hopes and aspirations of human beings sympathetically, and see them merged in Cosmic Consciousness and established in divine majesty. And if one is to elevate oneself to that sublime height, he or she will have to be supplied with an environment suitable to his or her physical, mental and spiritual existence. It is the birthright of everyone to make headway in their trifarious existence. It is the duty of society to accord recognition to this human right. Society has failed to do its duty, and that is why life is full of sorrow and suffering.

No one can say for certain that no great person might have emerged from among those wayward urchins whom we are wont to slight and hate. Women who have turned to prostitution for the sake of their physical existence might have grown into noble personalities if their agony had been appreciated sympathetically, and if they had been rehabilitated by society. But since society has nothing to do with human value, a good number of great personalities are withering away in their embryonic stage. The sadvipras will undertake to revive this neglected section of humanity. To them no sinner is contemptible, no one is a rogue. People turn into satans or sinners when, for want of proper guidance, they are goaded by depraving propensities. The human mind goaded by depraving propensities is satan. If their 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.”

Thus the purpose of the penal code which will be framed by the sadvipras will be to rectify, and not to punish, a person. They will knock down the prisons and build reform schools, rectification camps. Those who [are] inborn criminals, in other words, those who perpetrate crimes because of some organic defects, ought to be offered treatment so that they may humanize themselves. And regarding those who commit crimes out of poverty, their poverty must be removed.

The significance of society lies in moving together. If in the course of the journey anybody lags behind, if in the darkness of night a gust of wind blows out anyone’s lamp, we should not just go ahead and leave them in the lurch. We should extend a hand to help them up, and rekindle their lamps with the flames of our lamps.

Vartiká laiyá háte calechila ek sáthe
Pathe nibe geche álo pare áche tái
Tomrá ki dayá kare tulibená háth dhare
Ardhadańd́a tár tare thámibená bhái.

[While marching together with lamps in our hands, someone’s lamp has gone out, and he is lying beside the road. Brothers and sisters, will you not stop for a moment to lift him up?]

Stop we must, otherwise the spirit of society is in jeopardy.

A rśi [sage] has said: Samamantreńa jáyate iti samájah [“Society is the collective movement of a group of individuals who have decided to move together towards a common goal”]. That is, whether people are pápii or tápii [sinners or victims], thieves, criminals, or characterless individuals, they are so only superficially; internally they are filled with the potential for purity. The principal object of the sadvipras is to explore and bring this potentiality into play. They will accord human value to everyone without exception. Those who have done hateful crimes must be punished, but sadvipras will never hate them, or put an end to them by depriving them of food, because sadvipras are humanists. The pandits puffed up with vainglory could turn their attention to their books instead of attending on the ailing non-Hindu Haridas, but Chaitanya Mahaprabhu found it impossible to remain indifferent to him. He took Haridas in his arms and nursed him carefully, and thus showed respect to human value.

However, when the question of social responsibility arises, it must be considered with great care. Irresponsible people cannot be entrusted with social responsibility, because those who shoulder social responsibility will have to lead humanity on the path of development, and correct the ways of sinners. If they themselves are of evil mentality, it will not be possible for them to discharge their social responsibility. It has been said: “The collective body of those who are engaged in the concerted effort to bridge the gap between the first expression of morality and establishment in universal humanism is called society.”⁽¹⁾ So social responsibility should be entrusted to those who are capable of discharging it creditably. If moralism is the starting-point of the journey of society, then those who are at its helm must be moralists. And since society aims to establish universalism, those people must be universalists. And if the gap between moralism and universal humanism is to be bridged, spiritual sádhaná is a must, so those people must practise rigorous sádhaná. Their philosophy of life must be, “Morality is the base, sádhaná is the means, and life divine is the goal.”

This great responsibility must never be entrusted to those who are themselves criminals. Unless and until such people correct themselves, they will not be given any social value, though in no way will they be denied human value. At present social value is given importance, but those who are selected to discharge social responsibility do not possess the aforesaid qualities. They have occupied their posts on the strength of their money or on the basis of patronage, but this has not resulted in any collective welfare. That is why there is an instruction in our social scripture:

Do not be misled by anyone’s tall talk. Judge merit by seeing the performance. Remember, whatever position one is in offers sufficient opportunity to work. One whose character is not in accordance with Yama-Niyama should not get opportunity [[to become]] a representative.… to [[vest]] an incompetent person with power means to push society towards destruction knowingly and deliberately. (“Society” in Caryacarya Part 2, 1999)

The sadvipras will install qualified persons in power, and the social order which will be evolved by virtue of their leadership will give due importance to one and all. In this new society based on Neohumanism, everyone will find their life worth living. All will regain their lost positions of honour.

Footnotes

(1) Shrii Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar, “Moralism” in Human Society Part 1 (slightly rephrased here by the author). –Eds.

Chapter 28	Discourses on Neohumanist Education [a compilation]

There are three categories of human beings.

The first category comprises of 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 of 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 of 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 in this category. You should try to become A-class people. You should speak what you think, and you should do what you speak.

Chapter 29	Discourses on Neohumanist Education [a compilation]

Recently my topic of discussion has been “micropsychic longings”. Let me explain how this topic relates to the science of bio-psychology.

As you know, micropsychic longings may be brought within four broad categories: psycho-physical longing concerning inborn instinct; psycho-physical longing concerning non-inborn instinct; psychic longing for psychic pabulum; and longings concerned with apexed psychology.

What is the meaning of longing? Longing means “the urge that pulls forward” – it does not push. If you hear someone say, “You little boy, you are a naughty child but I like you very much,” a psychic idea is created, and the urge is pulling it, not pushing it. The enjoying portion of the mind is pulled by the urge.

Inborn Instincts

First, take the case of inborn instincts. Suppose a person enjoys eating food in the form of sweets or rice. The psycho-physical longings for these two types of food operate in the same direction – they have the same lateral movement – but different waves. How many such waves are there? There are innumerable waves.

When a newborn babe hears the sound of its mother, it thinks, “Oh, my mother is coming. I will get breast milk.” It smells fragrances, feels the sensation of touch and reacts to the environment: “Ooooh, it’s extremely cold.” It kicks and urinates. These are all inborn instincts in the case of animate creatures, but not in the case of inanimate objects.

Inborn instincts develop in human beings a few minutes after birth. In reptiles and birds they develop when these creatures come in contact with the physical world, and in dogs and cats they develop after a few days.

In the case of non-living entities, their inborn instincts are to contract and inflate. As they cannot express themselves through nerves, we say that they are inanimate. They express themselves by increasing or decreasing their inter-atomic or inter-molecular spaces. Iron, sand, earth, water, etc., are all inanimate.

In living entities, longings such as the longings for carbonic pabulum and mother’s milk are longings for physical and not psychic pabulum.

Suppose a man is drinking and drinking – he knows when to stop because he has a self-controlling faculty. He knows when he should not drink any more, and he knows when his thirst has been quenched. On the other hand, suppose he tries to check his thirst. He may try to control his thirst up to a certain degree, but beyond that point his vital force will not cooperate with his self-controlling faculty. After two or three days he will not be able to check his thirst any longer, and if he continues to control it he will damage his health. The glands and plexi and the protoplasmic cells will disintegrate because he went against the characteristics of the vital force.

Take another example. Suppose your collective body does not want perspiration to come out through the pores of the skin, but only in the form of urine through the bladder. Gradually this thinking will change your bio-structure. The pores will no longer be required, and the bladder and kidney will have to become more active. Or suppose, by your mental force, you want to totally check urination. What will be the result? There will be complete disintegration and dissociation of various parts of the body – pancreas, liver, spleen, etc. Such changes can only be brought about if the idea of the collective body is supported by the Macrocosm – that is, if the Macrocosm approves your demand.

Non-Inborn Instincts

Next come non-inborn instincts. The inner portions and skin of the human body vary according to climatic conditions. In the human body there are many glands which are controlled by plexi. When a human child is born, not all the plexi function. Generally, the plexi do not function within the mother’s womb because the babe does not breathe directly. Although the plexi are there, they become developed after birth only when the child starts to use its own respiratory system. So after birth, when the plexi become developed, changes occur in the physical body, in the secretion of hormones and in the hormonal structures. Over-secretion and under-secretion of hormones affect nerve cells, and thus change thoughts. Instincts also change. In the human body these changes take place slowly in cold climates and more quickly in hot climates.

Immediately after birth only the faculties of inborn instincts are expressed. Around the age of five several more faculties develop, and accordingly more hormones are secreted and different types of thoughts arise. Certain changes also take place in the skin. The skin becomes a bit

thick at the age of six in cold climates and at the age of four in hot climates. With this development a child’s love for his or her brothers and sisters increases, and a tendency to want to play arises. As a result thoughts change.

Some Important Glands

(1) Testes and ovaries: At around the age of thirteen in hot countries and fifteen in cold countries, the testes and ovaries develop due to the secretion of a special type of hormone.

In males the testes are the glands which convert lymph into semen. As soon as lymph is converted into semen, the nerves are affected and there is a corresponding change in one’s thoughts. It is the pituitary gland which tells the testes to convert lymph into semen [that is, testosterone and spermatic fluid]. When the production of lymph goes beyond the capacity of the body to utilize it, it is converted into semen and comes out of the body. Thus, sex desire is created in the mind.

If the secretion of the testes glands is normal, a sense of dutifulness will be created in the mind. A boy will be proud of the fact that he obeyed his father. But if the boy was only three years old, he would not be able to feel a sense of dutifulness.

If the testes are over-active [highly active] and there is over-secretion [high secretion] of hormones, a youth develops the spirit of rationality. The pubic hair grows due to the activity of the testes. This is the physical effect. The development of rationality is the psychic effect. The nervous system will also be affected. If not hindered by the natural flow of the lymphatic glands, over-secretion [high secretion] leads to the development of hair in the arm pits at the age of fifteen to seventeen in hot countries and seventeen to eighteen in cold countries. Along with this the feeling of rationality grows. For example, a boy may say, “No, father, do not ask me to do that. It is not good.”

If there is under-secretion of the testes glands, there will be less hair; and if, at the same time, the sex glands do not develop at the specified stage, the boy will become very cruel. He may, for example, take a grasshopper and cut off its legs. You may have seen such a boy at the age of thirteen, fourteen or fifteen: he may be unsocial, he may not mix with others. This is due to the under-secretion of hormones from the testes glands.

In the case of ordinary secretion, sex longing is created. If there is over-secretion [high secretion], a youth acquires the power to transform that longing into universalism. In those of you who have a longing for Parama Puruśa [Supreme Consciousness], an over-secretion [high secretion] took place in your hormones between the ages of fifteen and seventeen. At that stage the idea to become great comes into the mind.

If there is under-secretion of the hormones of the testes glands, a youth will develop less kindness, and less hair will grow in the armpits and pubic region. If you see a man with these physical characteristics, then and there you can come to a conclusion about the extent of his kindness. Moreover, such a person will most likely support dogma. He will not have the moral strength to protest against dogma (including scriptural dogma), and he will not support a new idea.

If the testes function properly and if there is no hindrance from the lymphatic glands, intelligence will develop. Without the testes, the solar plexus will not be developed and intelligence will decrease.

In the past many slaves were converted into eunuchs – known as khojas in Persian. If the ovaries of a female or the testes of a male are dissociated from the body, the person will become a eunuch. In a male, if the testes are separated from the body, there will be physical and psychological changes. The man will not die but he will lose the sense of dutifulness and responsibility. All the qualities associated with the testes, such as the sense of dutifulness and responsibility, will be wanting. A eunuch will not be able to grow any pubic hair or the pubic hairs will be few.

Should the testes be cut off and a man made into a eunuch? Can it be considered civilized? In some countries men were changed into eunuchs, and as they did not have any sex feeling, they were posted as security guards in the harems of the rulers. This is a barbarous system and goes against fundamental human rights. It is extremely bad.

If the sex organ is cut off from the male body, what will be the result? The man will not die, but the testes and kidneys will not be able to function properly. There will, therefore, also be psychological changes and no sex feeling.

(2) Prostate gland: The prostate gland gives rise to the feeling of shyness or shamefulness in the mind. At the age of three to five a child does not feel any shyness. At this age a child can walk on the street without any clothes on. Adults experience shyness due to the development of this gland and imposed saḿskáras [mental reactive momenta].

As a result of over-secretion of hormones from the prostate gland, a sort of melancholia may develop. One may think: “What is the necessity of this creation? Why did Parama Puruśa create this universe? I am alone, I have no friend. Where is the charm in life? Nobody cares for me.” There are certain philosophies which propound this sort of melancholia. It is also apparent that the propounders themselves suffered from melancholia.

If there is under-secretion of the hormones from the prostate gland, a person will develop a fearful nature and suffer from psychic hallucinations. One may even see a ghost in broad daylight. Under-secretion, or low secretion, from the prostate gland creates this psychology.

Does the prostate gland depend on the lymphatic glands or vice versa, or are they interdependent? These glands are interdependent; rather, all plexi and all glands are interdependent. All glands depend greatly on the lymphatic glands for their supply of lymph – the raw material. The dependence of the other glands on the lymphatic glands is greater than the dependence of the lymphatic glands on the other glands. Similarly, the upper plexi are less dependent on the lower plexi, and the lower plexi are more dependent on the upper plexi. The surplus supply of lymph goes to the brain [via the bloodstream] and nourishes the nerve cells of the cranium.

(3) Solar plexus [located at the mid-point of the chest]: When the solar plexus is developed, love for children is aroused. This is common to all animals, birds, mammals and human beings. But creatures which have self-dividing bodies have no love for children as they have no solar plexus.

Just after the lymphatic glands begin to function normally, the testes develop in males, and in the case of females, the ovaries develop and glands start functioning to make human milk. Love for children also increases.

When the solar plexus develops, the beard grows in males. If there is low secretion of the hormones from the solar plexus, less beard grows. Also, due to low secretion in sterile men and women – those who are viewed as eunuchs – love for children is lacking. In the case of over-secretion [high secretion], what will happen? In males the beard will grow more. It is a good sign if men have a thick beard.

Human love will be transformed into universal love if there is over-secretion [high secretion] of the hormones from the solar plexus. In the case of males with love for Parama Puruśa, they will either have a thick beard or developed breasts, or both. Before they were sádhakas [spiritual aspirants], they would have either thinner beards or less developed breasts.

What happens if the solar plexus becomes dissociated from the body? All higher human wonts have their base in the solar plexus. If the solar plexus or any plexus becomes separated from the human body, the person will die then and there. The corporal structure will not survive even for a second. (In Latin there are two adjectives for “corpus”. “Corpus” means “the indispensable portion of a structure”. “Corporal” concerns something relating to the physical body, and “corporeal” refers to some physical material. “Incorporeal” concerns something which does not come within the scope of tactuality. Suppose a voice comes from the invisible world. Is it a physical voice? No, it is an incorporeal voice.)

(4) Thyroid and parathyroid glands: Due to the secretion of hormones from the thyroid gland in the male body, the voice becomes deep and the moustache grows. Along with this, the quality of self-reliance increases. In the case of men, if this gland is not developed they will have a quarrelsome nature. Women will have the same defect and will also become a bit irrational. Vanity, too, will develop if there is under-secretion of the parathyroid gland. These are all non-inborn instincts.

For a male from a hot country, all the glands develop fully by the age of twenty-four. In cold countries this full development is reached approximately two years later. After the age of thirty-nine there is a slight deterioration in the physical body, but advancement in the psychic sphere. After the age of fifty in hot countries and fifty-one in cold countries, there is more physical deterioration and slight mental deterioration. After the age of sixty in hot countries and sixty-one in cold countries, the thinking power will slowly deteriorate.

The human body is a biological machine. This is the story of the human body and human plexi.

I have discussed only a small portion of this knowledge because there is the possibility that it may be misused. Much research needs to be done on this subject for the all-round welfare of living beings.

(5) Pituitary and pineal glands: As a result of the sádhaná [spiritual practices] performed in previous lives, at the age of thirteen, after the sex glands are developed, the pituitary gland starts to function tremendously and one’s thirst for spirituality is aroused. If such a person gets proper guidance from a preceptor, one achieves spiritual progress. If one falls into bad company, one’s downfall is rapid.

After getting proper spiritual guidance, one’s mind rises upwards from the pituitary gland to the pineal gland, and with one’s mind concentrated on the controlling point of the pineal gland, one attains salvation within a short span of time.

Parama Puruśa applies microvita to different glands and sub-glands. He renders this help to spiritual aspirants in the last phase of the third stratum [dimension of psychology] and in the fourth stratum. Most of the glands function within the first and second dimensions of psychology. The pituitary gland concerns the third dimension, and the pineal gland concerns the third and fourth dimensions. [There are four dimensions of Yoga psychology – from the múládhára cakra to the mańipura cakra; from the mańipura cakra to the vishuddha cakra; from the vishuddha cakra to the ájiṋá cakra; and above the ájiṋá cakra. These dimensions of psychology correspond to the four phases of meditation.]

Spiritual aspirants should take care to purify their pituitary gland because this helps in spiritual sádhaná. The secretion of hormones in the upper glands maintains a balance in all the other glands. The pituitary gland is psycho-spiritual in nature, and the pineal gland is spiritual in nature.

As far as plexi are concerned, they are the bio-psychological secrets of living. In inanimate objects there is no secretion of hormones from [glands or] plexi. Expression takes place through the expansion and contraction of their inter-atomic and inter-molecular spaces.

The grace of Parama Puruśa influences all plexi. The atonemental provisions of Parama Puruśa are through all plexi – not only the pituitary and pineal. Negative microvita do not function in the pituitary and pineal glands. Positive microvita function through all plexi.

As a general rule the grace of Parama Puruśa is expressed through positive microvita in different plexi. Noticeably or conceivably a sweet aroma comes from the concerned plexus. When a spiritual aspirant attains mental concentration or composure, as in madhura sádhaná [a particular type of meditation], he or she experiences a sweet aroma and the mind feels peaceful or composed. Parama Puruśa gives the bliss of tactuality through different plexi.

The Importance of Lymph

The lymphatic glands supply raw material – lymph – to the factories – the glands – and the surplus lymph goes to the brain and provides food for the nerve cells in the cranium. When lymph comes in contact with an activated gland, hormones are created.

The lymphatic glands associated with the testes start functioning at the same time as the testes begin to work in a proper manner. The raw material for the testes is the [lymph] hormone generated by the [regional] lymphatic glands. That lymph is converted into semen by the testes. When lymph comes to the solar plexus, the spirit of love and affection for children develops. In the female body ova are created in the ovaries. Some other lymph helps to maintain proper energy in the body and physical glamour, and in the case of females a certain portion is converted into milk.

The solar plexus cannot function properly if the supply of lymph is not perennial or regular. In the case of spiritual aspirants, there is high secretion of lymph in the solar plexus, consequently love for children is converted into love for the Supreme. That is, love for unit beings is transformed into love for Supreme Consciousness. Lymph is thus a cause of psychic change.

In the female body the lymph glands become very active at certain points, and in the male body at other points. In the case of adolescent girls and boys, a special type of nerve sensation occurs in the genitals. This sensation increases vigour in the person and creates the feeling in the mind, “I have to do something.” At that age one decides or tries to decide one’s future. If the selection is defective, one will not progress. For example, if one wants to learn medicine but is forced to learn engineering by one’s parents, one may not be successful. But if the selection is proper, one will be successful. Generally in hot climates this occurs in boys at the age of seventeen and in girls at the age of sixteen, and in cold climates at nineteen in the case of boys and eighteen in the case of girls.

The lymphatic glands supply the raw material to the factories. All glands are factories. If hot static food or excessive animal protein is eaten by males, the quantity of lymph will decrease and the conversion of lymph into semen will increase. This will lead to intellectual backwardness. It may be observed that people who eat much animal protein tend to produce many children. This has its own sociological effect.

Men should have proper control over the conversion of lymph into semen. This is part of Brahmacarya sádhaná [meditation on the Supreme Entity]. Men should have proper control over their bodies. Human beings should be sentient in food, mind and intellect.

Although carnivores may be more clever or cunning than granivores, they are generally less intellectual. It will be very difficult for a tiger, a cat or a dog to perform spiritual practices. A monkey or a cow may perform spiritual practices because they get much chlorophyll from grass and other green vegetation. Granivorous animals produce more lymph than carnivores, and that is why their brains are more developed.

The lymphatic glands of monkeys are highly developed, although they utilize very little of their lymph. This is why they can jump so much. Human beings cannot jump as much as monkeys because they use more lymph in the functioning of the brain. Human qualities develop along with the increase of lymph.

Lymph is required for the production of milk. Most women can move fast until they give birth to children, but after childbirth they generally cannot move as fast. Deer are granivorous and can move fast, but they give little milk because they use their lymphatic glands a lot. As cows produce excessive milk, they cannot move fast.

Vegetarians produce more lymph because they get chlorophyll from grass and other green vegetation, and that is why their brains are more developed than those of non-vegetarians. Those who consume animal protein [neglecting green vegetation] suffer from want of lymph because animal protein contains very little chlorophyll. Tigers and cats are carnivores, which is why they produce less milk. Cows and buffaloes produce much more milk because they take chlorophyll from green grass and green vegetation.

Maximum lymph is produced from food which contains a lot of chlorophyll, such as green vegetables and especially the tips of the stems of creepers. Granivorous animals produce much milk, while carnivorous animals, such as dogs, give very little milk.

Lymph is produced from animal protein also, but because animal protein produces a lot of heat in the human body, the lymph is quickly converted into semen. Monkeys and deer produce much lymph, but it is not converted into semen because it is utilized in running and jumping.

What is the initial stuff in the manufacture of lymph? Lymph is produced from the energy and vitality acquired from the different quinquelemental factors of this universe, such as water, air and light. They are the initial stuff. The final stuff is shukra [which has three stages: lymph, spermatozoa and seminal fluid]. It is the most developed stuff – the cream of all creams. Chlorophyll accelerates the speed of the production of lymph, but it does not act as the initial stuff.

In certain people the major portion of lymph is eroded away and that is why they are intellectually deficient. But for spiritual aspirants, as the major portion of their lymph remains in their bodies, they should not suffer from any intellectual deficiency. This is why the intellectual standard of spiritual aspirants is higher than that of common people.

Positive or negative catalytic agents have an important effect on the manufacture of lymph. Positive psychic and positive physical environments are positive catalytic agents, and negative psychic and negative physical environments are negative catalytic agents. Even if the food one eats is sentient, but the environment is negative, it is detrimental to mental progress. Cinema halls, prostitute quarters and busy commercial places are negative physical environments. Bad discussions, bad books, and bad thoughts prevailing among the population are negative psychic environments – negative catalytic agents. If the environment is good, such as at Anandanagar, it is a positive physical environment – a positive catalytic agent. If there are many spiritual aspirants and elevating discussions, a positive psychic environment will be created. This will help in the manufacture of lymph.

Lymph itself is a hormone, and is converted into other hormones by different glands. Lymph is the initial hormone. The creation of hormones in the other glands depends upon these positive and negative catalytic agents. This is the reason why in olden times even Shiva placed much importance on satsauṋga [associating with good people]. Satsauṋga provides a positive psychic environment. Good company leads to liberation whereas bad company is the cause of bondages.

Psychic Longing for Psychic Pabulum

Pabulum is a Latin word. Its meaning is not comprehensive. Ábhoga in Sanskrit is the proper term. Ábhoga: á – bhuiṋj + ghaiṋ. Á means “towards”; bhuiṋj means “to enjoy”; and ghaiṋ makes it a verbal noun. So ábhoga means “an object of enjoyment”. Few people are acquainted with the term ábhoga, therefore people use “pabulum”.

Objects of enjoyment may be physical or psychic. Suppose an object of enjoyment is a sweet. This is physical pabulum. A noble idea is psychic pabulum. If the psychic object is a sweet, psychic movement is towards something crude; if it is something subtle, the mind moves towards the subtle and will become subtle. Even if the starting point of emanation is crude but the mind continuously thinks of something subtle, the mind will become subtle – the culminating point, the end point, is subtle. So, if the culminating point is crude the mind gets crudified, and if the culminating point is subtle the mind becomes subtle.

The mind will have to maintain parallelism with the physical structure while moving towards a certain object. Association by proper adjustment and parallelism between the psychic and physical bodies causes life, and dissociation under adverse conditions results in death. If there are severe hindrances in the process of emanation [of psycho-physical waves], the parallelism is lost. If parallelism is lost, there is death – the body and the mind will dissociate.

There are two causes of death: physical and psychic. Physical death occurs when the waves of the physical structure become crudified due to old age or any other physical deficiency. Psychic death occurs when psychic clash with either subtler or cruder thought-waves results in increasing or decreasing the wavelength of the mental waves respectively. In this case, also, loss of parallelism will occur, and the physical and psychic bodies shall dissociate.

Thus, if, on a particular avenue of progress, one’s longing for a particular object is hindered, the parallelism between mind and body will be lost. In this case psychic diversion is essential because one must maintain parallelism with the vital characteristics.

The psychology of humans is goaded by certain principles, that of cows by other principles, and that of vultures by still other principles. Each follows a particular path. Suppose a human being dies of smallpox or cholera. A vulture will not die if it eats a human body which is infected with either disease. If, on the other hand, a man eats the flesh of a person who has died of cholera, he will almost certainly die. This is because the plexi of human beings and those of vultures are different.

Human beings should move forward with a thorough knowledge of propriety and impropriety. They must maintain a balance between social propriety, political propriety and psychic propriety. One’s relations with one’s brother, sister, mother, wife, etc., are all different. One’s behaviour with one’s sister should not be the same as it is with one’s wife. Maintaining proper relations with different sorts of people is part of propriety. Human beings must not go beyond the limits of psychic propriety. If balance is maintained and propriety is properly measured, then the world will be an abode of pramá [dynamic adjustment] – heaven will be established on the earth.

Apexed Psychology

When the movement of the human mind is not in many lateral directions – north, south, east and west – but towards the Supreme Entity, then the mind becomes apexed, pinnacled. This pointed mind either merges in the Macrocosm, or gives up its individual existence in the Supreme Cognitive Faculty.

In the time of Shiva yogis and bio-psychologists preferred cold climates. In those days they did all kinds of parapsychological research. Even now yogis run to the Himalayas for this purpose. Ananda Marga sádhaná is a bio-psychological practice.

If, in a particular life, one performs sádhaná but does not attain salvation, one will have to come back again. Under such circumstances one may or may not remember one’s past life – it depends on the pituitary gland. Then, in the latter part of one’s present life, say at the age of forty or later, if one’s mind reaches the pineal gland, one will attain salvation.

Preferably, one should start bio-psycho-spiritual practice as early as possible after the age of five. If that is not possible, one should definitely start sádhaná by the age of thirteen after the sex glands develop and the sense of responsibility and dutifulness arises in the mind.

The pituitary plexus is very important in spiritual progress, especially the left side [from the viewpoint of the sádhaka]. If the left side of this plexus is developed and the right side is not, after death one is reborn with a human body and continues practising sádhaná. When a spiritual aspirant strikes the pineal gland, salvation is achieved. If both sides of the pituitary plexus are fully developed, one becomes self-knowing, if not all-knowing. (In Latin “all-knowing” is “omniscient”, and in Sanskrit it is trikáladarshii-sarvajiṋa.)

In the case of Shiva, the pituitary gland is called Shiva’s third eye, but it is actually His omniscience through which He sees the three ages – past, present and future.

If one is unable to attain salvation in a particular life, one gets a human body in the next life and is guided by parapsychology. In the next life one remembers, up to the age of thirteen or fourteen, everything concerned with the past life, but as soon as the testes glands [or ovaries] start to function, one generally forgets the past. This is because as soon as the sex glands start functioning, one develops a special attraction for this earth. If one does not forget the past, one dies, usually at the age of thirteen, fourteen or fifteen, because one will not be able to adjust the past life with the present life. If one forgets the past, one will not die. Those who have attained salvation may or may not remember their past lives according to their own sweet will. This comes within the scope of parapsychology.

So if one does not attain salvation in a particular life, in the next life, after the testes glands [or ovaries] start to function, one will have to become a spiritual aspirant, leaving one’s hearth and home to become successful in spiritual life.

The reason why these people are reborn is to undergo the reactive momenta of their past lives. Some of their reactive momenta remain unquenched. They are reborn just to undergo the pleasure and pain resulting from their previous reactive momenta. In this life a man, in the next life a woman; in this life a boy, in the next life a girl. In the life after that one may become self-knowing, if not all-knowing.

The Grace of the Guru

To make the mind pinnacled, one should do dhyána of the Guru in the Guru cakra. The Guru cakra is slightly below the pineal gland, though the sahasrára cakra and the Guru cakra are virtually the same. So the mind is to be concentrated on the Guru cakra, and all the potentialities of the unconscious mind are also to be concentrated here. The moment one achieves full concentration, one becomes omniscient.

Why do spiritual aspirants concentrate on the Guru cakra and not on the pineal gland for dhyána? Because the Guru cakra is the internal side of the sahasrára cakra.

A spiritual aspirant should not do spiritual practices to become omniscient. Rather, a spiritual aspirant is to perform spiritual practices to satisfy Parama Puruśa in the form of Parama Guru. That is why it has been rightly said: Guru krpáhi kevalam [“The grace of the Guru is everything”].

There is no difference between the pineal and pituitary glands of males and females, but there may be differences in the other glands. This is why those who say that women are not entitled to spiritual salvation are wrong. Men and women are equally entitled to spiritual salvation.

The right wing of the pituitary plexus controls the qualities, attributions and quanta of the leftistic propensities, which are a little more than 400 in number. The left wing of the pituitary plexus controls the qualities, attributions and quanta of the rightistic propensities, which are also a little more than 400 in number. The total is a little less than 850. When both sides of the pituitary plexus are fully developed and fully utilized, one attains apexed intellect.

Leftistic propensities are those which have a degenerating and depraving effect, such as shyness, shamefulness, melancholia and fear. Rightistic propensities are those which pave the way to supra-consciousness. As a result of the normal secretion of hormones of the first sub-gland of the mańipura cakra, the propensities of shyness and shamefulness are created. This creation of shyness is an imposed saḿskára. It only occurs when the environment helps in creating this propensity. The combined effect of the over-secretion of the fifth and of the over-secretion of the sixth sub-glands of the igneous plexus is melancholia. Due to the under-secretion of its ninth and tenth sub-glands, the fear complex is created.

If one commences spiritual practices later in life, and if the left wing of the pituitary plexus is developed, one can remember one’s past life. When the right wing is developed but the left wing is not developed, the entity will not get a human structure with developed nerve cells, but will get the body of a developed animal such as a dog, cow or monkey. In such cases the entity will remember its past life until its sex glands start functioning. When the sex glands start functioning, it forgets its past life; if it cannot forget, it dies. When, in rare cases, a person does not forget his or her past life nor dies, he or she becomes a spiritual genius, a hermit, or a worker of a missionary organization.

Good propensities may be enhanced or diminished by microvita with the help of the Macrocosm. Good propensities may be enhanced with positive microvita and diminished with negative microvita. Bad propensities may be enhanced with negative microvita and diminished with positive microvita.

When the Guru is pleased with the disciples’ efforts, the Guru graces them by encouraging and enhancing their good propensities and by reducing their bad ones by microvita. The good propensities are enhanced by positive microvita and the bad propensities are reduced by positive microvita. Through microvita the Guru does the needful to increase or decrease the secretion of the glands.

If Parama Puruśa is pleased with a boy He applies positive microvita to all his plexi, and as a result the person enjoys bliss. It is remarkable that after a sádhaka has developed to the third phase of sádhaná, he attains salvation within a short period with the help of the Guru.

A human being is just like a machine – or a mechanical doll – in the hands of the Macrocosm. Perform spiritual practices to satisfy Parama Puruśa, the Supreme Cognitive Faculty, and He will do everything. If one gets the guidance of a sadguru at the age of thirteen, fourteen or fifteen, and diverts one’s potentialities towards Parama Puruśa through spiritual practices, one is sure to be successful in life.

Chapter 30	Discourses on Neohumanist Education [a compilation]

Anubhútaviśayásampramośah smrtih [“The re-creation of things already perceived by the mind is called memory”].

The objects or incidents that one recollects are called anubhútaviśayá or things already perceived. When the same objects or incidents are recreated in the mind, they are called smrti or memory. For instance, a person may not always recollect what he or she ate the previous day, but if he or she thinks hard, the items that were eaten will flash in the mind. In our daily life, we are constantly recollecting things perceived in the past.

How does one activate the memory? There are two ways: internal and external. The internal way is to revive the undistorted image of perceived incidents in the nerve cells. Perception in the primary stage is registered in the unit mind through the nerve cells, and the vibrations of those perceptions remain embedded in the nerve cells. The nerve cells in the brain differ according to the different vibrations they carry. Some carry vibrations of knowledge, others the vibrations of action. Microcosms with brains do not have much difficulty in creating ideas at the psychic level carried through inferences because the vibrations in the nerve cells remain undistorted for quite some time. For instance, if someone happens to see a white cow, he or she can easily say after five minutes what the colour of the cow was because the image of the cow imprinted in the nerve cells is still clear and distinct. That is why it is not difficult for the brain to recollect a memory by recreating ideational waves. But if we ask the same person to describe the cow after a few days, he or she will have more difficulty recollecting its colour because by then the impression of the cow in the nerve cells will have become indistinct. At that stage the perceived image is stored in the citta or ectoplasmic mind-stuff and not the brain. Hence the mind will have to labour hard to reformulate the image of the cow from the accumulated saḿskáras or the mental reactive momenta of past actions. The ability to do this depends on one’s psychic power.

If the external factors necessary for the revival of memory remain undisturbed for some time, one can more easily recreate events already perceived. For instance, if one happens to go to the spot where the cow was seen, one suddenly remembers that a white cow was tethered there. But, after a lapse of much time, when the external factors necessary for the re-creation of that image change drastically, it becomes difficult for the brain to remember the details of the event. At this stage, to recollect the image, one has to penetrate the citta of the unit mind. Of course, once an incident is recollected, its impression remains understood for some time before it finally disappears.

Thus the brain is nothing more than a worldly machine for mental recollection. Its various parts assist the mind in various ways. But the permanent abode of memory is the citta. So even though an impression has faded from the nerve cells, the mind can recreate the impression by its own power. When the brain assists in the recollection of any event or fact it is called “cerebral memory”.

The human mind has three stages: crude, subtle and causal. There are also three states in human existence: wakeful, dream and sleep. The crude mind remains active during the wakeful state and the causal mind remains active during sleep. The causal mind is the repository of infinite knowledge. Whatever saḿskáras we recreate in the wakeful and dream states remain stored in the causal mind. When the causal mind sleeps we call it “death”. Kárańamanasi diirghanidrá marańam [“Long sleep in the causal mind is death”].

After death the disembodied mind floats in the vast space with its unexpressed saḿskáras. Later on, with the cooperation of the mutative principle, the disembodied mind finds a suitable physical base. The memory of its past life remains awake for approximately the first five years of its new life. Although the child remains in a new physical environment, mentally it continues to live the joys and sorrows of its previous life. That is why children sometimes laugh and cry in their sleep, and their mothers often think they are talking with God. In colloquial Bengali this is called deola kát́á. In actual fact this laughter and crying is nothing but the reappearance of past memories. To re-experience past events one does not need the cooperation of the old brain. The newly-born mind has not yet had time to build a close relationship with the new brain. The revival of experiences of past lives is what we call “extra-cerebral memory”, and is principally the task of the causal mind. The child’s mind being unacquainted with the outside world and the new-born brain being inexperienced, his or her crude mind does not function much.

The experiences of the crude mind are not reflected in the child’s subtle mind. In the case of a child, since the crude experiences are relatively few, the subtle mind remains tranquil. Thus the waves of the causal mind easily surface in the child’s subtle mind. As a result, the accumulated experiences of the child’s previous life can easily be recollected. As the child’s crude mind is not yet mature enough to work externally, the dream experiences are not expressed in the wakeful state.

This extra-cerebral memory begins to fade after five years. The more one advances in age, the more the new environment leaves its impressions in the child’s mind. The more a child sees new things before its eyes, the more restless it becomes to know each and every object of this world. Hence the child asks a multitude of questions – it seems there is no end to its inquisitiveness. The more it receives the answers to its questions, the more its mind gets acquainted with the mundane world. The experiences of the crude mind then begin, and get reflected in the dream state. As a result, the vibrations of the causal mind cannot come to the surface any more. Hence, the more the child advances in age, the more it forgets its past life.

Sometimes children can remember their past life even after the age of five. In this case the mind of the new body remains free from environmental influences. That is, the waves of the external world are unable to influence the mind. Such people are called játismara or one who remembers one’s past lives. Normally, the extra-cerebral memory of such people remains active up to the age of twelve. If one still remembers one’s past life after that it becomes difficult to survive, because two minds will try to function in one body – the mind of this life and that of the previous one. A single body cannot tolerate the clashes of two minds, hence psycho-physical parallelism is lost leading to eventual death.

Forgetfulness is a providential decree. Usually human beings forget their past lives. Is this forgetfulness a blessing or a curse? It is a blessing because human beings feel burdened by the weight of one life. It would be impossible for them to carry the burden of many lives together.

The human mind is sentimental – full of love, affection, camaraderie, etc. People have a deep attraction to this world; they remain preoccupied throughout their lives with fears and anxieties for the safety of their families. So many problems have to be confronted. The problems of one life alone are enough to make people restless. If they had to face the problems of several lives, they would be unable to lead a natural life. The problems of the past lives, compounded by the strife of the present life, would drive them to the brink of insanity. Secondly, it is difficult for people to be detached from love and attachment for one life. So much effort is required to overcome the bondages of attachment and march towards Parama Puruśa. If the memory of the past lives is revived, the bondage of attachment will tighten its grip, putting a halt to spiritual advancement. One will be caught in the grip of worldly attachment. Thus the decree of merciful providence is, “Let human beings be oblivious of their past lives.”

It is also true that nothing in this universe is lost or destroyed, so the history of a person’s hopes and frustrations [of this life] remains stored in their subconscious mind [subtle mind]. Due to restlessness of the crude and subtle minds, the causal mind cannot give expression to its omniscience. But all knowledge, one’s entire past history and flashes of one’s previous lives, remain stored in sequential order in the causal mind, just like a colourful panorama, one layer representing one life, followed by a gap, followed by another layer representing another life, and so on. That is why the great poet Rabindranath Tagore said, Bhule tháká se to nay bholá [“To remain in oblivion is not to forget completely”].

Human beings, if they so want, may try to relive those experiences in their memories. This endeavour is called sádhaná or spiritual practice. Sádhakas or spiritual aspirants, by dint of sádhaná, suspend their crude mind in the subtle mind, and the subtle mind in the causal mind. They can then clearly visualize that panorama of sequential events in the causal mind. As they have full control over the time factor they can easily transcend the intervening gaps between two lives and establish a link between them. A series of lives slowly and gradually unfold themselves like a moving panorama before their eyes.

Should one strive to see one’s past lives? Through sádhaná human beings attain a certain degree of control over the relative factors. After a long journey of hundreds of years one begins to visualize the saḿskáras of one’s past lives. To visualize other’s saḿskáras is relatively easy for a sádhaka, but to visualize one’s own saḿskáras is very difficult. Behind this also there is the decree of merciful providence. Imagine a person was a sinner in his or her past life, but in this life has got the opportunity to lead a spiritual life, by His Grace. Now, if the person happens to discover his or her past sinful life, he or she will lose all inspiration to continue spiritual sádhaná. The dominant thought in his or her mind will be, “I am a sinner. I have no saḿskára for sádhaná and will be unable to do it.” This sort of negative thought will thwart his or her spiritual progress. One’s past life will pull one back. In the words of Rabindranath Tagore:

Adrśt́ere shudhhálem emani niśt́ur bale
Ke more tániche pashcáte.
Se kahila, “Phire dekh,”
Dekhilám ámi,
Pashcáte tániche more pashcáter ámi.

[I asked the Lord of my life, “Who is pulling me from behind with such irresistible force?” He told me to look back. I did, and found that my own mental reactive momenta were pulling me back.]

The pashcáter ámi [the “me” behind me] of the poem refers to the extra-cerebral memory.

Conversely, if a sádhaka happened to be a great spiritualist in his or her past life, then through the powers of his or her extra-cerebral memory he or she will be further inspired to continue the spiritual life. He or she will think, “In my previous life I was unable to complete my spiritual practice. Now in this life Parama Puruśa has given me the opportunity to attain my cherished goal.” He or she will intensify his or her spiritual practice and advance rapidly towards Parama Puruśa with His sweet attraction. He or she will recite: Sammukhe t́heliche more pashcáter ámi [“My own reactive momenta are pushing me forward”].

Chapter 31	Discourses on Neohumanist Education [a compilation]

You know, human longings are expressed through different lateral directions of so many waves, and of so many aspirations, hopes and longings. Hence the subject of today’s discourse is “Four Dimensions of Micropsychic Longing”. These micropsychic longings are many in number. They are also multifarious, not only in number but also in quality and quantity. But they may be brought within the range of four broad categories.

One category, as you know, is psycho-physical longing for physical pabulum – that is, the longings concerning inborn instinct. Not only human beings, but all living beings are goaded by this primordial nature of longing, that is, psycho-physical longing for physical pabulum. We say it is a natural instinct for each and every object – even in the case of non-living elements we find this type of longing – in the case of both animate and inanimate objects. In each and every physical and psychic structure there remain certain self-controlling faculties. In the case of this inborn instinct, or, say, psycho-physical longing, there are self-controlling faculties also. But these faculties cannot move against the characteristics of the vital force. When these controlling faculties go against the characteristics of the vital force, disintegration and dissociation start both within and without the framework. This is the wont of the individual structure. And in the case of collective structures, regarding these psycho-physical longings, if it is seen that the collective body of a particular nature of living being or expression does not like it, then the controlling faculty creates a sort of change and metamorphosis in the physical structure, and as a result the nature of the longings also changes. That is, in the case of the individual structure it is to be goaded by the controlling faculty only up to a certain range or certain stratum. Otherwise the structure will start disintegration or dissociation both within and without. And in a collective body, the collective controlling faculty may create a sort of change in the physical structures if such a change is supported by Macrocosmic conation, otherwise not.

The second category is psycho-physical longing, in this case also for physical pabulum. But this longing is not of inborn nature. These longings are created after the development of so many plexi and change in the nature and structure of so many hormones secreted from those newly-created or newly-developed plexi. The difference between the first category and the second is that the first one is inborn and the second one is not inborn, it is created later on.

Now you see, both the pabula are of physical nature, are physical pabula. But in the second case the controlling faculty, the inherent controlling faculty, can move a bit forward, but when this movement goes ultra vires to the fundamental principles of the physical structure, the structure cannot remain as before; that is, it starts decomposition. It cannot maintain its integration or structural solidarity. In this case, one’s physical structure may be saved if one applies or rather ascribes the Macrocosmic grandeur to physical pabulum. There is no other way. But in the case of the collective body, or the collective structure, there may be change, and that change may not go against the characteristics of the physical structure if there remains a constant endeavour for such a change, rather for such a metamorphosis. This is the second longing, and both the pabula are of physical nature.

The third category is psychic longing for psychic pabulum. That is, this occurs when one wants that one’s psychic emanations should be from crude to subtle and cover all spheres of existence and non-existence. In this case an aspirant may move forward till the psychic body maintains a close cooperation or parallelism with the physical waves or the physical existence. But otherwise the mind may get dissociated from the physical structure; for which a psychic diversion, a properly-measured diversion, is necessary or rather indispensable. And that diversion should always maintain proper equipoise and proper equilibrium with the fundamental principles of pramá [dynamic adjustment], otherwise the physical structure will be lost and at the same time the psychic structure will also be lost. Human beings who do not follow the propriety of psychology may undergo, rather may face, such a future. In our collective body, as a result of this type of endeavour – constant endeavour – constant longing for all-round expression of micropsychic potentialities will create a sort of balanced world, an earth of pramá, an earth well-balanced by pramá; and it will create, it will assure, a bright future not only for all humanity, but for the entire animate and inanimate world.

The fourth category is, we may say, to encourage apexed psychology or pinnacled psychology. Here the mental faculties along with the controlling faculties will move upwards and finally get pointed, and that point is lost in the Supra-Cognitive Entity. This is the goal of all living beings. In the course of this endeavour, there comes hardly any obstacle from within, but there may come hindrances and obstacles from without in the shape of ideological clashes. The sources of such clashes are the degrading and degenerating forces working in the realm of the manifested Cosmos. In the case of the collective body, if such a practice is encouraged, the entire physical structure of the universe will slowly be metamorphosed into the psychic world and the psychic world will be metamorphosed into spirituality. That is, it will help the saiṋcara [extroversial] and pratisaiṋcara [introversial] movement of the Macropsychic conation. It will help the movement of Macropsychic conation, and human beings living on this earth will enjoy the bliss of heaven on this earth of dust. You should know this, and you should propagate this supreme psychic future of humanity in a better way, in a nice way.

Chapter 32	Discourses on Neohumanist Education [a compilation]

You know, in this universe nothing is fixed, nothing is stationary. Everything is on the move, everything has to move. Cessation of movement means death. We know that in a stagnant pond nothing but weeds grow. When weeds grow, the growth of important plants becomes retarded or impeded. That is why we must not give encouragement to stagnancy or immobility of any sort, under any circumstances.

The most essential factor of the human mind is its movement. The Cosmic Mind also is in constant movement. Now, movement can be of two types: extro-internal and intro-external. There should be a perfect balance between these two types of psychic movement. As long as the balance between the two types is maintained, one’s mind is established in equilibrium and equipoise; the mind in this state of balance is recognized as the greatest treasure of human society.

The movement of the human mind arises first in the physical sphere and then shifts towards the psychic sphere. In the second stage the mind moves in the purely psychic sphere. Then, thirdly, the movement is in the psycho-spiritual sphere. And fourthly the movement is in the purely spiritual sphere. When the mind moves, starting from the physical sphere right up to the spiritual sphere, one will have to maintain a balance between extro-internal and intro-external movements of mind. That is why Lord Sadáshiva said: Caturtho samatábhávo [“The fourth requirement for success is equanimity of mind”].⁽¹⁾ In order to attain success in life, especially in spiritual life, the fourth indispensable factor is balance of mind, samatábhávo. In other words, one must maintain the state of psychic equilibrium. In its absence, no progress in any sphere is possible, not even in the spiritual sphere.

As far as you are concerned, you must never encourage any superiority complex, inferiority complex, fear complex, defeatist complex, etc. You are the very children of Parama Puruśa. Hence you are not inferior to anyone. You must not encourage any inferiority complex, for you are the members of the highest and noblest family. I have told you that your Father is the most revered Entity of the universe. Likewise you should not encourage any superiority complex, for this entire universe is the creation of the Supreme Father. No one in this universe is inferior to you. All the created beings of this universe inherit a common patrimony. Therefore it would not be proper for anyone to encourage a superiority complex.

In the same way, you must not give indulgence to any fear complex. Why should you be afraid of anyone? When the Supreme Entity, the Supreme Father Himself, is your constant companion, then why should you fear anyone? You must not be afraid of anyone – neither any human being, nor any theory, nor any doctrine, nor any dogma.

Perhaps you know what “dogma” means. “Dogma” means an idea around which some line is drawn, beyond which it is prohibited to go. “You will have to accept this doctrine, you cannot go beyond it.” This sort of restrictive idea is called a dogma. You should never be afraid of any dogma of this sort. You should also see that no sort of fear complex ever grips your mind. Remember, you are not alone in this world. Not only on this planet; nowhere are you alone. This entire universe is pervaded by Parama Puruśa. We are always sitting on His very lap, we are always sleeping on His lap. Then why should we be afraid of anyone?

Next comes the defeatist complex, or complex of hopelessness. This sort of complex should never be encouraged either. Your path of movement towards Parama Puruśa is always unbarred. So why should you submit to any defeatist complex or complex of hopelessness? The path of your journey towards the Supreme Entity is wide open. Hence, there is no question of defeat for you. So how can the idea of defeat arise?

Now, where lies the greatest fulfilment of human existence? Human existence is an ideological flow. The starting-point of this flow is the supreme positivity, and after passing through the supreme negativity, you will again return to the supreme positivity. In other words, you move forward in your evolution from the stage of crude animality towards subtler humanity. Your final destination is extremely glorious, crowned with supreme effulgence. So where is the scope for you to be afraid of defeat of any sort?

Nothing in this universe is insignificant, and every expression of this universe carries significance. You boys and you girls, every one of you is a VIP – a very important person.

Footnotes

(1) Phaliśyatiiti vishvásah siddherprathama lakśańam;
Dvitiiyaḿ shraddhayá yuktaḿ trtiiyaḿ gurupújanam.
Caturtho samatábhávo paiṋcamendriyanigrahah;
Śaśt́haiṋca pramitáháro saptamaḿ naeva vidyate.
–Shiva Saḿhitá

(There are seven requirements for success in any mission. The first is firm determination: “I must succeed.” The second is reverence. The third is guru pújá, or constant remembrance of one’s spiritual master. The fourth is equanimity of mind. The fifth is control of the senses. The sixth is a balanced diet. The seventh – There is no seventh requirement.)

–Eds.

Chapter 33	Discourses on Neohumanist Education [a compilation]

The subject of today’s discourse is “The Liberation of Intellect”. Every living being, every entity, wants liberation. Unless and until an entity attains liberation, whether in the crude physical sphere or in the subtle sphere, its natural development does not take place. Unless its natural development takes place we cannot obtain detailed knowledge about that entity, and for that reason we cannot achieve maximum utilization of that object.

One of the valuable treasures of human beings is their intellect. Of course, you may say that intuition is more valuable than intellect. It is true, indeed. But the fact is, that intuition is generally a substance of the spiritual world, whereas the domain of intellect is both the crude world and the subtle world. In the spiritual world also, the inspiration from intellect is a very important factor. That is why we cannot ignore the contribution of intellect. If we ignore intellect, we will have to deny the difference between human and non-human beings in the mundane world.

What is intellect? In the process of evolution, when the ahaḿtattva (ego), the subtler form of the citta (elementary mind), has a greater area than that of the citta, then the enlarged area of ahaḿtattva is called buddhi [intellect].

Bodhi [intuition] is different. When the existential “I” feeling, or mahattattva, becomes larger in area than the ahaḿtattva, then the enlarged area of existential “I” feeling is called bodhi (intuition). This intuition establishes the link between the crude world and the subtle world. And as a result of a closer link being established between the subtle and spiritual worlds and as a result of its closer acquaintance with the sweetness of the spiritual world, this intuition guides human beings along the path of spirituality. And for those who have both intellect and intuition, intuition being more colourful and more sweet, intellect becomes somewhat dimmed or lustreless. This is why some people are of the opinion that people of the spiritual world are less intelligent; but the fact is different. It is not that spiritual people are less intelligent, but that to them the intellect, as compared to the intuition, is less colourful. That is why they do not make full utilization of their intellect. They remain always preoccupied with intuition.

The subject of today’s discourse is “The Liberation of Intellect”. Intuition is an inborn faculty of human beings. Thus no effort is necessary for the liberation of intuition. The liberation of intuition comes automatically, without making any effort. But with intellect it is different. Different kinds of blow start coming from all sides on the human intellect, on the natural intellect of human beings. And due to these constant blows, the spontaneous development of intellect becomes thwarted, and consequently it starts degenerating. Human beings have got to be saved, in various ways, from this degeneration of the human spirit. If we do not protect the human intellect from undesirable onslaughts from various directions, then the future of the human race is surely enveloped in cimmerian darkness. To save the human race from that cimmerian darkness is the bounden duty of every individual.

Now a question arises: what is the real nature of intellect? When individual beings develop some kind of “I” feeling after coming in contact with matter, then that initial stage of undeveloped mind is termed the citta. And when there arises a subtler “I” feeling in the citta which does something more than merely establish a link with matter, that is, which acquires the capacity to direct matter according to its own desire, it is termed buddhi [intellect]. So this is the special nature of intellect.

The people of today are utilizing the quinquelemental universe in a better way than did the ancient human beings. With their intellect, people have made hundreds of scientific discoveries; with their intellect, people have learnt much from the practical world. In the future also, they will learn much more and they will do much more with their intellect. But if the spontaneous growth of intellect is stifled, as is happening in certain countries of the world, the individual and collective welfare of humanity will become impossible. In this world there were some people in the past, there are some even today, and there will be some in the future also, who do not want the human race to attain intellectual progress.

Why does this happen? I have already said that the task of intellect is to properly utilize all the properties of the universe, of the expressed world. But there are some selfish people in the world who are not in favour of the maximum utilization of mundane wealth, because they fear the control of the developed intellect over the material forces; and selfish people do not like that. They do not want anyone except themselves or a handful of their own group to attain any progress. Rather they would be happy to see that the individual and collective progress of others gets jeopardized.

Human beings are a kind of living being. Just as they have certain especial physical characteristics, just as they have certain especial psychic characteristics, so they have certain especial arrangements regarding food. Now, if the especial subtle and refined propensities of human beings are developed properly, they will be gradually elevated to the status of divinity.

Simultaneous with the development of especial human characteristics, there emerge certain especial racial characteristics in certain countries at certain times. Self-seeking people do not want the collective intellect of the human race to be utilized for the welfare of the entire human race; rather they, in the name of humanity, want to perpetuate divisive tendencies in society, because if they succeed in creating a rift in human society, that will pave the way for their personal benefit or self-aggrandizement. Thus they concoct various so-called scriptures and formulate all kinds of logic. They maintain to humanity that the different races in this world are not equal. Thus instead of considering the interests of the entire human society, they give preference to the interests of a particular community. This loud-mouthed propaganda in favour of a particular community, this parading of irrational logic, this sort of fallacious argument, all combine to stifle the spontaneous growth of human intellect. This sort of mentality is called dogma. A person who wants to promote others’ welfare, a person who wants to serve the entire humanity, must keep away from dogma. In addition to that, he or she will have to staunchly resist dogma. It is not enough to keep away from something which is considered a veritable sin, it is not enough to lodge only verbal protest against sin – one will have to wage an uncompromising fight against it. This is the greatest criterion of a truly righteous person.

The same thing applies to economic life also. All the five fundamental factors of this world, including monetary wealth, are all created by Parama Puruśa for the benefit of the entire human race. To remain under the same shelter of Parama Puruśa, to live and grow in proper rhythm, and to make one’s existence successful in all respects, is the birthright of every individual. Of course, there are a few opportunists whose very nature is to exploit their fellow humans. But they will not confess this openly. Rather, by resorting to irrational logic, they say that it is a providential decree for a certain percentage of people to remain neglected forever, that those people are destined to continue their existence of inhuman tortures, and that a handful of people are destined to roll in riches and live in plenty and prosperity. This is also dogma. Those who are intelligent as well as righteous must vehemently protest, and carry on a pactless fight against dogma, because that which throttles the free intellect of human beings is sure to frustrate their intellectual liberation.

A similar thing has happened in the social sphere as well. For instance, some people announced that women are not entitled to spiritual salvation. If women want to attain spiritual emancipation they will have to be reborn as men. What an absurd proposition! All are the progeny of Parama Puruśa; some of them are sons, some are daughters.

Can Parama Puruśa ever decree that only His sons will be entitled to liberation and salvation, and His daughters will not attain it? This is indeed a strange and unnatural proposition; it is sheer villainy. This sort of repulsive logic was injected into human brains by constantly harping on the theme that women have no right to spiritual salvation; and thus the spontaneous intellectual growth of women was impeded. The liberation of their intellect was curbed, and their spiritual progress and social advancement was severely hindered in many countries.

On one side the malevolent forces are keen to establish their professed dogmas, and on the other hand, Parama Puruśa wants the all-round development of human intellect. Hence I call upon you to carry on a ceaseless and pactless fight against dogma. You are sure to be crowned with victory.

Chapter 34	Discourses on Neohumanist Education [a compilation]

SOME HINTS ON EDUCATION

How to impart education has always been a very poignant question. The influence of the environment has a tremendous impact on the human mind. The environment in which one is born and brought up continues to exert a tremendous influence till the last days, till the dying stage, of human life. According to the type of education imparted, one’s psychic environment is built up. The psychic environment is more powerful in human life than the physical environment.

Let me drop a few hints. You apply your intelligence and try to understand. Suppose a man is born in a minority community in a particular country. He is put under severe strain because of the atrocities perpetrated on him. In this case, though the country does have an environmental influence on him, due to psychic pressure he leaves his country and defects to another country. This happens because psychic influence is stronger than the influence of the physical environment.

If we wish to do maximum good to the people, we must find out the proper way, the best way, to impart education. If we can mould our minds in the proper way, then everything is accomplished. As soon as the mind is in the proper shape, the people understand where to seek inspiration from. That is, it is to be sought from Parama Puruśa (Supreme Consciousness).

Education is just remoulding the old structure of the mind and goading it unto the highest state of realization, the exalted status of Supreme Veracity, the highest status of factualities.

We have to keep in view three fundamentals before imparting education. The first is that education must always be based on factuality. There must not be the injection of any dogma or fanaticism or any type of geographical or racial chauvinism in the education system.

The second fundamental is that education must awaken the thirst for knowledge in the students’ minds. The students themselves will create environmental pressure by persistent demands for answers to queries like: What is the answer? Is it correct? The longing, “I wish to know… I wish to understand and assimilate the entire universe” should be created. Such a thirst for knowledge should be created in the minds of students. A learner, in Arabic, is called “tálib-ul-ilm”, meaning “a genuine seeker of knowledge.” So a tremendous thirst for knowledge must be awakened in the students’ minds. They will constantly pry their teachers, their parents and their neighbours with questions like: Why is this so? What is that? Why does that happen? Why does this not happen? etc. They are ready to assimilate the entire universe.

The third fundamental of education is that teachers and students should have a balanced mind, unaffected, unassailed by unimportant entities.

These are the three fundamentals of education. Education is a must not only for human beings, but also for all living beings. For instance, if you train a dog, you can take much work from it. If you train a cow, it will give greater service.

Some people may ask: Why does Ananda Marga run many kindergarten schools and not many high schools, degree colleges and universities? A kindergarten school is something basic and the mission of making human beings is accomplished here. If one has already become a thief or a criminal, in that case university education for such a person is of no avail. One is to be moulded in one’s childhood. If one receives the fundamentals of education in the formative period of one’s life, one will keep oneself alright in the teeth of the greatest trials and tribulations in life. A bamboo, when green, can be shaped or bent in any way you like. Once it ripens, any attempt to reshape it will break it. This is why more stress is to be laid on kindergarten schools. Such schools are the first phase of making human beings.

So, what is the need of education? Proper education enables one to stand against the influence of the physical environment and awaken the psychic urge to attain a higher life, that is, the ideological goal. This gives a person much inspiration. We should do our best to impart proper education not only to the entire humanity, but also to all created beings. We can impart training to all trees, plants and birds, and put them on the path of welfare.

Chapter 35	Discourses on Neohumanist Education [a compilation]

Amongst the different faculties of this globe in the physico-psycho-spiritual realms, mental faculties are of maximum importance. These faculties may be categorized into four main groups or offshoots.

The first mental faculty is that the mind thinks: the mind discovers and invents newer modes of thinking, the mind thinks with concentration, that is, the mind meditates. Regarding this faculty of thinking, if it is done in a methodical way, the result is certainly positive: a negative result is achieved only in certain rare cases. But if it is not done in a methodical way, the general result is negative: only in very rare cases do we get a positive result. So our students, our boys and girls, our ladies and gentlemen should be taught how to think in a methodical style, otherwise there will be wastage of mental potentialities. We do not want such wastage to take place in this age of science.

Regarding thinking with concentration, that is, meditation – it is another, still subtler, science. Meditation should be performed knowing fully well the location of different glands and sub-glands and also the different cells in the human brain. And people should not only know the location of these glands and sub-glands, they should also be acquainted with their respective systems of hormone secretion, otherwise their meditation will not produce any fruit. So for this system of meditation, knowledge of biology is essential. Human beings have yet to invent the way of methodical thinking and methodical meditation based on the location of different concerned cells, glands and sub-glands, and their secretion of the requisite quantity of hormones.

The second mental faculty is that the mind remembers: the mind discovers or invents different systems of remembering or memorizing. While remembering, the mind should know how to associate the object to be remembered with psychic pabula of a similar nature. And human beings should know how to select these associated psychic pabula which have similarity [or] proximity to the object that they want to remember. In the case of memorizing there should be both a physical and a psychic approach, and to some extent a spiritual approach. For the purpose of memorizing, we should avoid the use of different sub-glands producing inimical hormones. The system of memorizing should be associated with the qualities and roots of the different plexi of the human body.

The third faculty which human beings should know is the process of transmutation and diversion of different psychic pabula in a scientific manner. This process of transmutation and diversion may vary from human to human, from one group of human beings to another, from animal to animal, from bird to bird. And for this, there should be a specific training course; and we must start this type of psychic training centre in various important places in the world. Such psychic training centres teaching how to transmute, how to divert different psychic pabula, should be started immediately not only for human beings of different psychic strata but for all living beings. These training centres should be classified into different types, and run separately for different psychological structures for differently developed, developing and underdeveloped living beings. For instance, there should be one type of training academy for developed animals like monkeys, dogs, chimpanzees and orang-utans, another for developing animals, and still another for underdeveloped animals.

Regarding plants and animals, there are different strata; but these plants and animals must all be metazoic structures with clear and distinct “I” feeling, not guided by mere instincts. In various living beings with ordinary protoplasmic structures, there is life and movement, but all their actions are goaded by instinct; there is little or no “I” feeling. The training centres should be only for those metazoic structures whose “I” feeling is clear and distinct. And what should these training centres be for? For the transmutation and diversion of psychic pabula. This may be considered as the third psychic faculty.

The fourth one is: creating more scope for rationality and rationalization on the different planes of existence – physical, psychic and spiritual. If we want to encourage rationality and rationalization on the physical level, we must avoid thought-waves which originate on the physical plane and concern physical objects. On the psychic level, we must avoid various psychic forms, psychic ideas, psychic movements, and also those aspects of telepathy or clairvoyance which originate on the psychic plane.

However, there are certain phenomena which occur on a blended plane, for instance on a blending of the psychic and spiritual planes. On such a blended plane we come across a subtler form of telepathy. On a blended plane of subtler psychic stratum and cruder spiritual stratum, we encounter clairvoyance. Other supra-occult powers such as omniscience exist only in the pure spiritual stratum where there are no fetters of duality, or where the fetters of duality are very slack or slackened. Similar is the case with the transmission of spirit or soul amongst different corporal structures existing at the same time, that is, which are of contemporary nature.

Suppose there are several corporal structures existing at the same time; there may occur transmission of soul amongst them, from one soul to another soul. This transmission of soul amongst contemporary corporal structures can take place only when the spirit is free, or almost free, from all fetters of duality. Such an event takes place only in a supra-psychic structure; that is, only on the spiritual level. But if there is any blending of the unit mind with the spirit, it cannot take place. This is also a hidden treasure of the human mind. But I do not want you to try to acquire these occult powers. You should only desire to be one with the Supreme; there must not be any longing to attain these occult powers – it is bad.

Only the thought-wave which emanates from the spiritual plane will save humanity from the devastating influence of dogma, which separates humans from humans, which creates hindrances in the remoulding of human society into a single existence. This process of rationalization should be developed through the intrinsic human potential of remodeling every aspect of mind. We must do this in the near future. The problem is a peculiar one, but we must solve it, because it has created so many troubles, so many divisions in human society – so many sanguinary battles, so much warfare. This problem may disturb the peace of the entire universe.

So we will have to solve this problem and create a new world in all the three emanations of life – physical, psychic and spiritual. I hope you boys and girls, by your collective effort, will do something concrete in this respect. You are not insignificant beings; you are the glorified expressions of the Supreme Lord. So you will have to do something concrete immediately. The problem brooks no delay.

Chapter 36	Discourses on Neohumanist Education [a compilation]

Consciousness is the supreme subjectivity and all other, mundane, subjectivities or objectivities are mere blendings of the absolute subjectivity. Therefore, the mind is not an absolute entity either but a transformed state of consciousness. For the performance of its actions the mind depends on the motor or sensory organs as its direct agents. Afferent and efferent nerves, in their turn, act as direct agents of these organs. The nerves, which convey the tanmátras from objects to the mind, or activate the object with the force they acquire from the mental structure, and in this way link the mind with the external objectivities, are the indirect agents of the mind.

Whenever the out-going tanmátras carrying mental force get reflected, the objects come within our scope of sensation, perception and conception. When they get refracted, the objects partially come within our scope of sensation, etc. When the tanmátras are neither reflected nor refracted or when there is little reflection or refraction, the objects do not come within the scope of our feeling.

The correctness of perception depends upon a good many factors. The objects transmitting tanmátras must be in healthy condition. The gateways of the organs must be healthy, and also the reflecting tanmátras should be defectless. The afferent and efferent nerves and the citta should be sufficiently strong and active, and the last but not least factor is that the ego (ahaḿtattva) should be ready to receive them. Any defect or slackness of any of the above factors results in incorrect perception and hence in incorrect conception.

For example, in the case of persons suffering from glaucoma, watery fluid is deposited in the optical nerve, which causes a dispersion of light inside. As a result even the white rays transmitted by objects appear to be spectrum-colored.

So far as the efferent nerves are concerned, it is primarily upon the activating capacity of the ego that the process of physical activity depends. One’s personality also depends on the activating (radiating) capacity. The more developed is the radiating power, the more glaring will be one’s personality.

Thus it has been examined that the function of the mind is to act through the organs and nerves and thereby either to receive or radiate the tanmátras. The portion of mind which deals with indriyas is named kámamaya kośa. This kámamaya kośa controls the physical longings of the microcosm.

As regards the Macrocosm the mind is said to be started at that stage where the sense of subjectivity (Mahattattva), the subjectivated “I” (Ahaḿtattva) and the objectivated “I” (citta) are all present. Hence in the stage of citta we get Mahattattva and Ahaḿtattva as well.

In the extroversial saiṋcara process citta gradually crudifies under the influence of static Prakrti, till the crude solid is created. This process of crudification of citta, having a coordination of Mahattattva and Ahaḿtattva, is divided into five stages known as kośas. According to their relative density of crudeness developed through the bondage of the static principle, the five kośas, starting from the initial stage, are hirańmaya kośa, vijiṋánamaya kośa, atimánasa kośa, manomaya kośa and kámamaya kośa. The kámamaya kośa is the crudest stage of citta, where it is metamorphosed into the crudest stuff. With the five manifested fundamental physical factors (it is physical for the microcosm but mental for the Macrocosm) the Macrocosmic Mind displays its will. Macrocosmic control over the five fundamental physical factors means the internal display of the Macrocosmic kámamaya kośa. Nothing is beyond the scope of Cosmic Mind, that is, everything comes within that mental scope; and so the Macrocosmic Entity needs no nervous system or indriyas for controlling these operations and, therefore, the Cosmic Mind at this stage requires no physical structure as the unit mind does.

The manomaya kośa is subtler than the kámamaya kośa and it has the capacity of recollection and contemplation (smarańa and manana). The kámamaya kośa, being the crudest in structure and in the case of the microcosm dealing with the external paiṋcabhútas, is called the “crude mind” or sthúla manah. The manomaya kośa is known as the “subtle mind” or súkśma manah. The remaining three kośas, being still more subtle and also being the rudimental stages of sthúla and súkśma manah, are collectively termed “causal” or “astral” mind. The psychological nomenclature of “conscious”, “sub-conscious” and “unconscious” minds for the crude, subtle and causal minds does not appear to be correct.

From the microcosmic angle of vision the kámamaya kośa of the Macrocosm is expressed through the five rudimental physical factors from which the physical body of the microcosm and other physical objects come into being. The kámamaya kośa of the Cosmic includes, therefore, the annamaya kośa of the unit. Here it may be pointed out that the Macrocosm in its flow of imagination creates actualities for the unit mind, whereas the kámamaya kośa of the unit cannot create physical actualities by its imagination. As already seen, the kámamaya kośa, having the function of dealing with the bhútas, is said to be the crude mind in the case of the microcosm also. The manomaya, performing the function of recollection and contemplation, is known as the subtle mind of the microcosm also. And as in the case of the Macrocosm, the atimánasa, vijiṋánamaya and hirańmaya are the causal portion of the microcosm. But the division of the microcosm into a causal portion is merely a theoretical proposition. There is no separate existence of the unit causal mind from the Cosmic causal mind. In case the crude and subtle portions of the unit mind suspend their work by the process of sádhaná or otherwise, the causal portion of the unit mind will not be able to maintain its separate identity; only the seed of past action will remain just to differentiate the microcosm from the Macrocosm. By a process of correct sádhaná, the sádhaka will feel that there is one causal mind in the universe. There is no causal difference between the microcosm and the Macrocosm. Similarly, by the subtleness of projection, subtle and crude portions of the unit mind can connect themselves with the subtle and crude portions of the Cosmic Mind. The way to achieve this subtleness of projection is the process of yogic sádhaná.

The entire body (here “body” does not mean any crude physical structure) of the Macrocosm can similarly be divided into three parts – crude, subtle, and astral or causal. The physical world being within the psychic scope of the Macrocosm, the Macrocosm cannot have any crude or physical body in the sense the microcosm has, yet because of the inclusion of the five bhútas within its mind, the kámamaya kośa of the Macrocosm is often termed the crude body of Paramátman. The remaining portions of the Macrocosmic kośas are the subtle body, or the súkśma deha, of Paramátman. Ahaḿtattva and Mahattattva of Paramátman are known as Its astral or causal body.

The concept of “causal body” is a philosophic proposition, because philosophy says that the moment Nucleus Puruśottama appeared to have been influenced by His immanent sentient principle, the seed of creation got an expression and His bodies and lokas were created.

Similarly the annamaya kośa of the unit is its crude body (sthúla deha). The kámamaya, the manomaya, atimánasa, vijiṋánamaya and hirańmaya kośas constitute the subtle body of the unit. Above the scope of hirańmaya and till the merger into Puruśottama the unit certainly possesses a body but that body cannot be termed causal. It, being the last phase, is known as sámánya deha.

By its very nature, if the mind is to possess objectivity it must also have a witnessing entity. The witnessing entity is the summum bonum of the mind. Philosophy has given different names to the witnessing entity according to the differences in the nature of the objective mind. But this does not mean that the same Puruśottama is not acting as the witnessing entity at different stages of the mind. It is He who reflects Himself as the witnessing counterpart by functional difference due to the changing mental status. At different stages, different names have been adopted for that singular entity. The Puruśottama witnessing the causal Cosmic mind, subtle Cosmic mind and crude Cosmic mind, has been called Virát́a or Vaeshvánara, Hirańyagarbha and Iishvara, respectively. Similarly, the Puruśottama witnessing the microcosm at the causal, subtle and crude stages is termed Vishva, Taejasa and Prájiṋa respectively.

The Cosmic Entity extends in different lokas wherein the different kośas and the unit minds dwell. The term loka refers only to the Macrocosm and not to the unit. The kámamaya kośa of the Cosmic where material structure has taken form is called bhurloka (“physical world”). The kámamaya kośa of the Cosmic Entity where material structure has just begun taking form but has not actually acquired it is called bhuvarloka or “crude mental world”. The levels of manomaya, atimánasa, vijiṋánamaya and hirańmaya kośa are known as svarloka or “subtle mental world”, maharloka or “supramental world”, janarloka or “subliminal world” and taparloka, respectively. Above that, since the causal body is conceived to be in existence from a philosophic point of view, it is termed Satyaloka.

The above kośas, different stages of mind, witnessing entities and lokas are tabulated below.

MACROCOSM
	Kośa	Mind	Witnessing Entity	Deha (Body)	Loka (World)
Mahattattva			Puruśottama	Causal	Satya
Ahaḿtattva
Citta	Hirańmaya	Causal	Virát́a or Vaeshvánara	Subtle	Tapah
	Vijiṋánamaya				Janah
	Atimánasa				Mahah
	Manomaya	Subtle	Hirańyagarbha		Svah
	Kámamaya	Crude	Iishvara	Crude	Bhuvah
					Bhuh

	Annamaya			Crude
Citta	Kámamaya	Crude	Prájiṋa	Subtle
	Manomaya	Subtle	Taejasa
	Atimánasa	Causal	Vishva
	Vijiṋánamaya
	Hirańmaya
Ahaḿtattva	above Hirańmaya Kośa		Puruśottama	Sámánya Deha
Mahattattva
	Kośa	Mind	Witnessing Entity	Body
MICROCOSM

Chapter 37	Discourses on Neohumanist Education [a compilation]

In this expressed universe whatever happens is within the scope of space, time and person and both human beings and other Jiivas (unit beings) have to take the help of symbolization. Without symbolization expression is not possible. This principle is applicable as much in the world of the five rudimental factors as it is in the psychic world. That is, in this expressed uni verse wherever there is no manifestation, no expression, all activity is within the sphere or in the framework of symbolization. When symbolization is not possible one is apt to say that it is inexplicable. Actually it would be wrong to term it as inexplicable, it would be more correct to say that its symbolization is not possible.

What is this universe? It is nothing but an combination of different kinds of waves. Not only human beings, but every living being has very limited powers. The different organs of perception can catch only waves falling within a very limited range – they are incapable of catching waves that are cruder or subtler. The organs thus function with very limited powers. In other words in this phenomenal universe, whatever powers get expressed the human organs can perceive not even one per cent of them – indeed very much less than that can be grasped by the organs. As a matter of fact not only the majority of the waves get vibrated, but indeed almost all of them, are beyond the capacity of human perception. It has, therefore, been said that the expressed universe is a very small island in the ocean of the unexpressed universe. This universe itself is such a small island, how very much less is the capacity of a human being.

Human beings have very little scope of really knowing what is happening. See what limited powers and scope for functioning human being and other Jiivas work with. Yet, despite their limited intellect, their limited power they are filled with ego. It is not possible for the Jiivas to know fully what this thing or that thing is like, for their power of perception is limited. Many things are happening before your eyes in this quinquelemental world which your eyes cannot even see. What you see and think is very big is only very small, avery small part indeed of the expression of Parama Puruśa. How vast is the expression of the Parama Puruśa when you see vastness in the smallest of His manifestation! From your small experience how can you understand the greatness of Parama Puruśa? You cannot even know how many kinds of matter there are in the air and water all around you.

The kinds of waves which one particular living organism can grasp, another species of living organism may not be able to grasp. What we see or experience is within the scope of human perception. But before an event happens or before the coming of these waves, subtler waves come which human beings cannot grasp but which some cruder living beings of the animal world can, and thus they know in advance that something is going to happen. It is also possible for some human beings to have such knowledge. Actually what is this? It is nothing but the power of perceiving the subtler waves and we call it the science of premonition. This power increases with Sádhaná. The function of the eyes is to be activated by the light waves. The eyes may or may not grasp such waves. You may look in one direction but still may not be able to see a thing which is there. In the same way you will not be able to catch sound waves which do not fall within the range of human hearing. You do not even know how many kinds of sounds are present around you. The same can be said in respect of your powers relating to smell, touch, and taste.

Now understand that your sensory organs come into contact with only a minimal part of the waves, of the vibrations, that are in this phenomenal world. It is only after this that you perceive them and get them assimilated in your mental sphere. After perceiving them, what do you do? You seek to give expression to them. Only a very small fraction of the waves come within the scope of expression and out of these only a part of them could be perceived by you because the sensory organs have limited powers. Then how are you to give them expression? While seeking to give expression you have to take the help of symbolization. If you delay in symbolization, the impression of the experience will remain in the psychic plane only and you will not be able to give it expression. Suppose a good singer is singing – you can catch only a small part of the melody and the sound waves of his or her singing. What you could not catch was beyond your capacity to grasp since your ears were not properly trained. To understand music one has to be trained. What you heard you wanted to express. On trying you find that you could not sing the way you had heard. After hearing for some time you may want to sing in tune but what do you find? You find that you have not been able to do so because you have not been able to symbolize it. Why were you not able to symbolize it completely?

In this expressed universe there are many kinds of sounds which you can hear but you cannot reproduce. What is the reason? Is it not because there has not been proper symbolization? Now consider the different Ragas that exist and how these have been classified. We have divided the musical scale into seven notes. We call it Surasaptaka. The musical scale in the West is the octave. The vibrations on the Surasaptaka have been decided keeping in view the capacity of human hearing may grow and accordingly expression may also increase; that is, the capacity of acoustic symbolization may increase. In that case the present octave will not do and it will have to be changed. It’s scope will have to be increased. If the human race on this earth exists for hundreds of thousands of years, a time will come when it will be necessary for it to change the octave and the present musical scale will no longer continue. Through permutation and combination thousands and thousands of Ragas and Raginis will be created. According to the needs of the age a change in our music will come about. Now see, on touching a hot thing you say, “Oh”. On touching even a hotter object you say “Oh” and symbolize it. But here is a difference between your first “Oh” and the second “Oh”. In the first case your finger got burnt, and in the second cased your whole hand got burnt. Your power of expression, however is very limited. You have to convey your feeling with only a few words like “Oh” or “Uf”.

Suppose you see a beautiful scene. Your eyes cannot grasp all its beauty. You are able to feel only a part of its beauty. If you want to express it through drawing a visual picture, you can bring out only a small percentage of what you have felt or observed mentally. That is to say your creation can never be complete. A feeling of dissatisfaction, insufficiency or incomplete ness will remain in the mind and what you wanted to draw has not been fully expressed.

However great one may be one will never be able to accomplish what one wanted to. There will always be a distance between idea and expression, and those who are geniuses actively seek to lessen it. However neither has the genius been able to lessen the distance, nor has the technician been able to bridge the gap. But this urge to lessen the distance between idea and expression or to remove this distance is symptomatic and it is of basic importance. It is a very congenial urge. The effort will continue but it will never end. The technician will always be reducing that distance but the distance will never be removed. The same thing can be said in regard to form, taste and smell. You may see a shocking, gruesome scene but you are not able to express it fully, and your faculties of expression are always unable to correctly bring out your feelings.

Your symbolization is successful only up to the extent of your imbibing it, but that does not serve the full purpose. In this expressed universe everything is within the scope of relativity. Because of the limitations of symbolization itself relative expression becomes extremely difficult. To express, therefore, that which is infinite and boundless is quite out of the question. Even that which is within the bounds of relativity you are unable to express as its symbolization also becomes impossible. How will you symbolize that which is Absolute? It is just out of the question. Something more will be said about this later on. At present only symbolization which is circumscribed by relativity will be discussed.

Three basic ideas have to be understood about relative symbolization. First, that which gets symbolized is never complete. It has already been explained that between an idea and its expression a gap remains. There is never complete expression, and a feeling of insufficiency, of dissatisfaction, remains. You could not achieve all that you wanted.

Secondly, symbolization is not of the same character. Suppose two individuals are the victims of a similar sorrow. One of them may go mad because of it, and the other may weep for a few minutes and then call for a cup of tea! This is what happens in this world. We see that feelings and ideas never finds identical expression and identical symbolization. This is because of differences in the individual psyches. In some persons there is a greater degree of self-discipline – self-control – and in others less. Some can symbolize more that others. To the extent to which people have greater self-discipline they are better integrated personalities. Those who can symbolize better are really better technicians. Remember that a genius has inborn talents, but who is a technician? Technicians are those who have ordinary qualities, but by dint of application (Sádhaná) and effort they have converted these into outstanding skills. This is the basic difference between a genius and a technician. From a age to age also there is a difference. Ten thousand years ago, for instance, the manner in which people symbolized their feelings of sorrow and happiness was quite different from how they do it today. Suppose two or three hundred years ago you accidentally hurt somebody – what would you have done? You would have caught hold of his hands and expressed your distress, and then tried to render first aid to him. That is how people used to behave two or three hundred years ago, but this is not so today. If anybody gets hurt, often it is sufficient to just utter, “Oh, sorry”. The nature of expression has changed and so has the symbolization. The change came in accordance with the change in times.

In the same way changes are occurring in relation to different countries. In one country, for instance, if somebody shoots another person, people would say how wrong it was and even the assailant would feel ashamed, regret it an try to run away. In some other country it may be that when someone has shot another and is asked why he did so, he will reply, “Why are you speaking against me? The person I shot has died and you feel much sympathy for him, while you have no sympathy for me, although I have lost so many bullets!” See how symbolization has changed with the change in the country. Hence there is change according with time and space. “Come in” is a verbal symbolization can also express shades in sentiment. Similarly the Saḿskrta word “Agachha” is a different symbolization of the same idea. “Come in” can be said in different ways conveying different meanings. Thus, “Come in” can be said in a very polite manner, it can be said in a tone of command, it can also be said in an ordinary way. Symbolization cannot remain static, that is, there are quick changes in it.

Two thousand years ago when people used to live in the mountains, in caves, the way people used to express themselves was not how they express themselves now. Changes have come. Because of such changes there also have been changes in the fields of art, architecture, literature and in fact in all finer human qualities. Such changes will continue to come – this is the nature of expression. If anybody were to insist that art, architecture, literature, etc. have to follow the traditional pattern it can only be said that he or she is living in a fool’s paradise. Human feelings have to be expressed in the form reflecting the prevailing age. So far as relativity is concerned, the same principle operates in the realms of both physical and psychic expression. Mentally also you cannot symbolize everything. Even if you can symbolize it externally through the expression of your eyes, or orally or by the gestures of your hands and feet.

Sometimes you acknowledge that you have understood a thing but cannot explain it. Sugar is sweet, and so is Rasagolla, but you are not able to state the difference. All you can say is that some thing is sweet like sugar, or Rasagolla or mango. You can tell the difference but you cannot express exactly what you experience. You are unable to express your feelings. The case of the spiritual field is similar. You are not able to express that which you experience. You can do it only partially – 99 per cent remains unexpressed. Parama Puruśa, who is an Absolute Entity, cannot be explained in any way. It is simply not possible. One becomes dumb and speech becomes impossible. That is why it has been said that Parama Puruśa, who is an Absolute Entity, cannot be explained in any way. It is simply not possible. One becomes dumb and speech becomes impossible. That is why it has been said that Parama Puruśa has never been defiled by the palate. If you want to describe Him by words, because the mouth is used He will get defiled. But He cannot be defiled because it is not possible to describe Him any way. When because of the depth of the inner feelings, your mental waves seek symbolization but do not succeed, the mind itself ceases working. Such a state is called Samádhi. To explain Parama Puruśa at such a time is even more impossible. It can be said that human beings describe by using words like Parama Puruśa, Bhagaván, etc.

Parama Puruśa is Absolute. Many ideas and feelings that are within the scope of the mind cannot be expressed through the sensory organs. Those things that are not Absolute or are in the sphere of feeling and emotions cannot be expressed or symbolized by the sensory organs. It is too much to suppose that the sensory organs can in any way express Parama Puruśa, as Parama Puruśa is a Supreme Entity as much form the psychic and philosophical points of view as form the view of thoughts and feelings.

It is not possible for mental faculties to symbolize Him. They fail to describe Him. That is why it has been said:

Yato vaco nivartante aprapyamansa saha,
Anandam Brahmano bidvana ma vibheti kutascana

“When you want to say something about Parama Puruśa, what will happen then? Words cannot be uttered because the vocal organ itself fails. The mind fails in symbolizing Him. People can ask, ‘Are not those who call for Parama Puruśa engaged in a subtle endeavour?’”

What is this really? This is a symbolization of language. This may be so, but the word “Parama Puruśa” is not a symbolization through language of Parama Puruśa. What we do through symbolic expression or expressed or expressed symbolization? We only want to say that Parama Puruśa cannot be symbolized, and this idea is what the words “Parama Puruśa” symbolize. It is this idea that is symbolized when we do invocation to Parama Puruśa. It has been said that when someone wants to tell another about Parama Puruśa, at the time of speaking neither is the symbolization of the words possible, nor is the symbolization of what is heard by the listeners possible. That is, for both speaking and listening the symbolization of words is difficult. It is indeed a difficult state and the Guru becomes dumb and the disciple becomes deaf. What can the Guru except become dumb? Because of the limited scope of language, He cannot express Himself. How can Parama Puruśa be symbolized in words? The capacity of the ears is also limited. Even if there is adequate expression in words, will the ears grasp fully? That is why Krishnacharya has said that in such a condition the Guru is dumb and the disciple deaf:

Já teṋi boli te tabi tál
Guru bob se shiiśá kál
Bhańai Káhńu jina raan bi kaesá
Káleṋ bob samvohia jaesá.

What you speak or express is within the scope of relativity and is not of the Absolute. In this condition, how can the Guru who tells about Parama Puruśa speak about Him who is Absolute? Therefore the Guru has to be dumb and his disciple deaf. What will the spiritual aspirants do then? Even if it is not possible they will make an effort. Krishnacharya himself answers what is to be done. He asks how the deaf and the dumb converse amongst themselves? They do so by means of different gestures and vocal sounds which are themselves a kind of symbolization, although subtler symbolization. When they talk they do so by keeping silent and taking recourse to subtler symbolizations. You have to express yourself just as the deaf and the dumb do. What else can be done in such a state of helplessness?

Now you see, there is one more kind of symbolization and this is subtle symbolization. When an idea is imbibed through your sensory organs, after it gets crystallized it finds expression through your motor organs. In a similar way your Saḿskaras or the reactive momenta of your mind act whether they are carried over from your previous lives or have been acquired in the present life, and this we call Prarabdha.

The mental feelings or thoughts, before getting expressed in a symbolized form, really get symbolized in the mental stuff. If these do not find outwards expressions, or if an effort is not made for such an expression, then these latent symbols constitute the Saḿskaras or the reactive momenta. They remain in the mind as symbols. These mental symbols will one day have to be given expression as physical symbols. As long as these physical symbols do not get expressed, you will be carrying the load of those mental symbols from one life to another. This is the reason why people take rebirths until such time when all their mental symbols get converted into physical expressions.

The expressed universe is only a very small fraction of the full symbolization. Of that small fraction your organs can catch a very small portion only and you can grasp much less through the mind. Very much less of what you have grasped mentally can you express through symbolization. In other words, your power of creative expression is extremely limited. By skill of his hands a man may express himself by painting, by the skill of his feet through dancing, and by employing his vocal faculties he may express himself through music. We do not call one who is a good singer a “Shilpi”. Those who use the skill of their hands as painters are “Shilpi”, are “Citra shilpi”.

Everything is ensconced in the unexpressed universe. What your organs can grasp in the mental sphere is only a negligible portion of the unexpressed universe, and that part of this negligible portion that was reconverted in your mind, and is reassimilated or accumulated, is all ensconced in the unexpressed universe or the Cosmic mind. Therefore, everything is dependent upon the Cosmic Mind. Therefore, everything is dependent upon the Cosmic Mind, or what may be described as spiritual flow or cosmic flow.

Why should you, then, be waiting for your symbolization, to get converted into physical symbolization? Though subtle processed you should direct your mental symbolization so that it finds shelter in the spiritual flow. In this way your symbols will be converted into psycho-spiritual waves. What will happen then? In that case it would not be necessary for you to wait for your psychic symbols to get converted into physical symbols. Where the change has been made to the psycho-spiritual plane it has to be converted into the spiritual, and since the Átman, the soul, is beyond the sphere of symbolization, the problem of symbolization ends. It will mean final liberation, Moksa. Human beings have been aspiring for this final liberation since time immemorial and those who have understood it should know that they do not have to wait for it endlessly form one life to another. In this very life convert your psychic symbolization into psycho-spiritual symbolization and become and emancipated being.

Chapter 38	Discourses on Neohumanist Education [a compilation]

Today’s subject is “Dogma and Human Intellect.” What is the human intellect for? A human body has three functions: its crude physical movement and physical progress, its intellectual progress, and its spiritual progress. So far as intellect is concerned, it has two duties: to think and to remember.

What do we mean by “thinking”? What is thinking? The human mind is a collection of ectoplasmic stuff. And whenever we create any figure [in the mind] with the help of that ectoplasmic stuff, we say it is a thought – that we are thinking. To think means, then, to speak internally, and according to what we speak, we create a figure.

Although different inferences have got different implications for the human mind, the more important, rather, the two most important, inferences are visuality and audibility. What we create in the mind, we speak mentally and at the same time we hear mentally. “I’ll go to Delhi.” – when you think like this, you utter this sentence mentally: “I – will – go – to – Delhi.” And you hear mentally the sound “I – will – go – to – Delhi.” And at that time mentally you see the picture of Delhi, either a projection of the actual external Delhi or an imaginary figure of Delhi that you created.

Now, what we think, sometimes we think from the extro-internal projections and sometimes from the memory. When we see an elephant [externally], at that same moment we see it mentally; and when we see it mentally, then we feel that we are actually seeing the elephant. And sometimes without seeing an elephant you can remember an elephant. That is, in your memory you can create an elephant. It is an act of re-creation.

Now, human knowledge or knowing is divided into two portions; that is, the compartmentalized object may be of two types – one direct and the other taken from memory.

It is said that knowledge or the knowing faculty is infinite. Then, if the knowing faculty is infinite, is the human brain or human cranium infinite? No, certainly not. The cranium is something finite, something very little. And the human brain, although it has immense potentialities, is finite. Its qualities are very big, but not infinite.

Human thought-waves and human knowledge may be directed towards two objects. One is the objective psychic stance, and the other is the objecto-subjective spiritual stance. When it is the objective psychic stance, then as a result of that objective movement on the psychic level, what happens? The mind becomes bigger and bigger. And in order to serve the purpose of the mind, both the nerve-cells and the nerve-fibres of the human brain also become stronger and bigger. As a result of this enlargement of the nerve-cells, what will happen? In the future, the human cranium will become bigger, and limbs and other parts of the body will become lean and thin. But it is also a desired future for humanity, because when the mind will be developed, what will happen? Spiritual progress will be easier.

And the other psychic approach is objecto-subjective, or you may say, the subjecto-objective spiritual stance. In that case, you withdraw different mental faculties or propensities and make them pinnacled. And when those mental faculties are apexed, then what do you do? You offer that pinnacled human mind at the altar of the supreme spirituality. This is the spiritual approach.

Now, if anyone says that in human life knowledge has little value or no value, that person will not be cent percent correct. In spiritual progress, if the knowledge, or the course of knowledge, or the avenue of knowledge, is subjective physicality, then in that case the progress may be delayed, but it will not be blocked forever. For intellectuals, spiritual progress is always delayed, and the reason is this – that their intellectual body goes on increasing, but for want of the apexed mentality, the goal remains far away. But when the intellectual body is highly enlarged, it is sure to become one with the Macrocosm. And when this enlarged ectoplasmic structure becomes one with the Cosmic ectoplasmic structure, certainly a person will feel his oneness with the Supreme.

For spiritual aspirants, this type of intellectual progress may be meaningless, may be treated as superfluous; but for the all-round progress of human society, for human society as a whole, this type of intellectual progress cannot be discouraged, must not be discouraged; rather it should be encouraged.

I want that our boys and girls who are intellectually developed, or who want intellectual development, should encourage this intellectual progress of human society, which will finally help human society in all types of progress. I hope you boys and you girls will feel, will realize, the utility of intellectual progress, and start your RU [Renaissance Universal] clubs in all towns and even in all big villages of the world.

Chapter 39	Discourses on Neohumanist Education [a compilation]

This quinquelemental universe is a relative truth, a changing reality, a passing phenomenon – a passing flow of constantly changing events. It rests on the three pillars of the relative factors – time, space and person. Space is always changing. It is composed of countless atoms and molecules. With the change in the movement of atoms and molecules, space also changes. That is why numerous rich and beautiful cities of the past are now buried under the earth. Many splendid palaces and mansions, many churches, temples, mosques and synagogues, and many pyramids have been reduced to rubble. With the constant change in the flow of time, how many major changes have occurred in the universe? Similarly, with the change in time and space, people also change. A small two-year old child becomes a smart and active twenty-five year old youth. And the same energetic youth becomes an infirm, inactive, old person in due course. Thus, nothing in this universe is permanent. Many gigantic animals in the past have become totally extinct from the surface of the earth. Royal pomp and opulence, the pride of power, the vast knowledge of mighty scholars have become things of the past, thrown into the dustbin of history. Many objects emerged in the past, remained on earth for a short time, and then disappeared according to the inexorable law of nature.

The only eternal truth is Parama Puruśa. He is anadi, beginningless, endless, all-pervasive; an entity beyond the scope of time, place and person. He is the only eternal, undecaying, imperishable, immutable entity. He is the Supreme Source from which the inanimate, plant and animal worlds have emerged. He is the starting-point and the culminating point of everything. Hence, wise people should utilize their physical, psychic and spiritual power to realize that Supreme Omni-Telepathic Entity to become one with Him.

While trying to realize that singular entity, the balance between the subjective and the objective worlds is divided into two branches – prápta vákya and ápta vákya. Whatever people learn from the external world – be it from a book of facts or a learned discourse, or any source of knowledge – is “prápta vákya” or “relative knowledge”. It is sometimes correct, sometimes incorrect. When human beings, through psycho-spiritual practice, make their minds as expansive as the Comic Mind, they can receive instructions or directions directly from Him due to His proximity. The knowledge thus acquired is called “ápta vákya” or “absolute knowledge”. As people receive the knowledge directly from the Cosmic Mind, that knowledge is true and beneficial for all people in all ages and in all countries. Absolute knowledge is the direct message from God.

There are three sources of relative knowledge – direct perception, inference and authority. Now let us see which source is reliable and to what extent. The empiricists contend that perception is the only real knowledge. How can something which can not be seen, heard, smelled, tasted or touch, they say, be accepted as something real? But the question is: If the indriyas (organs) through which we gather knowledge are defective, how can true knowledge be attained? Similarly, if the object of attainment is defective, how can true knowledge be attained? Similarly, if the object of attainment is defective, or if there are difficulties in the radiation of inferential vibration, knowledge cannot be acquired. That is why in the shadows of the night we wrongly think a piece of rope to be a snake; we fail to see the difference between a chilli and eggplant seeds; on seeing a bushy tamarind tree we mistake it for a ghost and frighten ourselves out of our wits. Thus, with the slightest defect in the knower, knowable and knowledge, real knowledge is not possible.

Can one attain real knowledge through inference? Suppose smoke is rising from a mountain. Many people may think at first that the mountain is on fire, but on examining the spot they will discover that the smoke had come from a nearby village where the inhabitants were cooking and the smoke had simply accumulated near the mountain. Inference in this case proves false. If some persons look towards the desert during a hot day they will see a vast lake shimmering in the distance. But in reality it is only a mirage. Thousands of people may see the mirage and swear that it is a lake. So inference is also an unreliable source of knowledge.

The third source of knowledge, ágama or authoritative documents, can provide real knowledge to human beings. However, if it is not based on spiritual realization, if it is a mere interpolation arising out of the fertile brain of an opportunist Vipra or intellectual, it can never bring real knowledge to people, but will sow seeds of disharmony and dissension in the human society. For instance, the scripture of a certain community states that the earth is fixed and the sun in moving around it. This assertion is of course absolutely wrong scientifically. If an erudite scientist points out this mistake, the orthodox followers of the scriptures will brand him or her an atheist. The scriptures of other communities proclaim that only the followers of their religion are the favourite children of God and others are damned heathens. To kill them is not at all a sin, rather one will attain a permanent place in heaven after their death. Such scriptures are very detrimental to human society.

Thus it is seen that relative knowledge promotes the welfare of human beings in only a few cases, whereas absolute knowledge is always conducive to human welfare.

Generally there are three recognized means to bring about social welfare: 1) the rule of brute force, 2) the rule of reason, and 3) spiritual leadership.

1) The rule of brute force. Sometimes the members of a society are made to follow rules in accordance with the dictatorial decrees of their leaders. But these dictating authorities are far from being benevolent. Rather, they trick the members of society into believing that they are acting for their welfare but their sole concern is to promote narrow self-interest, power and privileges. Their guidance is not at all helpful for the growth of social welfare. For example, the British government ruled India for two hundred years, but how much real progress has there been in India? In most cases, their rule was based on their own self-aggrandizement.

The political leaders of so many countries have led their countries to the brink of war. The political history of Germany, Italy, Spain, Pakistan and China is a clear proof of this truth. Even though thousands of citizens hardly get enough food to fill their bellies, their leaders continue to spend vast amounts of money on arms.

History does provide some examples of benign, enlightened kings such as Ashok the Great and Alfred the Great who did some good for society, but they are few in number. Most were warmongers, such as Genghis Khan. They were so cruel that they stained the green earth under their feet with blood, and caused the sky to resound with the wails and tears of their innocent victims. The rule of a brutal dictator is no rule at all.

2) The rule of reason. What is reason or logic? There are three aspects of logic: váda, jalpa and vitańdá. In the battlefield an efficient general does not start the battle without strengthening his own army first. First he sends out his intelligence unit to find the weak points of the opposing army. Secondly, he stations his army in such a way that his own soldiers can mount a surprise attack on the enemy installations. Thirdly, the moment he gets the advantage he invades the enemy camp and attains complete victory. In exactly the same way a logician strives to detect the loopholes and weaknesses in his adversary’s argument. This part of the debate is called “váda”. In the next stage the logician formulates convincing argument to defeat the logic put forward by his opponent. This part of the debate is called “jalpa”. In the third stage the logician will present very clear views in such a way that his adversary is completely defeated. This part of the debate is called “vitańda”. When one’s mind is perfectly adjusted with these three phrases of logic it is called “yukti” or “reason”.

Reason is relative knowledge. Many people may come to the wrong conclusion along the path of reason because if the first premise is wrong, the conclusion is also bound to be wrong. For in stance, if a person studies old books on geography and argues that Allahabad is the capital of Uttar Pradesh or Cuttack is the capital of Orissa, that would be something ludicrous. Rice is also relative knowledge because we do not get rice directly from God, we get it indirectly. If one resolves this very moment to lead an honest life, that would be absolute knowledge because absolute knowledge comes directly from the Supreme and produces a certain awareness in the human mind.

3) Spiritual leadership.

Shásanát táraye yastu shástra parikiirtiitah.

“That which leads to liberation through discipline is called ‘scripture’.”

Common people usually live their lives according to absolute knowledge and become noble and great. That is why we see people like Kabir and Ramakrishna, who even without formal schooling, were highly regarded by tens of thousands of people. In fact, it is doubtful whether learned scholars could bring about even a small fraction of the spiritual progress these great people brought to society.

The amount of social welfare achieved by the rule of administration is very insignificant. The rule of administration is no rule. It does not provide any inspiration for the desire to work, but rather it injects a fear psychosis in the mind. Such administrators do not command the confidence of the people. Once they are removed from power they lose their social prestige.

But social progress is achieved to some extent through relative knowledge, but here also there is a great possibility of conflict between relative knowledge and absolute knowledge. Relative knowledge often encourages divisive ideas and the propagation of narrow sentiments such as casteism, nationalism, communalism, provincialism, etc., by extolling the greatness of caste, community, creed, colour, etc. It often tends to suppress other castes, communities, creeds, etc., or wants to annihilate them completely. On the other hand, absolute knowledge teaches human beings that the Dharma of all humans is one and the same. The Supreme Entity is the Universal Father. All the human beings of the world are brothers and sisters. All are equal – no one is low, no one is high.

Relative knowledge, by concocting certain false arguments, may prove that God does not exist, that He is a mere figment of human imagination. A weak mind may accept these arguments, but the heart can never do so. Whenever there is a conflict between the brain and the heart, intelligent people should respond to the call of the heart. The books in Ananda Marga philosophy are all absolute knowledge. The proper mark of identity of absolute knowledge is that it must be universal, rational and psychological. Certain instances of absolute knowledge are as follows – the goal of human life is the attainment of Brahma; human beings are the progeny of Parama Puruśa; this universe is created by the macrocosmic conation; matter is the crudified form of the universal mind; by dint of sádhaná or spiritual practices human beings gradually become divine; whoever is born will have to die one day; liberation is the birth right of all living beings; human society is one and indivisible; diversity is the law of nature; no two entities in this universe are uniform.

How far is relative knowledge acceptable to human society? As long as there is no conflict between absolute knowledge and relative knowledge, relative knowledge may be tolerated, but the moment relative knowledge does more harm than good to society, it should not be allowed to work in society, because by taking advantage of relative knowledge opportunists get the scope to exploit the psychological weakness of human beings. For example, the concept of selfless action in the Giita and the theory of the migration of souls have been interpreted in such an unscientific way that the society is greatly harmed. The boot-licking Vipras of the capitalist trick the hungry Shúdras or workers into believing that poverty is a result of their previous misdeeds. Hence they will have to be prepared to wait until their next life before receiving the inexorable decree of fate. This makes a group of people passive fatalists. On the other hand, it paves the way for the ruthless exploitation of the capitalists. Once a reputed professor of Calcutta made a statement which became popular amongst Indian students that the beef-eating race enjoys independent political life. Many enthusiastic students were misguided by that. Today in the communist countries of the world thousands of people are being killed in the name of communism. So the value of relative knowledge should be assessed in the light of universal humanism. If relative knowledge promotes universal humanism, it will be tolerated by the society, but once it goes against the spirit of universal humanism, it will forfeit the right to exist.

Chapter 40	Discourses on Neohumanist Education [a compilation]

What is jiṋána? There are two types of jiṋána: mundane knowledge or Apará-jiṋána and spiritual knowledge or Pará-jiṋána. Mundane knowledge may be defined as the internal projection of the external physicality. And Pará-jiṋána or spiritual knowledge is the internal projection of the internal or cosmic spirituality. This is all jiṋána.

In a discussion about jiṋána we must also say something about “Smrti”⁽¹⁾ or memory.

It has been said “Anubhuta vishayá sampromoshah smrti”. Smrti is the capacity to recreate an image in the mind of something which has already been perceived.

Now what is the meaning of “Anubhava”? In Saḿskrta if the word “Ańu” is written with guttural “ńa” it means “tiny or molecule” and if it is written with dental “na”, it means “following” or “after” – such as “Anugata” which means “follower” – that is, “who is following”. So “Anubhava” (Bhu + Al = Bhava which means “to become” and “Anu” which means following) means “to become the same afterwards”.

Imagine you have just seen an elephant. The feeling in your mind will become “elephant-like”. This is your perception. You have experienced what an elephant is like. After seeing the elephant your mind becomes “elephant-like”. This “becoming” is “Bhava” - from which the word “Anubhava” comes. So by “anubhava” one’s mind becomes the same object which one has earlier seen. The mind may recreate or become that which was once heard. For example, suppose someone is singing the tune based on “Ashá vari” “Rága”. On hearing that rága, your mind will start dancing accordingly and you will feel the tune being sung in your mind.

Similarly imagine you eat some food and say “it’s too spicy”. What happens then? Your mind also become “very spicy”. We often say “I feel bitter about the way he behaved”. Good heavens, how can the mind be bitter? There are many bitter fruits and vegetables which can be eaten as food. But when such food is tasted the mind also becomes bitterish, and only then do you realize that such and such an item is “bitter” – you identify ucche – you identify karala. All these kitchen vegetables taste bitter.

So only observing is not perception or an experience. Any sensible object, when it is perceived in the mind, gets the same feeling as that of the object. In other words the mind becomes similar and identical to that object. Hence once the mind has become an object it can revive that same perception later by applying will-force, this is “Smrti” or memory. “Anubhuto Vishayá sampromoshah smrti”.

Now one whose mental power is weak, whose nerve-cells are feeble, who has little will-power, who cannot make his or her mind singularly pointed or concentrate sharply, has a short memory. He or she is unable to remember what has been seen or though after a lapse of time.

On the other hand some people can remember the pin-drop sound which they heard fifty years ago. They have kept that sound alive in their memory. But there is a difference between this memory and apara-jiṋána. Apará-jiṋána is the internal projection of external physicality – that is, the outside world gets projected in the mind. Now there is a basic difference between this Apará-jiṋána and memory. In memory we have only the feeling of the bitter taste. For example a man has heard the singing of a “Dhrupada” song and he at once perceived and built that Rága and the song of Dhrupada in his mind. This is called perception. But afterwards when he recreated an image of Dhrupada in his mind that became his memory. But that does not mean or prove that he “knew” or “understood” what a Dhrupada song is. Jiṋána is the knowledge or understanding of what Dhrupada actually is. So memory and jiṋána are not one and the same.

Now what is knowledge? This knowledge can be the internal projection of external physicality or the internal projection of internal (cosmic) spirituality. These are the two types of jiṋána. Now this projection can only be had when the sense of the object’s existence is still vividly alive in the mind. In other words when one has the full knowledge about a song, when and how is it sung, etc., that is called jiṋána. Once one has understood it one may recreate that Dhrupada song in the mind anytime at will, one has simply memorized it, it cannot be said that one has the full knowledge about the song Dhrupada.

So the difference between the two is vast, but dialectically speaking there is little difference. Now those who can easily recollect any perception they had in the past may be called “recollector of their memory” or Dhruvásmrti. For example every human should mentally ideate “Japakriya” 24 hours a day. Yet nobody does it, they always forget. This what normally happens. Imagine while cooking one says, “I’ll have to add salt to the curry” but no sooner has one uttered the words, “to add salt” one forgets to do so. So people are always forgetful. But those who have developed a memory capable of retaining information do not forget anything any more. That is, they always mentally remember God. Then what happens in that condition? They get their memory firmly implanted – firmly based in a solid foundation – and they never forget. And that condition of never forgetting anything, is called Dhruvásmrti. And memory then stands firm and sure. Then you have full control over your memory according to your wish. Such people are called Dhruvásmrti – they can always remember God and thus feel a special kind of Ánanda or bliss in their minds. That Ánanda is called Dharmameghánanda. In the sphere of jiṋána when people make their minds singularly pointed – when they reach the pinnacle of intellect then they can, at will, place and establish the mind on any particular point or vindu. What happens then? This outer world – the external physicality, the material existence comes under the purview of their memory. That is, whenever they wish they can recollect or evoke anything in their mind. So in that state of affairs the fun is that the whole world then becomes their special point or vindu for concentration and recollection by becoming one and the same with the singular minded individual. So if that individual wished to know some thing he or she will not need to go through any books and scriptures. By simply closing his or her eyes, he or she will be able to perceive what is written in what particular page of a book and in what library. People will think – “Oh God! What a learned person he or she is. Just see how much he or she has studied.” But actually he or she did not know anything, he or she did not learn anything. He or she only perceived the whole world in his or her mind and has kept the recollection of the universe alive in his or her memory, and he or she started recollecting things such as “this is that” or “that is that”. And the people will be wondering how clever that person is. No credit or bravado is there – the entire physical world. This is only possible when one can make an internal projection of internal spirituality. That is, when one attains God, one becomes omniscient. Brahmavid sarvavid átmavid brahmavid. So how can one acquire true knowledge? If you want to know all – know one. Then only everything will be known to you. People wish to know everything but the human cranium is small, and the brain even smaller. So how much can one know? Also whatever one learns today one forgets tomorrow. Yes, one who was a Mahámohapádháya, a pandit, would no longer be able to remember the “sabdarupa” of “Nara” if after leaving his or her original occupation he or she became engaged in agricultural work. This is the situation that usually happens. So the main thing is “know all – know one”. What is the use of reading and forgetting so many books? If one reads more books one will forget more things and make more mistakes. So what is the use? No permanent benefit is derived from being a book-worm. I encourage the general education – laokika education – so that people can understand the shallowness of laokika knowledge. So it has been said in the scripture.

Átmajiṋánaḿ vidurjiṋánaḿ jiṋánányanyáni yánitu;
Táni jiṋánávabhásáni sárasyanaeva bodhanát.

The word “knowledge” in old Latin is “Keno”. From the old Saḿskrta language the word has become “know” in modern English. Although the letter “k” is not pronounced in “know”, “knowledge”, etc. it is still kept because the root word was “keno”.

Excepting self-realization or Átma-jiṋána – all other knowledge is of no value. Every object has two types of shadow: the umbra and penumbra. Shadows are unsubstantiated knowledge – they are not real jiṋána. They are only the shadows of the things. By observing the shadows you cannot identify or recognize the original object. You cannot distinguish between a Bakul tree or a Lichu tree by observing its shadow. To identify two trees you will have to observe and examine their leaves, and not their shadows. Similarly all mundane knowledge is only a shadow it will not help you recognize the real thing.

Hence the more quickly people understand the real truth the better. And until they realize that real truth they should be content for the time being with apará jiṋána or mundane knowledge.

Footnotes

(1) In the Bengali language it is pronounced as “Srti”. Why is “Smrti” pronounced as “Srti” in Bengali? So “Smrti” ought to be pronounced as “Srti”. There is a rule in Bengali language that when “ma”, “ba”, or “ya” is suffixed to any other consonant then the latter’s pronunciation will be doubled – “ma”, “ba”, “ya” won’t be pronounced. That is if “Ma” is added to the letter “Da”, then it should be pronounced as “Dda” and not “Dma”. For example, “Padma” would be pronounced as “Padda” and not as “Padma”. The system in Bengali pronunciation is like this. So it should be “Srti” and not “Smrti”.

Chapter 41	Discourses on Neohumanist Education [a compilation]

The fundamental difference between Art and Science is that one is movement towards finer sentiments, and the other is a rational expression, with each and every stage having cause and effect.

What is Art? You do so many things. If you do these things in a fine way, in a subtle style, then within that style, they come within the scope of Art, as in the art of saying, and writing languages.

When you are doing something along a rational line or on the basis of logic, and at the same time, you are drawing attention to cause and effect, it is Science.

In this world, everything comes within the scope of causality. Nothing in this world is non-causal. What we can detect by seeing has got some causal factor. You see sugar. What is the cause of sugar? The cause of sugar is sugar cane or sugar beet. Where sugar cane or sugar beet is the cause, sugar is the effect. Then, where sugar cane or sugar beet is the effect, the seed is the cause. So, in all spheres of life, there is a cause.

What is science? Science means, that which is based on rationality and pays proper attention to cause and effect. About 2000 years ago, one philosopher named Maharśi Kańáda said,

Kárańábhávátkáryábhávah

“Where there is no causal factor, there cannot be any effect.”

Spiritual practice comes within the scope of Science. The first scientist who invented this spiritual science was Lord Shiva who was born about 7000 years ago. The name of His spouse was Párvatii. In Old China, Párvatii was known as Tárá. Now, this spiritual science was divided into two portions – two compartments just like two wings of a bird. One portion was known as Nigama, the other portion, Ágama. The questions of Párvatii were known as Nigama, and the replies of Shiva were known as Ágama.

Once Párvatii asked Shiva, “Oh Lord, in different spheres of life, we see there are certain fixed minimum qualifications. Before becoming a doctor, a person must be a medical graduate. That graduation in medical science is the minimum qualification for becoming a physician. In all different walks of life, there are certain minimum qualifications. Now, according to this science of spirituality, what is the minimum qualification? There must be some minimum qualification.”

Shiva said:

[[Átmajiṋ́ánamidaḿ Devi paraḿ mokśaekasádhanam;
Sukrtaermánavo bhútvá jiṋániicenmokśamápnuyát.]]

[Self-knowledge is the greatest means to attain salvation. People are born as human beings due to their past good saḿskáras, but to attain non-qualified liberation they will have to attain self-knowledge.]

In the process of introversion – the introversial march of this created world, everything moves from crude to subtle. What happens? Due to eternal clash and cohesion in the material world, primitive protozoa or protozoic cells develop. And as a result of further clash and cohesion, these protozoic cells get converted into different metazoic structures. And finally, these metazoic structures, maintaining a standard of intellectuality, take the forms of human beings. In other living creatures, other living forms, there is intellectuality, but it lacks intuition. In the case of human beings, there is intellectuality, and there is also intuitional faculty. Human beings have a peculiar nature. Certain portions of their minds are conscious and certain portions are unconscious. And therein lie all the potentialities [[of intuition]]. Lord Shiva said, when one acquires the human form and develops devotion, that is the minimum, final, and only qualification.

Everyone should remember that when there is human body, then that human body by dint of its devotion, is able to attain the Supreme Stance, the Divine Stance. Nobody is inferior or superior to others; it is the birth-right of all humans to attain that non-attributional stance, which is the Supreme Goal, the Supreme Desideratum. There cannot be any distinction of caste, creed, race, or academic qualifications. The man who has acquired immense educational wealth may lag behind if [[there is want]] of devotion, and an illiterate man can attain the Supreme Status or the Supreme position if there is devotion in him. This was the reply of Shiva.

I told you that the old Chinese name of Párvatii was Tárá. Tárá asked Shiva how one is to know that devotion is the only way, and how, when one feels that devotion is the only way, one can devote one’s all possibilities, potentiality, and stamina in developing devotion. When one devotes everything to Parama Puruśa, those devoted propensities of the human mind make a man a devotee, and his faculties are then known as devotion. The collective name of these propensities [[goaded]] unto the Parama Puruśa [[is]] devotion because they are devoted to Him.

Shiva said,

[[Átmajiṋánamidaḿ Devi paraḿ mokśaekasádhanam
Sukrtaermánavo bhútvá jiṋániicenmokśamápnuyát.]]

Now, what is Átmajiṋánam? Then He answered Párvatii’s question. Shiva said,

Átmajiṋánaḿ vidurjiṋánaḿ jiṋánányanyáni yánitu;
Táni jiṋánávabhásáni sárasyanaeva bodhanát.

I am using Saḿskrta slokas and not Páli because Páli may not be intelligible to you. Saḿskrta is better understood. That is why I am using Saḿskrta slokas.

When a man knows something, what is the actional side of knowing? The science of knowing is but the internal projection of external vibration; introversial projection of external feeling, external vibration, is known as knowledge. In philosophical language, you may say that knowledge means subjectivization of objectivities. A certain portion of your mind is the knower, and a certain portion of your mind is metamorphosed into the known when you are knowing something external.

But when you are to know yourself, i.e. in Self-realization, what are you to do? Your knower portion is the subjective mind who is seeing the elephant, who is seeing the cow, but it is not seeing itself. It is seeing so many things, but it is not seeing itself. So what is Átmajiṋánam, what is self-realization? Self-realization is when one sees one’s subjective entity with the vibrative faculty of one’s Spirit, of one’s Consciousness.

So Shiva says that the actual knowledge is knowing one’s Self, knowing the subjective portion. There are certain defective philosophies which think that the material world is everything. When matter becomes everything, then matter becomes the goal of life. And consequently human existence, human consciousness, subjective portion of the human mind, everything will become like earth and stone. That’s why such a philosophy is detrimental to human development. Reverend 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 – [[not only]] anti-human, it is most detrimental to the human existence and human development. You should never forget this.

Now, Shiva says that this self-realization, when the subjective portion of the mind is metamorphosed into Consciousness, is the proper knowledge. Other knowledge is of no avail.

Átmajiṋánaḿ vidurjiṋánam [[jiṋánányanyáni yánitu;
Táni jiṋánávabhásáni . . .]]

You, students of science, know that in a shadow, there are two portions – the umbra portion, and the penumbra portion. Here Lord Shiva says that neither the umbra nor the penumbra are the actual jiṋánam. He says, all objective knowledge, where knowing means subjectivization of objectivity, is actually not knowledge. There lies the umbra and penumbra of shadows. By seeing the umbra and penumbra, you cannot have a proper idea of the actual thing. There is a lichee tree, there is a guava tree. By seeing the shadows, you can’t understand which is the shadow of the Lichee tree and which is the shadow of the Guava tree. You have to see the original tree. This was the reply given by Lord Shiva who started this spiritual science.

The question asked by Párvatii was, “Oh Lord, there are so many people who say, ‘This is a holy place, that place is an unholy place.’ They go on moving throughout the world in search of so many Tiirthas, places of pilgrimage. What should be the correct approach?”

Shiva said,

Idaḿ Tiirthaḿidaḿ Tiirthaḿ Bhramanti Támasájanáh
Átmatiirthaḿ na Jánanti kat́haḿ Mokśo Varánáne.

“Oh my Lord, so many people are moving throughout the world, they do not know that the highest Tiirtha (Tiirtha means place of pilgrimage) lies [[coverted]] within their very existence. One needn’t go elsewhere in search of Tiirtha”.

Just now, I have told you that, in the case of physical knowledge, external or extroversial knowledge, the process of knowledge means subjectivization of external desideratum. But in the case of true knowledge, as explained by Lord Shiva, what happens? The very subjective mind is metamorphosed into Consciousness, Átma, the supreme knowing entity. So when the final goal, the Supreme Desideratum is metamorphosed into the Supreme knowing Entity, the Supreme “I” that is the best Tiirtha, rather, the only Tiirtha, that lies [[coverted]] within your “I” feeling.

Each and every man has the feeling that “I exist”. This feeling of “I exist” is the final form of the expressed world. Behind that final form of the expressed world, there lies [[coverted]] the Supreme Consciousness, the Átmá. So, átmá is the best tiirtha. Átmá is the Supreme Tiirtha. Rather Átmá is the only tiirtha.

You are all spiritual aspirants. You should remember that your movement is not from subtle to crude, but from crude to subtle. [[But]] you must not neglect this crude world, because your existence is being nourished by this crude world. That is why you should pay your proper respect to the crude world also. That is why I say, ours is a subjective approach through objective adjustment. [[You should remember this fact.]]

Chapter 42	Discourses on Neohumanist Education [a compilation]

Now a question arises: Is ordinary knowledge confined to the material level or to the abstract level, or is it partly material and partly abstract? At the same time yet another question may arise: If this ordinary knowledge is partly material and partly abstract, is there any extraordinary (superconscious) knowledge which is totally unrelated to the material body and exclusively associated with the abstract level? We shall try to answer these questions, one after the other.

The way in which one withdraws oneself from all worldly factors determines how the action of knowing takes place.

Yacchedváuṋmanasii prájiṋastadyacchejjiṋána átmani;
Jiṋánamátmani mahati niyacchettadyacchecchánta átmani.

[Wise persons first merge their indriyas into their citta, then their citta into aham, then aham into mahat, then mahat into jiivátmá, and finally their jiivátmá into Supreme Consciousness.]

A particular kind of vibration, be it of sound, touch, form, taste or smell, emitted from any material object, is carried to one of the indriyas or gateways of the organs. Suppose you have eaten tamarind, or some plums, or even a certain variety of pumpkin. All three are sour. Different parts of the tongue are sensitive to different types of taste. You feel that all three are sour, but the degree of sourness is not the same in all cases; there is a perceptible difference.

When you eat something sour, a vibration is created in the portion of the tongue which experiences taste. That vibration is then carried through the nervous system to the brain, where it leaves a kind of impression. Up to this point, the whole process is related to the material level, but in a very subtle way. The impression in the brain corresponds to a particular degree of sourness. You ate plums, tamarind and pumpkin and experienced three different types of impressions. Different impressions create different vibrations in the mind. The impression of the plum produces a particular kind of vibration, the tamarind another kind, and the pumpkin yet another. Suppose you ate a second plum, and again there was an impression in the brain – again there was a vibration in the mind. And then you remembered that you had experienced a similar vibration when you ate tamarind. The vibrations that were produced then, which are capable of being recreated later, and the impressions that were formulated in the brain, are collectively known as “memory”. After eating the second plum you also have a similar experience, and you remember eating plums, tamarind, pumpkin or hogplums. Now you experience two vibrations, two similar impressions, but yet they are not exactly alike. A distinction is made: the first plum you ate was more sour than the second one. In this way you form an idea about plums, their different varieties and varying degrees of sourness. Sometimes people recreate that vibration in their minds, drawing it from their memory, and enjoy its pleasurable effect. Greedy people recollect the tasty dishes they once relished and derive pleasure from that. Other people delight in feeding others. They offer rasagollás or sweets, and at the time of giving, imagine that their guest is enjoying the same delightful taste, the same sweet vibration from the rasagollás which they once relished when they ate them. A host feels mental satisfaction by imagining that the guest’s mind is full of those pleasing vibrations. The host wants the guest to enjoy more and more of those delightful vibrations, and therefore asks the guest to accept the offer of more rasagollás. So, one enjoys pleasure in two ways: first, by eating the delicious things; and secondly, by recollecting the pleasing vibrations enjoyed in the past while eating those very same delicacies.

The human mind has two contradictory inherent tendencies: one of acquisition, the other of sacrifice. The more one advances along the path of evolution, the more the second tendency, the spirit of sacrifice, becomes prominent. One wishes to share one’s mental pleasure with others. This is a very interesting aspect of human psychology.

Now, there are also gradations amongst sweets; all varieties of sweets are not equally sweet. There are variations in the degree of sweetness which is exactly what people relish most. While eating different sweets, people experience delightful variations from one sweet to another, and they perceive that the vibrations are somewhat similar but not identical. The sweet-maker understands this particular trait of human psychology and invents new varieties of sweets accordingly. The vibrations created in the mind are abstract, and the other vibrations are material.

The action of knowing occurs through the medium of sound, touch, taste, smell and form. Suppose one listens to something, say a sound representing ásoyárii rága. It is imprinted in the mind. Later that person listens to the same sound and is reminded of the similar vibrations previously experienced. Comparing the one rága (musical notes) with the other, one concludes that the latter is indeed ásoyárii rága. He or she may not know anything about music, but the mind already danced to that musical wave. The musical vibrations of the notes reached the ear’s membrane, hit it, passed through the auricular nerves and, on reaching the brain, left their imprint. So far the knowing process is confined to the material level, but when that same vibration creates a ripple in the mind, it comes within the scope of mental vibrations.

There are certain notations, both in instrumental music and in vocal music, which are very rhythmic. When these sounds strike the ear’s membrane they produce similar vibrations; concordant rhythmic vibrations are experienced. You may have noticed that whenever the members of an audience listen to rhythmic notes, whether from vocal or instrumental music, they move their legs. They do this unknowingly. The cause is that the rhythmic vibration produced in the mind strikes the [efferent] nerves. The vibration that made the mind dance is thus transmitted down to the nerves of the legs. Consequently, the mind is unconsciously causing the legs to move. This happens with everyone; some do it consciously, others unconsciously. Those who do it unconsciously stop the movement of their legs the moment they are aware that others are watching them. In the case of excessive joy or enthusiasm, the mind loses its control over the nerves. For example, suppose two football teams are playing a friendly match, and one of them enjoys your special support. Let us imagine that your favourite team is about to score a goal. At that moment of tense excitement, you will also move your legs, unconsciously of course. You may have noticed that sometimes in their dreams football fans cry out, “Goal! Goal!” jerking their legs and kicking those who are sleeping beside them.

By now you should have understood that a major part of the knowing process is material, and only a small part of it is abstract.

Basically, the mind performs two functions: thinking and memorizing. What is the process of memorizing? Suppose you heard a sound: that very sound leaves an imprint on your mind, and vibrates it. Now, if at a later date you can recreate a similar vibration, a replica of the original one, that is your memory.

Anubhútaviśayásampramośah smrtih [“The re-creation of things already perceived by the mind is called memory”].

The exact mental reproduction of what has been previously perceived is called smrti or memory. For instance, you once perceived an elephant by observing a real elephant and seeing its huge body, legs, eyes, ears, nose and trunk. The physical form of the elephant struck the retina of your eyes creating a vibration in your optical fluid, and was ultimately imprinted in your mind as the image of the elephant. Now some time later when you see an animal with the same type of limbs as those of your previously-perceived elephant, you immediately conclude that this animal must also be an elephant. Your conclusion is based on your previous perception. This is memory. When the memory becomes established, unfailing and spontaneous, it is called dhruvásmrti, or constant memory. Dhruvásmrti, or constant memory, is an essential prerequisite for spiritual samádhi or bliss.

Chapter 43	Discourses on Neohumanist Education [a compilation]

For some time we have been discussing the topic “The Faculty of Knowledge.”

A great deal has been said about the objectivated mind. Many things may be created in both the objectivated and subjectivated minds which do not belong to the external world; they are exclusively confined to the internal domain. They are created within the mind, and there they remain as mental objects. They become objectivated in the mind independent of any external influence. Imagine we see an elephant in the external world. When it is created in the mind, that elephant becomes an object of the objectivated mind. The subjective counterpart of the mind visualizes it, and compares it with the elephant which it had previously seen in the external world, until the mind is satisfied that it is indeed the same elephant. We are convinced that the elephant we observed ten days ago and the one we see today are the same in appearance. While comparing the two elephants in our mind we conclude that the elephant which has just now been formed in our objectivated mind is the exact replica of the one formed in our objectivated mind on a previous occasion; thus we conclude that we are visualizing the same elephant.

It may also happen that an elephant is recreated in the mind without its even being visible in the external world. From where is the image created? From an external source, of course. The elephant previously perceived can be recreated in the mind. We use various words for this action – such as “conception”. We can use anubhava for this kind of thing, but in Sanskrit we usually say anubhúti. Anu means “after” and bhúti means “becoming”. If anu is spelt as ańu it means “molecule”. The root verb sr means “to go”, or “to move”, and therefore the meaning of anusarańa is “going after”, or “following”. The place where we walk, along which we move, is called saraka, which many people misspell as saŕaka. Sarańii means a narrow road. When it is broad it is known as saraka. In Sanskrit the prefix upa means “near”. So upasaraka means “that way which is nearly the same size as a road.” Similarly, there are the words nagarii (city), upanagarii (small town), devatá (god), and upadevatá (demigod). The last word, upadevatá, does not exactly mean “god”. We only say it does, through fear. The actual meaning of the word is “ghost” or “spirit”. Similarly we say upakańt́há. Kańt́há means “throat”, and upakańt́há means “a point or place near the throat.” Upasarańii means “lane” which in Persian is called gali. In Bengali the word gali is widely used. Suppose someone is walking along, and you are following him. This may be described as anusarańa.

In the present case, when you see an elephant, its umbra is reflected in your objectivated mind, and you visualize that image. Later, maybe after ten or twenty days or one year, or even after twenty years, you recreate a similar image of the elephant in your mind. This means that you had an anubhava of the elephant. Anu means “afterwards”, and bhava means “becoming”. Anubhútaviśayásampramośah smrtih – “Memory is the reproduction of things already perceived,” the re-creation of the same mental formation that was once created in the objectivated mind. Imagine that you listened to a particular rága. That same rága can be sung in various styles, just as a ráginii can be sung in different styles. The same rága or ráginii may be sung in various styles in different towns and localities. That particular style of music prevalent in a particular place is called a particular gharáńá or school of music.

Suppose you have listened to a particular melody, a rága. When the notes are systematized, they become a rága. Different tunes derived from special rágas are called ráginiis. Because of the differences in rágas and ráginiis, Indian music has been classified into two schools: Hindustani and Karnataka. But this is not our topic of discussion here.

Take the case of kiirtana. Kiirtana was popular in Bengal even before the birth of Mahaprabhu. People in certain areas of Bengal are used to doing kiirtana in a distinct local style. In one style, the first portion of the kiirtana may be pleasing to the ear, and the latter portion somewhat monotonous. In another style, the beginning may be ordinary, the middle excellent, and the end similar to the beginning. In yet another style, the concluding portion may be exceedingly charming; its melody, even after the music is over, continues to ring in the listeners’ ears. What does this ringing signify? That is part of the faculty of knowledge.

In Bengal, there are different schools of kiirtana such as Manoharshahii Gharáńá, Reneti Gharáńá, Garanaháta Gharáńá, and Mandárań Gharáńá. Bengali kiirtana has been classified into four schools. According to some, Manoharshahii Gharáńá belongs to Birbhum; according to others, it belong to Orissa. Haráńhátá is a locality of Calcutta. Reneti is a distortion of “Ranihati”, a developed village of Howrah District. Kiirtana was very popular there. Mandárań refers to the place known as Garhmandárań situated in Arambag Subdivision of Hooghly District. This place is mentioned in Bankim Chandra’s novel, Durgesh Naninii.

Suppose you are listening to someone doing kiirtana according to the Mandárań style. The vibration of that particular kiirtana creates a sympathetic vibration in your ears, and a sensation is produced in your auricular nerves. Those vibrations are carried to the brain where they produce a corresponding vibration, which is also finally reproduced in the mind. You then ask someone: “What is this school of kiirtana?” He or she replies, “This is the Mandárań school”, and you associate that kiirtana with the Mandárań school in your mind. You decide inwardly that whenever this type of vibration is produced, it will be Mandárań Gharáńá. And perhaps some time later, when that very same style of kiirtana is sung, the brain and mind vibrate with that very same vibration, and you say to yourself, “Well, it seems to be Mandárań Gharáńá. Someone told me this when I listened to this style of kiirtana some time ago.” So many things happened in quick succession in such a short span of time that you were not even aware of yourself having analysed and compared things in order to reach such a conclusion.

How does this happen? On the first hearing, the mind becomes transformed into the kiirtana, the mind itself becomes the kiirtana. At the second hearing, the mind again takes the form of the Mandárań Gharáńá style of kiirtana. When your mind can associate the second transformed state with the first, it is called “memory”. If someone asks you to sing a kiirtana in the style of Mandárań Gharáńá you will transform your mind into the Mandárań Gharáńá kiirtana in the same way as before, and accordingly you will sing the kiirtana. Those who are not well-versed in music would not be able, at the time of the second rendering of the Mandárań Gharáńá, to express it themselves because that mode of expression is either unknown to them, or simply beyond their capacity.

A similar thing happens when you taste or smell something. Suppose you have just eaten a mango. Afterwards you will say, “To which variety of mango does this one belong? Lyáḿŕá, Bombay, kiśáńbhog, kapát́bháḿgá or Bhutu Bombay? Ah yes, I’ve tasted mangoes of this variety before. And its name… It’s in my mind but I can’t say now.” And so, you cannot continue the conversation properly. Almost all of us have had this experience before. “I have seen this man before… I have even heard his name… It is in my mind, but unfortunately I’m having trouble finding it and expressing it.” In this situation you would like your mind, your brain, to vibrate so that you can recapture the vibration you originally experienced. You cannot shake your brain with your own hands. It is humanly impossible. While attempting to cause a vibration in your brain, you vigorously shake your head – this is the reason why you do so. I will explain it in more detail at some later time.

When you reconvert your mind into sound, touch, form, taste or smell, it is called smrti or memory. Whenever you smell kanakcánpa, your mind is transformed into that very same smell. And so, when you encounter kanakcánpa for the second time, your mind again takes its form; the smell also returns. You compare the two vibrations and conclude that this is indeed kanakcánpa. This is memory.

Mental creations are those objects evoked by the subjective mind and retained within the objectivated mind.

Suppose you listen to a poem: your mind is transformed into the idea of the poem – the mind flows along with both the idea and the rhythm of the poem. Now, in the second phase, the mind, while flowing along with the idea and the rhythm, will be transformed into that very same idea and rhythm, and it will be easier to hold the poem in the mind. Another example is a student who is reading during the examination period: his eyes are locating the words and becoming the words. Suppose the boy is reading the sentence: “I once met a lame man close to my farm.” If he understands the meaning then the pictures of an old man, a farm, etc., will occur in his mind. So, he is experiencing the second phase. Then again, if that boy reads aloud, he hears the sound with his own ears. The sympathetic vibration reaches the brain through the ears and then through the acoustic nerves. The mind is then converted into that sound once again. It gets converted twice, once through the eyes, and once through the ears. The result will be more effective memorization. So it is better for examination candidates to read aloud so that they can hear the sound of their own reading; but novels and fiction can be read silently.

As I have already mentioned, when anyone says something, the eyes are engaged in seeing, the ears in hearing; and the mind dances in rhythm. In the absence of rhythm it is difficult to memorize. That is why since ancient times, for fifteen thousand years, the common practice has been to bring every valuable branch of knowledge within the scope of rhythm. Human beings do not easily forget rhythm. One may forget the contents of knowledge, but not the rhythm. That is why all Vedic rks were composed in 7 metres: Gáyattrii, Uśńik, Triśt́up, Anuśt́up, Brhati, Jagati and Paunkti. All literary compositions were brought within the gamut of these seven Vedic metres. And different figures of speech, particularly alliteration and punctuation, are all highly important, because they are valuable for the memory. If we say, “He shall be punished,” it is easy to remember for there is assonance of the “s”. “On Saturday, a goldsmith saw a snake near Satyasarai, and on Sunday a shoemaker severely assaulted a saintly person with a shoe.” There is assonance on the sound, or wave, “s”. “I came to Patna junction, and I came to the conclusion that the matriculation examination is a botheration.” There is consonance and assonance of the sound “tion”. Consider the Bengali poem:

Áji utarol uttar báye
Utalá hayeche tat́inii
Sonár álok paŕiyáche jale
Pulaki uchali d́heu chalachale
Lakśa máńik jhalasi áncale
Nece cale yena nat́inii.⁽¹⁾

Such poems are easy to remember for they quickly become imprinted in our memory. The science of figures of speech was invented in the past mainly for this purpose, not only to make the words sweet-sounding, but also to help us grasp them quickly.

Footnotes

(1) This is a poem written by Rabindranath Tagore in rhythmic resonance. –Eds.

Chapter 44	Discourses on Neohumanist Education [a compilation]

The third chamber or factor of knowledge is the subjective mind (the second being the objective mind). But the fundamental entity behind this faculty of knowledge is the Supreme Subject. This entity is the noumenal factor behind each and every action, but it does nothing by itself. Everything takes place because of His presence. His presence is an obligatory prerequisite for everything. It can be compared to the catalyst in a scientific experiment. Though the catalytic agent itself has no direct role, its presence makes the whole process work very smoothly, and thus it is a great help. While preparing makaradhvaja (a special Indian áyurvaedik medicine) gold is added. Gold is not mixed directly with the makaradhvaja, but its presence in the process is essential. Similarly, behind the faculty of knowledge, behind the action of knowing, behind the function of the objective mind and the subjective mind, there is invariably the presence of the Supreme Subjectivity which makes all things work smoothly, and without which nothing can happen. This Entity can neither be called the subjectivated mind, nor the objectivated mind; He is only a presence, a distinguishing presence. He may be likened, as it were, to the head of a family celebrating marriage. He does not do anything specific, he neither cooks, nor distributes the food, nor busies himself in any particular work, and yet he is still the central figure, the supreme guide of the whole celebration, overseeing, supervising and directing everyone and everything everywhere, sitting silently on a chair in one corner of the house. Apparently he is inactive, but it is his commanding presence alone which keeps all the participants in the celebration alert. Those people who are allotted specific duties carry them out properly to the satisfaction of the head of the house. Likewise, the Supreme Entity is also the Supreme Subject.

The subjectivated mind is the witnessing counterpart of the objectivated mind, and may take its object both from the external physical world and the internal psychic world. It may create an object within itself; it can convert its own subject into an object. For example, you see an elephant in the outside world; your objective mind takes its form, and your subjective mind witnesses it. This is one aspect. Later, though there is no elephant in the external world, you may engage a portion of your mind in taking the form of an elephant. You can visualize that imaginary elephant of your mind and argue within yourself: “Well, the trunk is all right but one of the tusks seems to be a little small, I’ll make them the same length.” And so you make the smaller one a little larger. All this is done within the mind.

“The other day Rambabu said so many unpleasant things to me. I should have spoken back, but instead I kept silent, swallowing the insults. In future, if I meet him again, and the same unpleasant thing happens, I’ll give him a piece of my mind.” Here, one becomes as one perceives.

Suppose you went to visit your aunt, and at the time of departure she did not request you to visit her again. In your mind you utter the following words to the mental image of your aunt: “I shall not visit you any more.” If she asks why, I shall say, “Oh no, I shall not go to your place.” These words are said mentally to the aunt of your mental creation. But the real aunt remains far away, completely ignorant of what you are thinking.

Now the question is: can the unit subjective mind ever know or think of the Supreme Subjectivity? In the world of humans we notice that those people participating in a celebration, or in-charges having specific duties, never sit idly looking towards the Supreme, the Supreme Subjectivity. If those to whom special roles have been allotted do not act properly, the Supreme Head will be displeased. He will be all the more displeased if you sit idly, looking towards Him with a vacant expression. Moreover, if you tell Him, flatteringly, “How kind you are, how merciful! How fine you look in your gorgeous apparels and ornaments!” He will say in reply, “What audacity! Stop this silly nonsense.” It is most improper to treat the Supreme Subjectivity in this way.

Now, let us discuss this from the psychological point of view. The subjective mind is the objective mind’s subjective counterpart; that is to say, the objective mind is the “known” and the subjective mind the “knower”. Similarly, in the case of the relationship between the unit subjectivity and the Supreme Subjectivity, the former is the known and the latter the knower. The snake looks at the frog. The snake is the subject, and the frog the object. The frog watches the mosquito. The frog is the subject, the mosquito the object. The mosquito looks at the dew-drop. The mosquito is the subject, the dew-drop the object. But the snake itself is not aware that it is being watched by the peacock; and the peacock is not aware that it is being watched by the fowler. The fowler is the subject, the peacock the object. Nobody looks at the subject. This is the usual practice in the world. Had people chosen to look at the subject, everything would be in proper order.

It has been said earlier that everything takes place within the mental arena of the Supreme Subjectivity. The objective counterpart, too, is within the Cosmic Mind. In other words, all the objectivities of the world together are the object of the Supreme Subjectivity.

A boy is studying. While doing so the thought may pass through his mind that if he does not pass his examination he will have to face much criticism, and he will have to repeat the same class, along with boys younger in age who may then no longer respect him for his seniority as they did in the past. These mental thoughts may help his concentration of mind; that is, such thoughts keep the objective and subjective minds engaged, no doubt, but they create a bifurcation in the mind. One mental flow is engaged in memorizing the subjects being studied, while another mental flow entertains various other thoughts such as: “What will my parents and seniors say if I fail in the examination? The juniors in my locality will cease to respect me, they will say all kinds of unpleasant things…” and so on. Obviously that boy’s mental power has become bifurcated. What should a wise person do in such circumstances? He should think nothing else except: “I will memorize whatever I’m reading now, without bothering about my gains if I succeed or my losses if I fail in the task. I will not allow any portion of my mind to flow in an undesirable direction, and thus I will keep my mind exclusively engrossed in the task of learning.”

In the case of unit beings, what should the subjective mind do when it sees something in the external world? It should see it, and know it perfectly. When you convert a portion of your subjective mind into an object, it can be done perfectly. So, at the time of learning something, you should empty your mind of all other thoughts, giving full importance to what is being learned. Then, in the future, when you attempt to convert your subjective mind into objective mind, you will do it well because, when you received the objectivities of the external world, you were fully concentrated. As a result, you will develop your thinking capacity.

Now, along with thinking comes the question of retention. For example, after reading 200 pages of a book you will surely forget 199 of them. You cannot remember even one complete page, not even one full sentence. You are likely to confuse this word with that. What is the cause? The cause is that you did not pay full attention. Then how can you become more attentive? Usually you acquire academic knowledge by studying with the help of the eyes. To aid the process of memorization, however, you may also use your tongue. That is, while reading loudly, two sense organs are used, the eyes and the tongue, and thus you will derive a double benefit. Moreover, if you read aloud, your ears will also hear those sounds, and thus this method of reading is more beneficial for students. In the case of fiction and plays, however, it is better to read silently. And moreover, there is a special advantage with silent reading: the parents are unaware of what their children are reading.

As I said before, retention is facilitated by reading aloud: one can have great control over the objective mind, the objectivated subjective mind, and all that the objective mind receives as its object from the objective or objectivated subjective world. Often part of the incoming message is lost due to a defective vibration of the nerve cells. This is purely a physical defect of the human body, and to rectify it, one will have to adopt physical means to make the brain function properly; and for this there are certain physical processes. If you are interested in those, I can help you.

Moreover, when psychic vibrations are carried through different nerves – optical, auricular, the nerves of the tongue, etc. – they often need proper adjustment. For example, some people may be able to see things distinctly and read with ease and yet not be able to hear very well. In such a case, the vibrational wave that comes through the ears has trouble adjusting with the optical nerves. A particular man may have a bit of a stammer: he does not pronounce words as distinctly as he sees them with his eyes. There is a maladjustment which can be rectified if a psychic approach is adopted. Here the physical approach would not be appropriate. Physical waves cannot bring a mutual adjustment amongst themselves; for that psychic pressure is required. By exerting this psychic pressure the maladjustment can be rectified. For this there are two approaches: (1) pure psychic approach and (2) psycho-spiritual approach.

[The following section was also printed separately as “Saḿgiita – Excerpt B” in Saḿgiita: Song, Dance and Instrumental Music. This is the Saḿgiita: Song, Dance and Instrumental Music, 1st edition, version.]

What is the pure psychic approach? When you receive an object or an idea through either the ocular or auricular nerves you should bring it into a certain rhythm: your object of vision or ideation should dance rhythmically. Such a rhythmic vibration can rectify the defects in the eyes, ears and tongue. For this very purpose the rágas and rágińiis were created: whatever the mind receives through rhythm and melody brings about this proper adjustment. There is no scope for any deviation this way or that. On this basis, Sadáshiva developed the science of musical notes, svara shástra or svarodaya, or shabda shástra. Due to the strict rules as outlined in svara shástra, there is no room for any deviation at the time of singing. If any deviation is attempted, one will have to break the established rules.

While attempting to go beyond the set rules, kheyál was invented and in adjustment with tál (metre), gazal was composed. Indo-Aryan music is based on a system, a rhythm; there is no room for any mistake, no scope for deviation.

When kiirtana first began to develop, it did not have any hard and fast rules, just as folk songs do not conform to hard and fast rules. [[Kiirtana adopted hard and fast rules later on.]] Just as the different schools (gharáńá) of rága and ráginii evolved out of various rhythmic expressions, similarly, as soon as kiirtana was brought within the framework of fixed rules, it came to be elevated from folk music to classical music.

[end of section that was printed separately as “Saḿgiita – Excerpt B”]

Another aspect of the psychic approach is that when you want to memorize something, you should subdivide the matter into meaningful parts or components. Suppose a boy wants to memorize the spelling of the word “assassination”. He may have some difficulty because the word is lengthy and difficult to remember; there is a good chance of omitting one of the letters. Therefore, the word can be split into four parts: ass-ass-i-nation. Now, as the boy already knows the meaning of all four words, he will easily memorize its spelling. This is another aspect of the pure psychic approach.

Next is the psycho-spiritual approach which strengthens the memory, and makes the intellect omniscient. A good way to stabilize the memory is to meditate on someone you have seen or heard about who possesses a unique photographic memory. This will increase your own memory.

Now the question arises: how can we know the Supreme Subjectivity? If we simply look towards that Subject who remains the witnessing entity and goads us all into action, He will be displeased. He will say: “Go and do some work.” It is enough if we only think that the Subject is watching each action we are doing. By ideating that the Supreme Subjectivity is watching everything, we are thinking of Him as well, and this idea itself becomes objectivated. The Supreme Subject does not become objectivated, but the thought of the Supreme Subjectivity does. Ultimately, the best way to meditate on Parama Puruśa, or remember Him, is to bear in mind that, in actions big or small, significant or insignificant, in wakeful state or in sleep, in dream or in reality, the Supreme Subjectivity is maintaining a constant and close watch on me. Thereby the subjectivity as such does not come within your objectivated mind, but the ideation of the Supreme Subjectivity becomes objectivated. When this ideation becomes clear, stable and permanent, then one fine morning you will see that you have become one with the Supreme Subjectivity. And this is the final stage of the faculty of knowledge.

Chapter 45	Discourses on Neohumanist Education [a compilation]

The noblest form of social service is to educate the public and create a sense of consciousness in them. This sense of consciousness is to be inculcated in each and every human being. This is your duty. The goal of education is to elevate the all-round standard, and especially the intellectual standard. In addition, the elevation of the moral standard is extremely necessary in the sphere of education. This moral standard is deficient today. It is lacking in the present educational system also. You are to create a new social order. Therefore, you should first acquire more and more knowledge in different spheres of life and also you are to upgrade your morality. Along with your intellectual standard, if you have morality, then everybody will respect you. Try to acquire as much knowledge as possible through our own books. Education which leads to the acquisition of knowledge plus morality makes for a peaceful society.