Baraśá eseche niipanikuiṋje
Vetasakuiṋje nácite nácite;
Shikhiirá sakale chande meteche –
Viińára dhvanite mandrita giitite
Chandahárá dhará práń peyeche.

Júthira suvás bháse sajala háoyáy,
Manera parág háse madhura Máyáy;
Chande chande vipulánande
Ádhmará taru sab jege’ ut́heche.

[In the bower of kadamba flowers, the rains have come
Dancing, dancing in the grove of cane.
And all the peacocks have started prancing in rhythm.
In the vibrant songs from the sounding lyres,
The world without rhythm has found new life.
The fragrance of jasmine floats in the wet air.
And the pollen of mind smiles in the sweetest love.
Thrilling in blissful rhythms,
The half-dead trees have all sprung into life.
And all the peacocks have started prancing in rhythm.]

Baraśár dine sabákár sane
Aekatáne egiye calo
Egiye calite náhi cáho jadi
Jhará pátári galpa balo.
(Shuye) jhará pátári galpa balo.

Sabái ájike meteche chande
Kekákalarab shikhiira kańt́he
Salája dharańii neche cale se je
Sabujer sáje man bholálo.

Hásikhushii bhará ei samárohe
Utalá pavan náná dike bahe
Álápe ábeshe gáne ulláse
Sabár jiivan bhariye tolo. ⁽¹⁾

[In these rainy days, together with all Let us move forward in concert If you do not want to move ahead, Then lie down and tell tales of fallen leaves. All are today intoxicated with joyful rhythm With the piercing sound in the throats of peacocks This blushing earth dances along Its verdant beauty enchants the mind. The people are full of gleeful mirth In all directions the restless wind blows With banter and festivity, songs and delight Let us fill the lives of all. Let us move forward together, in concert.]

Humanity is now at the threshold of a new era. We do not want any dogma. The age of dogma is gone. What we want is an idea based on Neohumanism. We are for the entire created world; and not only for human beings or living beings, but for the entire animate and inanimate universe.

Now when you are in a mood of pleasure, just distribute it throughout the universe – let all the hearts of the created universe dance in ecstasy and throb with energy. And this is the gospel of the day: we are for all, we are for the Neohumanistic progress of the entire Cosmos. This is the idea.

Baraśá eseche bharaśá eseche
Cátaker trśá mit́eche

Shuśka trńerá shyámala shobháy
Gálicár rúp dhareche.

Jal paŕiteche jhamájham kare
Amarár sudhá jena jhare paŕe

Háráno mádhurii tarute phireche.
Jiiverá nútan práń peyeche.

(Áji) calo chut́e cali lakśyer páne
Dúranta gáne durdama práńe
Phire cahibár ghume kát́ábár
Sab abasar cale’ geche
(Áj) sab abasar cale’ geche.⁽²⁾

[The rains have come, and hope has returned
The skylark’s thirst is quenched
The once-parched grasses in verdant new beauty
Carpet the earth.
The rains are pattering on the ground,
As if heavenly nectar is dripping down
The lost sweetness has returned to the trees
And all the creatures have found new life.
Let us rush today towards our goal supreme
With full-throated songs, with indomitable spirit.
And now there is no time to look back or sleep.]

In the primordial phase of human creation, say about one million years ago, when human beings [had just evolved on earth], the cranium was small, the brain was small, and the nerve-cells had meagre capacity to think and to emanate thought-waves. The nerve-fibres were also less efficient in [expressing] human ideas. But now human beings are developed creatures. The brain has much increased, the nerve-cells are more developed, and the human brain and human nerve-cells can emanate more thoughts. So under such circumstances we can say, as I just told you, that humanity is now at the threshold of a new era. We must not waste our time. There must be maximum utilization of all human potentialities.

In the first phase of human creation, when humanity, rather, civilization, was just in the form of a new[-born child], humans were almost like other animals. There was little difference amongst apes, proto-apes and humans – ape-men and humans.⁽³⁾ In the realm of physicality, humans were almost like other ape-men – there was no socio-economico-cultural life, and there was hardly any spiritual life.

[The age] moved on. Humanity passed through several transmutations, through several changes, and through many metamorphoses. Human ideas underwent changes as a result of the development of human cells – protoplasmic cells in the realm of physicality, and nerve-cells in the realm of intellectuality. Some people came forward who became the leaders of the society. Hero-worship started – [the worship of heroism] in human structure. And there came the first phase, the rudimental phase, in human socio-economico-cultural life. [And a great acceleration] of spirituality came; human values increased. Cardinal human values underwent a bit of assessment. Human existence came upon a new era. There was hardly any economic life, but there was a wee bit of cultural and social life.

Metamorphosis went on. Age after age came; era after era came; so many small and big epoch-making events took place – the collection of these became the history of prehistoric men. This was the first phase of primitive history. Then finally the reign of intellectuality started. Along with intellectuality there was certainly much intellectual extravaganza. Dogma replaced simplicity: the social life was goaded by dogma in the name of so many faiths and so many creeds and so many cults. Those creeds and faiths and cults had nothing to do with the collective progress of human beings; they did much harm to our collective body, not only in a particular corner of the earth, but in the entire universe. And the main structure of the society, rather, the bulk of the society, moved on goaded by these dogmas, and this movement of dogma was known as the mainstream of life. Those who did not accept this, those who were guided by reasoning and rationality, were treated as unwanted beings.

Now dogma is fast being replaced by rationality and reason. Human beings with their developed brains, developed nerve systems and developed nerve-cells started thinking that we are not to do something for a particular tribe or a particular clan or a particular nationality; we are to do whatever we are to do, whatever we must do, for the entire humanity of the Cosmos.

But even that is not sufficient; even that will not suffice in preserving this human stock. In this mid-portion of the Cenozoic Age, we are to think once more what we are to do. Is humanity the summum bonum of existence? No, no, no, certainly not. The universe does not consist only of humans; other animals, other creatures, other plants, also have the right to live. So our universe is not only the universe of humans but the universe of all – just now I said, for all created beings, for all living beings, and for both the animate and the inanimate universe.

So ours is the age of Neohumanism – humanism supplying elixir to all, one and all. We are for all, and with everything existent we are to build up a new society, a Neohumanistic society. So we must not waste our time. And if we are late in doing our duty, the dark shadow of complete destruction will overpower our existence. We should be conscious of this; we should be cautious of this; we must not waste a single moment of our valuable existence. So what I said just now is that now humanity is at the threshold of a new era. And so many epoch-making events, so many annals of history, are to be created by you boys and you girls. Be ready to shoulder that responsibility of ages to come. You boys and you girls, what do you say? Are you ready for your revised duties and responsibilities?

[Audience: “We are.”]

Very good, very good. “Dogma – No more, no more.” Ours is the age of Neohumanism. Very good. And let there be one more song.

Mánuś sabái ápan –
Eki marme gánthá sabára hiyá, sabákár eki áyojan.

Duhkhe kándi morá, sukhe hási, priyajan priyamukh bhálabási;
Morá kśudhár anna-jal milemishe khái;
Bujhi sabákár táhá prayojan.

Sabái bhálabási ei dharańii, ákásher cánd-tárá,
arańyánii;
Eki chánde náci morá, eki práńe gái –
D́áki Parama Puruśere haye ekman.⁽⁴⁾

[All human beings are our own –
All hearts share the same innermost heart, the needs of all are the same.
We cry in sorrow, we laugh in joy, we love to see the faces of our dear ones;
We share food and drink all together;
We realize that all share the same needs.
We all love our universe, the moon and stars above and the forest below;
We dance to the same rhythm and sing with the same life’s urge –
We link our minds together to call to the Supreme Lord.]

All humanity is a singular entity, it is one and indivisible. (Go on singing.)

The feelings and sentiments of all human beings are the same; and preparation for a nobler life is the same for all. The requirements and necessities of all humanity are the same. So humanity is a singular entity, humanity is one and indivisible. And for this purpose we should always maintain an equilibrium amongst different humans, and there must be one equipoise for the development of all, irrespective of caste, creed, nationality and clan isms.

There must not be any shortage of food or water in this world. Still there are so many places where there can be more production, where there is pure water; so all the requirements, all the potentialities, all food and water should be distributed throughout the world. Nowhere in this world should men die of starvation. We are for all and everything is for all. (Go on singing.)

So many gospels of peace, so many texts and sermons, have been preached. But those who were so-called apostles of peace, preached the gospels of peace, but kept their powder dry. They were not sincere in their mission. We want no more gospels. We want something practical, something practical for the elevation, or for the exaltation, of the entire human race. As a result of the elevation of the human race, all other living beings, all other animate and inanimate objects, will also be elevated. So what is required now is the elevation of human existence, the elevation of human mind and human spirit. We require no dogma – we require more reasoning, more rationality – rationality moving unto the terminus of Parama Puruśa;⁽⁵⁾ the Supreme Desideratum is that Universal Nave.

So many waves of so many feelings have been emanated from the nucleus of this Cosmological Order. Each and every existence has its own peculiar wavelength and peculiar rhythmic order; but when the movement is towards that Supreme Unity, all those heterogeneities will become one. So many colours moving on, moving on, with so many rhythms, with so many wavelengths – but when it comes to the supreme culminating point, all the rhythms will be united – there will be complete unison. And when there will be complete unison, in that Desideratum (as I told you, there cannot be “desiderata” – it always remains in the singular number, it is a singular entity) all waves will also attain singularity, there will not remain any heterogeneity; everything will become homogeneous in the final point of this universal march of ours.

This Neohumanism, only this Neohumanism, can save our universe, can save human existence. So now we are to sing the song of Neohumanism. We should [forget] all our omissional and commissional errors of the past. Forget the past. Be the [vanguard of] a bright future; and the crimson light of that future breaks on the eastern horizon. We should welcome it – we must welcome it. There is no alternative but to welcome it.

Footnotes

(1) Prabháta Saḿgiita is a body of 5018 spiritual and psycho-spiritual songs composed by the author. Songs numbers 116 and 117 were sung before the author and the congregation on this occasion. The author then began to speak, elaborating, as he began, particularly on the last lines of song 117. –Eds.

(2) The author paused and allowed Prabháta Saḿgiita number 118 to be sung, after which he resumed his discourse. –Eds.

(3) A few words here were inaudible on the tape. –Eds.

(4) Prabhát Saḿgiita number 1090, a song of Neohumanism, was then sung. The author punctuated the performance every few lines with further commentary, until both the song and his discourse were finished. The “innermost heart” of line 2 refers to the Cosmic “I”. –Eds.

(5) A few words here were inaudible on the tape. –Eds.