The subject of today’s discourse is “Incantation and Human Progress”. What is incantation? “Incantation” is a Latin term. It means “repeating a particular word”. And that word creates a special type of vibration, and that vibration will have actional effect on the material world. But the Sanskrit term for incantation is mantra. The rudimental meanings of “incantation” and [mantra are not the same]. Mananát tárayet yastu sah mantrah parikiirttitah – “The sanctified word that helps one in attaining salvation [is a mantra].” So they are not the same, but because of the fact that there is no proper Latin term for mantra, I find no alternative but to use the word “incantation” for mantra.

Every living being has to move, every animate and inanimate object has to move. As such, human beings also have to move. In this world, living beings are born to do something, to move forward. No thing and no one is stationary. No one can remain static.

There is no such thing as absolute speed or absolute pause in this universe. Wherever there is the realm of relativity, there must be speed, and that speed is always relative speed. And because this universe is something created, is a created being, there is continuous flow in this universe – a flow of so many waves of so many lengths, of so many vibrations of so many inferences.

Human beings are moving and will continue to move. This movement knows no starting point, and in the realm of physicality and also in the psychic sphere there is no last point either. There is no cessation or gap in this process of movement. (There is no full stop or semi-colon, though there may be commas!)

In the mundane world, people are always moving towards some material goal. If they move without first defining their goals, then their movement will be nothing but a waste of time and energy. There may be movement, but there will be no progress. A bullock tied to an oil mill may trudge along for a hundred miles [in a circle], but not even a step of that distance will signify real progress.

So in the mundane world, people will have to move towards a particular goal. They must keep their eyes fixed on that goal, otherwise their movement will go to waste. Intelligent people do not waste their time, their labour or anything worthwhile. Intelligent people keep their eyes fixed on the goal as they are moving ahead. Only movement towards a fixed goal, in perfect adjustment with the environment to right and left, is movement worthy of the name.

How should one move in the psychic and spiritual realms, on the other hand? There a person should move with eyes closed to the mundane world, as if it does not exist.

When people move in the psychic sphere they should define a mission in their minds, and they should move towards the fulfilment of that mission. As long as one remains in this world, one will have to maintain progress in the mental sphere. Suppose a student is studying. He will have to remember that he has to pass an examination. If he does not think about passing the examination, if he studies only for the sake of study, he will never pass it. To keep a mission before one’s eyes is mandatory. If there is no mission, then psychic endeavour will become meaningless. It will be just a waste of time. As far as human endeavour is concerned, there should be a mission, and one must always remember that mission. (If one wants to remember one’s mission, one can keep written reminders here and there. [This will help to keep it] in mind.)

Kurvanneveha karmańi jijiivisecchataḿ samah;
Evaḿ tvayi nanyathetosti ná karma lipyate nare.⁽¹⁾

Why do you want to live for a hundred years? To do more and more work. You want to live long because you hope to do more and more work in this life – being goaded by this desire, you wish to live a long life. So in the psychic sphere one must always remember that one has a mission in life, and just to materialize that life, for proper practication of that mission, one is to remain in this world; otherwise one must not remain here, one should retire from life as early as possible.

Once I said, “It is good to die working, but still better to work even while dying.” So one should always bear in mind, “I am alive in this world for the fulfilment of my mission. This is the reason I am eating, dressing, sleeping. Apart from this, I have no worth.” And if one ever lives a life without a mission, then in that case, no endeavour in the psychic sphere will bring success. If you do not want to work, if you do not want to serve the world, you will become a burden on the world. It would be better to leave the world than to live as a burden on it. Human life should be enriched with intense activity.

Above the mental sphere there is the spiritual sphere. In the spiritual world, it is not enough to think (as in the psychic sphere) only of one’s mission, because the purpose of a mission is service in the external world. Whatever might be one’s [specific] mission in the objective or expressed world, fundamentally one’s mission is to promote the welfare of the world. But when the movement is internal, that is, when the movement is from mind to spirit, then a mission of no importance, because you are withdrawing your entire existence towards supreme fulfilment. You may be active in your mission to promote the welfare of the world – jagaddhitáya – but that is not enough.

Why do you undertake a mission? Átmamokśarthaḿ jagaddhitáya ca [“For Self-realization and for the welfare of the universe”]. You certainly undertake it in order to promote the welfare of the world. Along with this you have to take up another mission, and that is to bring about your own spiritual salvation. If one does not try for one’s own salvation, if one does not do spiritual practice, one can never serve society. It will be totally impossible. When you take a vow to work for your mission, just remembering that vow will not make it possible for you to win salvation, though through that vow you can serve the world.

So in the spiritual sphere your progress does not depend only on your mission. The very import of human existence is, one is to serve the world, and one is to do one’s sádhaná for one’s all-round salvation. Here you must remember that salvation does not mean salvation in the spiritual stratum only. Humanity must get salvation in all spheres of life, in all strata of life, without any exception. All humanity wants salvation in the social sphere, they want salvation in economic strata, they want salvation in the realm of intellectual liberty, and they want salvation in the spiritual sphere. These are the minimum wants of human beings.

In this sphere of spiritual progress – Átmamokśarthaḿ [“For Self-realization”] – the mere thought of one’s mission will not suffice. Your work in pursuance of your mission will be considered your service, and when your service will be sanctified by guru mantra, you will spiritually advance. But when it is a question of spiritual salvation, spiritual beatitude, there what you need is Iśt́a mantra.⁽²⁾

What is mantra? Mananát tárayet yastu sah mantrah parikiirttitah – “Mantra is that which when repeated again and again shows the way to tráńa, liberation”. Here one should remember that tráńa is a common term. But in the spiritual sphere, the word tráńa is used in the sense of paritráńa [permanent liberation]. The word tráńa is derived from the Sanskrit root verb trae plus anat́, and means “saving from danger, relief from bondage”. Supposing someone binds you hand and foot, and by some means your bonds are untied. It means you have attained liberation; but at any time you may again fall into bondage. Today there is no bondage, but tomorrow it may come back again. There is no permanent escape in tráńa. But paritráńa means that once the bondages are removed, they will never come back in the future. In the spiritual realm, tráńa always means paritráńa. Hence that thing or that consecrated word which, by repeating it internally again and again, will bring about one’s permanent liberation, is termed a mantra.

Now let us see how a mantra should be used. The vibrational expression and vibrational emanation of the psycho-spiritual entity that forms the subtlest part of human existence is guided by the mantra. During sádhaná, the mind advances more and more in accordance with the vibration. This is the work of a mantra. This is the excellence of a mantra. Human beings have faith that the mantra will lead their existence forward.

You cannot call all the sounds of the world mantras. Why? Because they do not possess the capacity to liberate a person from bondage. There are so many sounds, so many syllables and so many words in this universe. Each and every word is meaningful. Each and every syllable bears a special import; nothing is meaningless and nothing is insignificant, but only that sound whose acoustic expressions or acoustic waves have the stamina to goad the subtlest portion of the human mind unto the supreme stance can be a mantra. Other words are mere words, ordinary syllables, and nothing else.

Now why is a particular word or a particular syllable to be treated as a mantra, and how can we know whether it has that certain stamina or not? It has been said in the shástras [scriptures]:

Caetanya rahitáh mantráh proktavarńástu kevalam;
Phalaḿ naeva prayacchanti lakśa kot́i japaerapi.

“If there is no consciousness in a mantra or if the vitality of a mantra is limited, then even if it is repeated millions and millions of times, it will not bear fruit.” When a Mahákaola⁽³⁾ chooses a word or words, fills them with the Cosmic vibration and makes that vibrational flow move in perfect rhythm with the Macrocosmic vitality, then that mantra is called a siddha mantra [perfected mantra]. Only a siddha mantra can show one the path of liberation, because in such a mantra there lies hidden so much vital energy that can draw out the subtler aspects of humanity.

Even when the human mind understands everything, it still runs towards crude physicality. People realize what is detrimental and what is beneficial, yet despite that they move towards things that are detrimental to them. It can happen that way, and it does happen quite often.

Svarasováhii viduśo’pi tathárúd́ho’bhiniveshah – “Even a great scholar, a highly learned person, who knows what is proper and what is improper, is still driven by his or her inherent reactive momenta, and knowingly moves towards improper and undesirable things.” This mental disease, which is in fact a crude movement driven by avidyá [ignorance, force of extroversion from the Cosmic Nucleus], is called abhinivesha. When even the mind of a learned person runs towards crude physicality, then what can forcibly draw the mind towards subtlety, towards benevolence, and break the shackles of crude bondage? The living mantra can. Only [siddha mantras] are the real mantras, the rest are not mantras, but mere collections of words.

If one can keep one’s mission in mind, then there will be progress. Of course, human progress in the mental sphere cannot be called real progress. We may call it “a change of place”, because there is no spiritual progress. Except in the spiritual sphere, progress is only a change of place. Take the case of this bolster. It is here. Now there has been a change of place. Certainly it is a change of place, but it is not advancement. Progress is when one moves in the spiritual sphere.

And for spiritual progress, the system of mantra is indispensable. Without spiritual progress, one’s existence will not be meaningful. So we can say that an intelligent person should learn as early as possible in life in life to use a mantra in accordance with his or her own saḿskáras [mental reactive momenta]. And in accordance with one’s mantra, one shall keep moving ahead in the spiritual sphere, because progress is only possible in the spiritual sphere. An intelligent person should move in that world where there is a possibility of real spiritual progress. And while one is moving in the spiritual sphere, one will at the same time have to discharge his or her duties towards the psychic and physical world in a proper way. This is what human life is.

For progress in the spiritual realm, one must not ignore the psychic realm or the mundane external sphere. One will move steadily in the spiritual sphere, and the rjutá [straightforwardness], sáhas [courage] and satyaniśt́há [love of truth] that grow as one progresses in the spiritual sphere will be utilized for the mental welfare of the entire world. Spiritual aspirants will engage themselves in the welfare of the entire world – the physical world, the quinquelemental world – because no one can render service as much as a spiritualist can. Hence a person who moves ahead in the world of spirituality should bear in mind that he or she is doing sádhaná for spiritual salvation, and their endeavour for spiritual salvation will be successful only if they dedicate themselves to the service of the world. One should remember that service is possible only for those who do sádhaná for their spiritual elevation, and that spiritual progress can only be attained by those who think for the welfare of the world.

So, today’s subject of discourse is “Incantation and Human Progress”. We must remember that actual progress can be made only in the spiritual stratum. There cannot be any progress in the physical stratum, or the physico-psychic stratum, or even in the psychic stratum. Whatever is known as progress is actually change of place and nothing more.

Always remember, human life is very meaningful, and human beings can make it more meaningful through their own efforts. You have got human life. By dint of your actions and your sádhaná you will increase the value of your human life. Why should you live like ordinary humans? Become extraordinary! Extraordinary people ultimately raise themselves to divinity. That is, humans become devatás [gods], and devatás become Parama Brahma.

As you have got a human body, utilize it at every moment. Let there be maximum utilization of your very existence. Make your existence great by dint of your extraordinary action. Your life will become more and more meaningful if you do more and more work and more and more meditation.

Human life is more important than animal life because human beings can make their lives meaningful. Animals cannot do that. The [utilitarian] value of animals, plants and trees is derived from [their utilization by] human beings. But the meaning of human life can be increased by one’s own individual efforts, and it is mantra that helps one in his or her effort to do so.

Your Iśt́a mantra is your most cherished object. This is why its secrecy should be maintained. Something which is very, very dear to one’s heart should be preserved very carefully. Hence it is said that one’s Iśt́a mantra should not be repeated aloud, it should be repeated mentally. And the mind will move towards the Átmá [Soul] while repeating it. In a person’s life it will continue to [resonate] internally, not externally.

Finally, with the help of mantra, one will attain mantra caetanya.⁽⁴⁾ And when one attains mantra caetanya, one finds a beacon to guide one onward towards his or her goal.

Footnotes

(1) Iśa Upaniśad: “While performing actions in this world” (the shloka previous to this one explained that actions should be performed with ideation on Brahma) “cherish the desire to live for a hundred years. You will not get enmeshed in actional bondage. There is no other way.” –Eds.

(2) Guru mantra (“important” mantra) and Iśt́a mantra (mantra leading one to the Supreme Goal) are learned as lessons of Ananda Marga meditation. –Eds.

(3) A Tantric guru who can raise not only His own kuńd́alinii (dormant divine force) but those of others also. –Eds.

(4) The awakening of the mantra; the conceptual understanding of and psychic association with the mantra. –Eds.