While discussing Neohumanism, I said that study and rationalistic mentality are required to counteract geo-sentiment, and a proto-spiritualistic psychic structure is required to resist socio-sentiment. But geo-sentiment and socio-sentiment and the means of resisting them are matters of the objective world. Geo-sentiment is entirely limited by geographical boundaries (it is confined in space); while socio-sentiment is limited to certain groups. By resisting these two sentiments (one relating to “space” and the other relating to “person”) with rationality and sama-samája tattva respectively, it is possible to move towards the Supreme Subjectivity. So these two are completely associated with the external world.

The movement of the inner life of humanity is entirely an internal affair, a matter of devotion – a path to the inner world with devotion as a cult, as a mission. In the world of rationalism, human beings do not attain anything of inner life; and in the realm of devotion, there is no ism that can establish humanity in the supreme spiritual stance. In the case of devotion, human beings become resplendent in their own glory. This is entirely an inner process. For that there is a path of devotion, a devotional spirit, and the sweet mission of devotion. In that case there are only two entities – I and my Lord. There is no one to create barriers, no one to exploit, no one to impose geo-sentiment or socio-sentiment – there humanity is one and indivisible. In this situation, human beings proceed towards Supreme Consciousness with every step. This is beyond rationalistic approach and study, and it has no concern with the objective mind.

However, in the course of one’s journey through the inner world, one cannot altogether deny the rationalistic outlook of external life. This is also necessary because, in the absence of rationality, the internal thoughts may be disturbed. But it is also true that the mind should certainly be directed towards the Supreme Consciousness – because one’s inner assets are directly nourished by the thought of the Supreme, by running towards Him with tremendous speed. Rationalistic outlook and study are required to facilitate this onward movement towards the Supreme.

Rájá hate cái ná go Má
Sádha nái go Má rájá hate,
Ámár mát́ir ghare báṋsher khuṋt́i Má
Pái yena táy khaŕ yogáte.

–Ramprasad

[I do not long to become a monarch – For this I have not the least desire. I have a hut of mud and bamboo: I only want enough to thatch its roof.]

A truly righteous person should be ever ready to respond to the clarion call of the Great, to its irresistible attraction. The Dolyátra of Shrii Krśńa [the Colour Festival] which Mahaprabhu introduced to Bengal about five hundred fifty years ago, has two aspects – the social and the spiritual.⁽¹⁾ Mahaprabhu brought this festival from Vrindavana, but he invested it with spiritual significance, and named it the Dolyátra of Shrii Krśńa.

When human beings rush towards the Supreme, they may sometimes think, “I am a sinner. I have committed so many sins that I am immersed in sin.” The particular mental colours of the sinners’ minds are the combination of so many thoughts of sin, which may leave a profound mental impression. As a result, the speed of their movement will automatically be retarded. The inner significance of the Dolyátra of Shrii Krśńa is this: “By surrendering all the colours of my mind to You, I want to become colourless.” This surrender to the Supreme Consciousness propels human beings towards Him. So this colour festival is not merely an outward play; it is purely a psycho-spiritual phenomenon. This very psycho-spiritual phenomenon is operating behind the process of varńárghyadána [offering of colours]:⁽²⁾ “O Lord, make me colourless so that I may move towards You without any hesitation.”

The more human beings are established in Neohumanism, the more they will be absorbed in the colours of their inner minds instead of the colours of the external world. It is not that they will avoid the social festivities of the colour festival of Dolyátra, but the social side should not be taken as everything. Rather, by offering all their psychic colours to the Supreme Consciousness, they will become more concerned with their mental colours than with the external ones.

This intensely close proximity to the Supreme is the real Vrindavana, the Vrindavana of the mental world – the state of absolute mental purity. It is natural for human beings to become soiled with dust in the course of their journey in the physical world. But this is not to continue forever. They should make their minds completely unblemished by offering all their mental colours to the Supreme. Forgetting the external aspect of the play of colours, they should accept the internal colour-play as the ultimate in human life – and thus establish themselves in the true Vrindavana, the Supreme Desideratum of human life.

Footnotes

(1) The spiritual aspect will be explained in the following paragraph. The social aspect involves a celebration in which, after collective meditation, all play among themselves using áviir [coloured powder] or flowers of colours of their own choice. –Trans.

(2) A practice that is part of Ananda Marga sádhaná. –Trans.