According to the standard of intellect, microcosms can be divided into three broad categories: brutes, humans and devatás [gods]. In our human society also, we find brutes in human structure, we find humans in human structure, and we find devatás in human structure.

What is our sádhaná? What is our intuitional practice? Sádhaná is a march from the stratum of brutality to the stratum of humanity, and from the stratum of humanity to the stratum of divinity. And finally this divine man, this divine entity, becomes one with the Supreme Lord. That particular point where the devatá merges with the Supreme Lord is the terminating point of all the marches in his life. So it is a march. It is something dynamic. In human life one must not support, one must not encourage, the static principle. Dynamicity is the law and the order of human life.

You know, in ancient times, there was a great pandit. His name was Rohita. He was well-versed in all the shástras.

What is the meaning of shástra? Shás means “to control”, to do shásana; and tra means “liberator”. That which liberates you by controlling all your activities – “Don’t do this, do that” – through this sort of control – is shástra. It liberates you by auto-suggestion. Auto-suggestion means mantra, incantation. Mananát tárayet yastu sah mantrah parikiirttitah [“A mantra is that collection of sounds which, when meditated upon, leads to liberation”].

So that Rohita was well-versed in all the shástras. And after returning from his gurugrha [the master’s house], when his laokika father⁽¹⁾ asked him to do worldly duties, he said, “Oh, I went through so many shástras, and I have come to the conclusion that there is no necessity of doing any work. We shouldn’t do any work, we should always be engaged in jiṋánacarcá [cultivation of spiritual knowledge].”

Then his father said,⁽²⁾ “O Rohita, he who moves forward, he who has developed the dynamic force in his body and mind, is really blessed. And the sweating body of that industrious man is the most beautiful body. That perspiring body has world-attracting charm, and Indra, the lord of the devatás, always tries to make friendship with that man, with that industrious man. So, Rohita, move forward, move forward, move forward. Life is a dynamic force.

“If someone does not do anything, any work; if someone is afraid of work, then his fortune is ‘sleeping’. If someone is intellectually and physically sleeping, then his fate is also sleeping. But if someone wants to do something, then his fate also wants to move forward. If someone is standing, then his fate is also standing. If someone moves forward, then his fate also moves forward. So Rohita, do something, do something, do something.

“When you are sleeping in the slumber of ignorance, there is Kali Yuga in your life. If someone feels that he should do something, there is Dvápara Yuga in his life; and if someone becomes ready to do something, there is Tretá Yuga in his life; and if someone has started doing something, doing sádhaná, there is Satya Yuga in his life. So Rohita, do something, do something. Life is a constant effort to restore an unstable equilibrium. Life is a fight. Life is moving forward. Life is a dynamic force.”

So this human life is a movement from the stage of brute to the stratum of humanity, and from the stratum of humanity to the stratum of divinity, and from the stage of divinity to merger with the Supreme Lord. This is life. This is your intuitional practice. This is your sádhaná.

But you know, when you are to move fast, your mind should be light; if the mind is heavy it will not be able to move fast. What makes the mind heavy? So many impurities of thought. Lord Buddha said:

Sinca bhikkhu imaḿ nábaḿ sitta te lahu messati.

Muiṋca pure muiṋca pacchata majjhe muiṋca bhabassa páragú.⁽³⁾

[Remove all the water from the boat of your body; being free from water, it will become very light.]

[Give up everything that lies ahead, everything that lies behind, and everything that lies in the middle; and go to the other side of the world.]

“You should make your mind light. You should give up all worldly thoughts, all base thoughts, all depraving thoughts, and make yourself light.” To make oneself light means to free oneself from impurities. A magnet can easily attract a piece of iron, but if that piece of iron is full of impurities, that very magnet may not be able to attract that iron. So the Supreme Self, Supreme Lord, is always attracting you, but because of your heaviness due to worldly impurities, you are not being attracted by Him.

Now how to free the mind, how to make the mind light, how to free the mind from worldly impurities? By rendering selfless service to suffering humanity without any restriction of caste, creed, religion or sex. So you as sádhakas [spiritual aspirants], you must remember that the dharma of your life is to move forward from matter to abstract, from abstract to soul, from soul to the Supreme Soul. This is the dharma of your life, and while performing this dharma, you are to render selfless service to all humanity. You must not forget this fact. If you are successful in rendering selfless service to the world, certainly you will make progress in your spiritual life.

Shubhamastu [“May it be auspicious”].

Footnotes

(1) His father “of this world”, as opposed to a guru. –Eds.

(2) Three Sanskrit shlokas omitted here. Each shloka ends in caraeveti, caraeveti (“move forward, move forward”). The author will now proceed to give an English rendering of the substance of the shlokas. –Eds.

(3) From the Dhammapada, Shlokas 369 and 348. –Eds.