What should a person do? Life is a mission. I have said that human life is an ideological flow. That is, human life is a mission; life itself is a mission; one’s very existence is a mission. Átmamokśárthaḿ jagaddhitáya ca – “Whatever one is to do one is to do for átmamokśa – for his or her own liberation – and for the elevation of the entire world, elevation of the entire human society.” One is to do both these things: that is, these two things are one’s mission.

Átmamokśárthaḿ. Now you know, everything is moving in this world. It will have to move. And suppose a person says, “No, I won’t move.” Even then, he or she cannot remain stationary, he or she will have to move downwards. So you should try to move upwards, otherwise you will have to move downwards, because nothing in this world is fixed, nothing in this world is stationary; everything is moving, everything moves. If you do not move this way [up], then you will have to move this way [down]. So, Átmamokśárthaḿ – “Whatever one is to do, one is to do for his or her own mokśa.” Mokśa means [non-qualified] liberation.

Then, jagaddhitáya ca. A person is doing everything for his or her own spiritual elevation, own liberation, for complete emancipation. That he or she is doing for his or her liberation is well and good, but is he or she not a selfish person? Whatever one is doing, one is doing for one’s own liberation – but one is not doing anything for others. You say – is it not a fact? The person is selfish. So while one is doing something for one’s own liberation, one is to serve others also. And how is one to serve others? The best service is viprocita sevá [intellectual service].

You know sevá, that is, service. Service is of four kinds:

1. Shúdrocita sevá is serving with your physical body, rendering physical service, rendering medical service. Service rendered by a shúdra is shúdrocita service.
2. Then kśatriyocita [martial service] is security service, helping the weak.
3. Then vaeshyocita sevá [economic service] is relief work, feeding the poor, helping the needy.
4. Then viprocita sevá is preaching morality, teaching, preaching the ideology, doing dharma pracára [spiritual propagation]. They are all viprocita sevá.

Now the best sevá – all the sevás are of equal standard, but the result of viprocita sevá is of permanent nature, while the results of the other three sevás – shúdrocita, kśatriyocita, and vaeshyocita – are of temporary nature: not less important, but of temporary nature. For a hungry man, what will be the best sevá? To feed him. That sevá will not be of permanent nature, but for the time being, it will be the most valuable sevá. If a man is hungry, if he is crying, if he is dying, will you say to him, “Just do [half-bath] and start Iishvara prańidhána [meditation]”? No, no, no – give him food. Yes, it has got temporary importance. But viprocita sevá is of permanent importance. That is why it is called the best sevá.

Now, all these four items come within the scope of hita [welfare]. That is why it has been said, jagaddhitáya ca. Jagat means “world”, hita means “benevolent service”. So whatever you are to do, you are to do for your own liberation – átmamokśárthaḿ. Then, jagaddhitáya ca – “for the hita of the jagat.” Hita includes all the four sevás – shúdrocita, kśatriyocita, vaeshyocita, and viprocita. But you should remember that viprocita sevá is of permanent nature.⁽¹⁾ So a good person should follow this principle: that his or her life is for [self-realization and the welfare of the universe:] átmamokśárthaḿ and jagaddhitáya ca.

Footnotes

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