Vedic initiation consists of praying to Parama Puruśa, “O, Lord! Please guide my intellect along the path of righteousness.” If the intellect moves along the proper path then liberation is inevitable. So “guide my intellect properly” means to ask for everything.

When we say “one” then we have to collect all our propensities and concentrate them on one point. All the thoughts of the mind have to be brought to one place, collected at one point. Then there is no scope for any other propensity to remain. There is absolutely no scope for it. Since all thoughts are collected at one point we call it “one.” When we say “two” or “three”, “four” or “five”, however, then one part of the mind moves in one direction and another part in another direction. So the mental one-pointedness we achieve when we say “one” is not achieved when we say “two”, “three”, “four” or “five”. That which is achieved through singularity is not achieved through plurality.

The mind must be one-pointed in order to attain Parama Puruśa. There is no other alternative. If any numeral is to be used with regard to Parama Puruśa, it is the numeral “1”, not more than 1.

A person whom I was very close to, a relative of mine, used to recite the following after taking bath: “Victory to mother Káli, victory, victory to Káli, victory to mother Káli of T́han T́haniá, victory to mother Káli of Dakśińeshvar, victory to Bábá Táraknáth, victory to Bábá Vaidyanath of Deoghar. O, Fathers! None of you should think that I am leaving out someone’s name.” After this he would say, “O, gods and goddesses, please forgive me if I have omitted any name inadvertently. Please assume that I have mentioned your name also.” Does this yield anything at all? One says “victory to mother Káli of Kálighát” and in the same breath one says “victory to mother Káli of T́han T́haniá.” It signifies that the mind is moving both towards Kálighát and T́han T́haniá. Can the mind becomes concentrated in this way? Certainly not.

Thus if any numeral is used to say something about Parama Puruśa it should be the numeral “1” and not “2”, “3” or any other number.

Avarńa. Varńa means “colour”. You know that all colours come from sunlight – VIBGYOR, i.e., violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and red (Beniiáshkalá).⁽¹⁾ We have many such colours. We are able to know the existence of an object due to its colours. Think of any particular object. You will find that as soon as you think of it, you are also aware of its colour.

What is colour (varńa)? Colour is the external manifestation of the inner self. Within your existential reality, there are countless hues and colours. Suppose a person’s body emits a green glow or colour. The manifestation of green colour indicates that he is a person of scintillating intellect. Another person emits red. That red colour is the outer manifestation of cruelty. Every colour indicates a characteristic idea, psychic tendency or propensity. But that Reality, the Supreme Reality is devoid of any colour; He has no colour because He, Himself, is the Creator. So I say that He is colourless (avarńa) – He has no colour. He transcends all colours.

In the language of social psychology people with awakened intellect and the so-called intelligentsia and vipras are all of white colour [psychic colour]. The colour of the kśatriya⁽²⁾ is red. vaeshyas are of yellow colour and shúdras are known for having a black aura. Everything comes within the spectrum of colours, thus this social system is known as varńa vyávasthá. However, we have nothing to do with such caste discrimination. Only the mental colour should be the object of our consideration, neither the external colour nor the caste. Parama Puruśa transcends colour. He has no colour; He is beyond the domain of colour. Everything created and made by Him, is colourful but He Himself is beyond colour.

Varńáshramábhimánena shrutidásye bhavennarah;
Varńáshrama vihiinasca varttate shrutimúrdhańi.

[Those who proudly espouse the caste system are slaves of the Vedas, while those who have risen above it or kicked it aside, attain a place above the Vedas.]

Those who are bound by the fetters of caste, that is, those who accept caste while dependent on Parama Puruśa or the Creator, remain confined by innumerable mundane and psychic bondages. One who is above this caste discrimination, above the fetters of casteism, is indeed successful. Such a person is unique and beyond colour (eko avarńo).

Footnotes

(1) Short form in Bengali is beniiáshkalá, i.e., begunii, niil, ákáshii, savuj, halde, kamalá, lál. –Trans.

(2) Kśatriya – strong and brave; shúdra – those who earn their livelihood by performing manual labour; vaeshya – acquisitive mentality. –Trans.