In plain words
Sweetness in the word, keeping bitterness in the mind: this is not good for you; it is only a stain. Only a stainless life holds good on earth, my friend; these are words that tell the plain truth.
Embodiments of Prema!
The eminence of a country depends on the people of that country. If we enquire in one way, the very histories of the great souls in that country have been taking shape as the country's history. Caritra means good culture. We may call it a good heart and good conduct. But however many kinds of learning one has acquired, however many high offices one has gained, however famed one has become as an expert in many śāstras, if this kind of purity of citta is not there, or if caritra itself has not taken shape, the whole life of such a person becomes useless.
If we think it over another way, caritra has one meaning: good character. For this good character, purity, forbearance and steadfastness, the oneness of these three. It is essential. This is just what people have been calling the triad of character. Along with these three, courage, daring, forbearance, steadfastness, sacrifice, valour. Only when all these qualities above have joined along with these three can a man achieve victory of many kinds in this world. He can show forth the ideal. If there is only purity, forbearance and steadfastness, and the other qualities such as courage, daring, sacrifice and generosity are not there, it is very hard to achieve the ideal and victory in human life.
Here, what is called character is of two kinds. Individual character is one. The second is national character. That is, Individual character, National character. For this individual character one has to make many kinds of effort and sādhana. This individual character is not something learnt in books. Nor is it something taught by gurus. Still less is it something to be had in the bazaar. This, we must make it grow by daily sādhana, by good resolves and by good conduct. But today this individual character is sinking lower day by day. Whether in morality, in Dharma, in the spiritual, in the worldly, in science or in politics, this individual character has wasted away completely. In the society of today people look only on these five strengths as what matters: strength of arm, strength of intellect, strength of wealth, strength of numbers and strength of speech.