Passage 9

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In plain words

That is rest for you. There are students. For a while they play games. As soon as they have played, there should be no rest. Then they should sing songs. That is rest. After these games they should develop their songs and the like. After all these are over they should take up a book and study. In this way we must go on changing our work. At all times this body goes on doing its work. Look at our breathing in and out. Ayyo! Does it stop, saying, "Poor fellow, he is in sorrow; let us give him a little rest"? It does not stop. Does it take extra breaths of its own, saying, "He is happy, so we can roam about as we please"? No. You may be in sorrow, be in grief, be walking, be sitting, be playing, be singing; whatever you do, that breathing in and out goes on in its proper order. This is a natural trait; this is a secret of God's creation. No one recognises this secret. To know such a secret of God by the subtlest way: service. So we must recognise every office bearer as a sevak.

Embodiments of the divine Ātma! You must not leave the organisation with the feeling, "We cannot bear such rules." No path more sacred than this is to be seen in the world. You must not let go of this good chance. You must believe the truth that this is the path, the supreme goal of life, for crossing over this birth. There is no use in giving up everything, only holding your nose and doing japa with your ribs heaving. Or there is no use in going round the temples and making all the pilgrimages. You must attain divinity in service itself. That itself is the Viśvavirāṭ-svarūpa. Arjuna alone saw the Viśvavirāṭ-svarūpa. But all of you are Arjunas. Arjuna has a name, Pārtha. Pārtha means the son of Pṛthvī, Pārtha. All of you are sons of Pṛthvī. All of you are Pārthas. This Pārtha must never take a step forward to run away. If Arjuna himself ran away from the battle and came back, what honour or respect would he have? Kṛṣṇa commanded him to carry out his duty. Do your duty sincerely. While doing your own work, remember the Name of God. Then you will have taken on a kind of Arjuna form. What is the meaning of this word Arjuna? It is not holding up a great Gāṇḍīva bow and striking down everyone you can catch. Arjuna means purity, sacredness. Arjuna means one who has a very pure heart. So all these Arjunas must not have an impure heart. You must work with a pure heart. All of you are Arjunas. Kṛṣṇa set up Arjuna as a mere instrument and played out this whole drama.