In plain words
To sink when sorrow comes and to swell when joy wells up: man must not have this in society. Because someone has abused us, we must not sink under that abuse. Because someone has praised us, we must not swell up. Only when we attain in society this evenness that neither sinks nor swells does it take shape as true humanness. We must recognise that blame and praise are waves of words. One may say no. Another may say yes. These noes and yeses belong only to our mouths; they have nothing to do with evenness. Where should this evenness be? Our …. When we satisfy it, true evenness comes. When we have no fault of any kind, we need not fear, however anyone may revile us. When there is no good in us, however much anyone may praise us, we must not swell up. You know well what you are. To recognise your own Satya and live by it is itself evenness in society.
Next, evenness in Jñāna. What is Jñāna? Advaita darśanaṃ jñānaṃ, they said. To show oneness is itself Jñāna, they said. The oneness in everything is unity in diversity. Here there is no difference at all. How so? The divinity in all is one. The air all breathe is one. The water all drink is one. The earth all live on is one. The sky over everyone's head is one. Where, then, is the difference? The Ātma in our hearts, too, is one. All differences are made only by these resolves of the mind; they are not natural to creation. We must recognise the truth Ekovasi sarvabhūtāntarātma. For this, conduct must be good … . We keep talking with ten people. Or else we keep arguing over something with the children of our class. We must not let anger grow in us, word against word. To what is said and to what is done, we must keep showing humility and obedience. At home the elders, or at college the lecturers, whoever it is, when they tell us something, if we keep answering nicely, Yes jī, No jī, what joy it gives! When we use words of this kind with humility and obedience, this evenness grows well in us. In any situation at all, we must learn the way to use words very softly and sweetly. Suppose someone is abusing us. You must keep this well in mind: think it so, ‘God Himself has come in this form and is abusing me, so this is a joy.’ If someone comes and praises you, rejoice: ‘How kind God is, coming in this form and praising me!’ Whoever abuses you or praises you, if you take up the even feeling that God Himself has come in this form and is setting me right in this way, our mind enters restraint all the more.