In plain words
That is our hope. How will it be gained? What are we doing? What fruit fit for this are we gaining? In what work are we taking part? Along with nāmasmaraṇa, we must enter into work as well. That itself is our discipline.
We must not see any difference between these two. We must experience the two, negative and positive, as one. That is exactly why for every matter there must be a discipline. In no circumstance whatever should we break that discipline. Many obstacles may come to us. We will have to face many kinds of hindrance. Only then do we become worthy of it. What are those disciplines? To walk by the word spoken, to keep the word given: however much we give to God, the debt is never cleared. Kariyappa said that, however much one does, this gratitude can never be repaid. But to do even one thing, done with the whole heart, is enough. If someone picks up something that has fallen and hands it to us, we say thanks. When we are thirsty, if someone gives us a tumbler of water, we say thanks. For every little act we say thanks. To God, who has given the five elements, given the five sheaths, given the five vital airs, given every kind of comfort and happiness of this world, given your air, your food, everything: what gratitude are you showing?
In worldly life, if you take current to your house from a pole standing somewhere, you pay tax for it. If you take water from a pipe running somewhere through the bazaar, you pay water tax. If you use the drainage, you pay tax. If you set up a fan and use current, so many units are spent. Your fan stays within its limit. The current stays within its limit. But to how many fans is the air God has given equal? However many pump sets you put in and pump, will you get as much water as you get when one cloudburst pours down! So, so much water, so much air; if you put a light in some room, the light stays in that room alone. But the sun gives light to the whole world. What tax are you paying for this? Light is free. When He has given so much free, air free, water free, what are you giving God? If we lack even that much gratitude, how can we still call ourselves human? In worldly life, even for being given so much education, given clothes, given food, for so much done, there is no gratitude. Then how will gratitude come for all that He has done? First of all, for students there must be the discipline of gratitude. If you keep up this discipline, you will rise and prosper. But the special, the chief … : there is no gratitude.