Passage 8

Tap any word for its meaning.

In plain words

To gain a human birth endowed with Prajñāna, Vijñāna and Sujñāna and then sink into Ajñāna like the animals is not good. Vyāsa told the essence of the eighteen Purāṇas in a single saying: “Doing good to others is merit; hurting others is sin.” This, above all, is what you must learn. As far as possible, take care not to cause others pain. Should pain come to you, never mind. God will take your pain away. In every human being there is the Mādhava principle. If you forget the Mādhava principle within you and turn to cruelty, how can you be human? First of all, behave as human beings. Your race is the human race. Morality and integrity are the life-breath of the human race. “The race that has morality is the true race.” So you must nourish morality and integrity.

To recognise oneness is spirituality

To know the truth that the Īśvara principle in all beings is one: that is the chief Dharma of the people of Bhārata. To show the unity in diversity is the chief aim of the culture of Bhārata. Never think, ‘You are separate, I am separate.’ Give no room to distinctions of one's own and another's. But you do not recognise the unity in diversity; instead you divide unity into diversity. Embodiments of Prema! First of all, ask yourselves, “Who am I?” The “I” is in everyone. In this world everyone says “I”. Is it possible for you to know so many people? If you know the ‘I’ in you, you will have known everyone. When you know “I am the Ātma”, you will understand that all are embodiments of the Ātma. In every human being there is the animal nature. First of all you must kill it. To root out the animal nature in you and transform your humanness into divinity: that is spirituality. What relates to the Ātma: that is spirituality. To recognise the oneness, that you and I are one, is spirituality. You should not sink at blame, nor swell at praise.