1: The Arduous Task of Self-Analysis : 4.

So when we think we are religious seekers, spiritual aspirants, disciples of Gurus, we have to be very realistic in our approach and be able to recognise facts in their face, not camouflaging them with the veneer of an idealism which bears no real connection with the experiences through which we pass and to which we are subjected willy-nilly. We do not live in a world of spirituality today. This is something to be accepted by every one of us. We do not see spirituality anywhere. We see only quarrelsome people and shrewd politicians, selfish businessmen, and we do not see anything else anywhere. Yet we are aspiring for a life in the spirit and hope to live a life of religion, and expect to be devotees of God if possible – a noble endeavour, a noble intention, and a very praiseworthy ideal before us indeed. But we are living in a world which looks like a wilderness rather than a temple of God. There are thorns and thistles and viperous elements threatening us from all corners. We do not seem to be living in a world of friends, ultimately. We shall be left to the devil when the time for it comes, and we do not hope to see that day when the devil will pursue us and friends will desert us. We shall see through things rather than see things merely on their outer form.

This circumstance which I am placing before you is the field on which you have to conduct self-analysis. This is the battlefield in which you are placed, where you are certainly in a very unenviable position. We should be more cautious than be happy within ourselves. The state when we can be really happy has not come yet. We are in a state where we have to be cautious, vigilant, circumspect, and be aware of every little bit of the situation – social as well as psychological – every moment of time. 

The capacity to understand is the greatest of virtues that we can expect in this world. Mostly we are likely to be carried away by sentiments, emotions, and a sudden burst of feeling which may be roused by external conditions tentatively operating but not capable of persisting always. When there is a large maha sankirtan we dance and fall in a swoon, but we will not always be in that swoon, you know very well. We will rise up in our true colours after a few minutes. And we are also likely to be carried away by such feelings of that kind when loud bells ring in a temple or a church and a very solemn ritual is performed as a worship. We are also likely to be carried away by a sudden gust of feeling when a powerful speech is delivered by a religious master or a spiritual healer. Everything is possible. It only tells us that there is perhaps some good element also in every one of us.

To  be  continued   ...