HOW AN IDEAL PERSON SHOULD LIVE

official source: Subha's'ita Sam'graha Part 12

cross-references: none

this version: is the printed Subha's'ita Sam'graha Part 12, 1st edition, version 
	(spelling mistakes only may have been corrected). I.e., this is the most 
	up-to-date version as of the present Electronic Edition.

	The subject of today's discourse is, "How an Ideal Person Should Live."  Human beings do not come on the earth for a very long period of time.  They live for a certain period of time, perform some actions, eat and drink, and do some service to others.  Sometimes they become angry, sometimes they complain against one another; and thereafter the drama of life comes to an end - they fall into eternal slumber.  That is, in short, human life, full of pains and pleasures, hopes and aspirations.  In spite of all these, human beings must follow a fixed code of conduct; they have to maintain a particular rhythm in their lifestyles, and nothing should go against that rhythm.  When human beings come onto this earth they know that they will not live forever; whether they live in honour or dishonour, they will have to leave the earth one day.

		Ma'la' bat'e shukiye mare jejan ma'la' pare
		Seo to nay amar tabe dukha kiser tare.

	(The flower garland no doubt withers, but the person who wears the garland is not immortal either.  Then where is the scope for grief?)

	As human beings do not live forever, then how should they live their lives?  Some people suggest, "Go on doing good deeds.  By your noble actions you will get self-satisfaction, and besides, those good actions will produce good relations as well."  But the question is: why should one perform good deeds?  It may be to obtain good reactions and mental peace but why does one get mental peace?  Is it from the expectation of those good results?  In this regard Lord Krs'n'a says,

		Karman'yeva'dhika'raste ma'phales'u kada'cana.

		(You have the right to actions, not to the fruits thereof.)

	In the same way, the Tantra also declares,

		Na' bhuktam' ks'iiyate Karma kalpakot'ishataerapi
		Avashyameva bhoktavyam' Krtam' karma shubha'shubham.

		*		*		*		*		*

		Ya'vanna ks'iiyate karma shubham'ca'shubhameva ca
		Ta'vanna ja'yate moks'a nrn'a'm' kalpashataerapi
		Yatha' laohamayaeh pa'shaeh pa'shaer svarn'amayaerapi
		Tatha' baddho bha'vejiiva karma'bhishca'shubaershubaeh.

	An original action begets a certain reaction, and simultaneously brings one within the bondage of actions.  Unless those bondages are broken, the microcosms will have to keep moving in a cycle of action and reaction - they will have to be reborn again and again on this earth.  Those who are the followers of Jaimini's school of Miima'm'sa' philosophy and who believe in the concept of hell, assert that those who perform good deeds to go to heaven, and after a certain period of time when their reaping of the consequences of their good actions is over, they are reborn as human beings on this earth.  Of course, philosophically we do not subscribe to this view, because we do not believe in the existence of heaven.  But it is true that the good reactions of good deeds will certainly come to an end some day.  What will happen then?  King Yudhis't'hira once said,

		Karma kari Jei jan phala'ka'unks'ii hay
		Ba'niker mata sei ba'n'ijya karay
		Phal lobhe karma kare lubdha bali ta're
		Lobhe punah pun'ah par'e naraka dustare.

	(Those who convert the fruits of their deeds are like tradespeople.  We call such people greedy, who perform actions in expectation of good reactions.  Certainly these people will go to hell again and again.)

	He further said:

		A'mi ja'ha' karma kari phala'ka'ks'ii nai
		Samarpan' kari sarva Iishvarerat'hain.

	Now, those who advocate the supremacy of the doctrine of action should remember that only the performance of good deeds is not enough: one will have to be ready to undergo the reactions of good actions.  After undergoing the reactions one will again have to come down on earth.  And one will not always do only good deeds: bad deeds may also be performed.  So one has to keep grinding along the cycle of actions and reactions, which seems to have no end.  Yudhis't'hir once said, "When I perform some deed, I do not expect any result: I surrender everything to Parama Purus'a."  That is, "I perform the deeds but I do not expect the results thereof - I immediately surrender the results of my actions.  I am  prepared to undergo the bad reactions of my bad deeds, but I do not wish to enjoy the good fruits of my good deeds: I offer those to Parama Purus'a."

	Now, who can say such things?  Only those who have strong devotion to the Lord.  Such people love Parama Purus'a more than they love themselves.  They are the true bhaktas or devotees, not the karmiis or people of action.  "Keep on doing actions without expecting any results" - -it is futile to say this to a karmii.  This should be spoken only to one who is established in devotion.

	There are some people who say, "Well, we will undergo hardship for the welfare of the world."  This undergoing of penance has also a bright side.  A ninety or one-hundred-year-old woman undertakes penance - why?  Certainly with the expectation that her penance will one day be rewarded - perhaps that she will get a place in heaven.  Let us see how important this undertaking of penance is - whether it is for one's family, or for one's personal elevation, or for the benefit of the society.  Nothing in this world is valueless: even the undertaking of hardship is not useless.  But is that the highest excellence in human life?  In fact, the undertaking of penance is an action without any fixed goal: "I do not know, nor do I want to know, why I am subjecting myself to penance.  I am merely doing penance for the sake of penance."  This is totally meaningless.  It is like rowing a boat without knowing where one is drifting - merely rowing for the sake of rowing.  This is utterly useless.  This aimless rowing will simply cause pain in the hands.  One day one will lose the capacity to row the boat, and finally the boat will sink and all will be drowned.

One should undergo penance for others' welfare, for the well-being of the world; and the good that the world enjoys due to one's sacrifice is the reward.  One should not expect any reward greater than this.  The good result of a good action is the reward of that action.  Similarly the bad result of a bad deed is the negative price of that action.  The ancient sages used to practice penance by sitting near a firepit with their legs up and their hands down.  What value does this type of penance have?  Not much.  To continue to perform penance like this is certainly not the highest fulfillment of life.  Human beings have come onto this earth to do something good, some thing which will be of some benefit for the society for at least some period of time, if not forever.  This is the reason why Vivekananda said, "As you have come to the world, you must leave some mark behind"  That is, you must do something which will do good to human society for a long period, if not forever.

	There are some other people who exhort others by saying, " Success in human life lied in God-realisation, and you should do a'sanas and pra'na'ya'ma and other practices.  When your mind and its psychic propensities will be completely suspended, you will realise Parama Purus'a."  This is called hat'ha yoga.  Ha is the acoustic root of sun or fire, and t'ha is the acoustic root of moon or calmness.  Now when these two opposing flows, ha and t'ha - one is the actional flow, and the other is the cessation of the actional flow, the ida' and the piungala' - are forcibly made to become one, this is called hat'ha yoga.  Thus when something which was not expected is done suddenly or forcibly, we use the expression hat'ha't.

Many people criticize this path of hat'ha yoga because, they say, the practices of a'sanas, pra'n'a'ya'ma, etc. are not very congenial for spiritual progress.  In fact, the defects of this system are as follows; first such yogiis cannot render any useful service to the world, for they have to keep themselves engaged in these practices for twenty-four hours a day.  But human beings have to do so many things in life, not only the practices of a'sanas, pra'n'a'ya'ma, etc.  They must learn many things and teach many things to others.  Instead of doing that, if some people spend a major portion of their days practising pra'n'a'ya'ma, how will they find time for setting an example for others?

Yes, pra'n'a'ya'ma has its necessity - a limited necessity; but any rigorous practice should be done for the welfare of others, otherwise what is the benefit of such practices with one's legs up and head down, sitting beside a firepit?  Unnecessarily the practitioners subject themselves to physical torture.  People understand the utility of austerity when they realise that the world of living beings was created by our Lord, and if we serve His world, how pleased He will be!  If I undergo penance while rendering service to the society, there is no selfishness in this because the austerity is no longer a penance - it becomes a source of joy.  Hence those who undergo penance for the sake of penance are greatly mistaken.

	The same applies to Yoga.  If yoga is treated as a means of realising Parama Purus'a and not as a type of hat'ha' yoga, then this is the real yoga.  Otherwise if one practices pra'n'a'ya'ma for a long portion of the day, then one's coming onto this earth becomes meaningless.  Many people suspend their vital energy by means of hat'ha' yogic practices.  Others wrongly think that since such people can suspend their life-force, they must be great personalities - maha'purus'as.  Such a notion is wholly defective.  Through regular practice, one's life-force can be suspended, but that does not prove one's greatness.  One can survive for long without food; there are some specific techniques for that; but most people in the world do not know those methods,  If those who know the methods are called maha'purus'as, this is not correct.

There is a particular system of yoga called ka'yakalpa yoga in which the practitioner can suspend the activities of different parts of the body from within and yet survive five to ten years by drawing vital energy from the air.  Of course, in that state one cannot do any physical work, because the motor organs of the body remain temporarily inactive - their activities remain suspended.  Previously this system of ka'yakalpa yoga was a recognised system of medical treatment within the scope of hat'ha yoga.  Today, people have forgotten this system of treatment.  If any teacher will train others in this method, then others can learn it.

	But what is the benefit?  If people through kay'akalpa yoga keep their limbs inactive for thirty long yeas out of their life span of eighty years, at the age of eighty when their limbs become active, their bodies will be like those of a fifty year old man for virtually they are fifty years old.  But they spent thirty years in that state of suspension - so what is the benefit?  Had they remained active for those thirty years, they could have done much work; but they spent those years in total inaction.  This is completely meaningless.  Theoretically they are eighty years old, but practically they lived only for fifty years - the remaining thirty years they spent in a state of hibernation.  What is the benefit of a life of hibernation like that of frogs and snakes which suspend all activities during winter?  There is absolutely no benefit.  Instead, that long period of time could be better spent in some useful service.

	The practice of yoga should be such that it will bring people in contact with the Lord.  Yoga practitioners should practice those processes that lead to the different stages of yoga: sa'lokya, sa'miipya, sa'yujua, sa'rs't'hi, kaevalya, etc.  That is good both for the society as well as for the individuals concerned.  But if one does not advance spiritually and yet one practices Pra'n'a'ya'ma for hours together, it does good neither to the individual nor to the society.  The goal of all spiritual endeavour is Parama Purus'a.  So whatever we do, we must do keeping Parama Purus'a fixed before our eyes - we must not do anything forgetting Him.

	There are many people who are fond of reading good books - voluminous books on philosophy, spirituality, etc.  Now if one's mind roams about in the filth of hell, what real purpose will be served by reading the scriptures?  You have seen some white ants living in the pages of books of scriptures.  They are always immersed in the scriptures: do they attain liberation or salvation thereby?  No, certainly not.  Besides, the path of knowledge is more analytic than synthetic, and often in the minds of those who follow it there is a hidden desire that other people should accept them as great scholars.  Now if they cherish the internal desire that others should regard them as great scholars, their minds will become extroversal.  So what is to be gained thereby?  The desire for praise will go on increasing and in the process they will finally turn out to be inferior people.  Any dishonest people, merely by praising them, can easily get them to perform even bad actions.

So those persons who do not possess genuine love for Parama Purus'a, who are averse to spiritual practice, who only read books and scrounge for bits of intellectual information, who go to listen to the instructions of religious teachers, cannot do any really good work in the world.  And worst of all, those people, by hankering after others' praise, become worse than ordinary people.

	Moreover, there are some serious shortcomings in the path of knowledge.  Knowledge resides in the brain, and the brain may develop serious diseases which will destroy all one's knowledge.  The acquiring of too much knowledge is bad, for sometimes intellectual people become mad due to the clash of conflicting ideas - their minds become unnatural.  Then the society get no real service from them - they become mere liabilities to the society.

	There are other persons who advise people to practice various rituals like painting sandalwood paste on their foreheads, or sitting while facing only in one particular direction.  It takes a lot of time to complete these complicated rituals, and time is so valuable in human life.  Besides, what is to be gained in painting sandalwood marks on the forehead if the mind wanders in the mire of hell?  This is considered to be one of the paths to reach Parama Purus'a, by following certain special rules.

There are some people who think that if they simply ideate on Parama Purus'a daily for some time, then their purpose will be served.  But this is not enough.  Yes, when you think of Parama Purus'a for some time you will no doubt remain elevated for that period; but when you again become engrossed in your mundane duties you will again become stepped in mire.  Who will save you at that time?  In each and every action you will have to try to realise the Supreme Entity; then and only then will those actions not be binding.  Otherwise, every action will become the cause of great bondage.

Suppose someone is sitting in a particular place, reciting his or her Is't'a mantra silently.  If the mind is engaged elsewhere, then the repetition of the Is't'a mantra is nothing but a wastage of time.  So no one should do such a type of japa or repetition; we do not recognise it as japa at all.

	In order to do japa, sufficient mental strength and mental equilibrium or equipoise is required.  In the midst of wordily squabbles and intrigues, the repetition of one's Is't'a mantra is not all possible.  This is why I advise people to do kiirtana loudly some time before meditation; because after kiirtana the mind is elevated to a great extent, and in that elevated state of mind, one can easily concentrate in meditation.

	Now, what should be the ideal code of conduct of a human being?  The first thing is that people must maintain a balance between their mundane life and their spiritual life.  And secondly, while maintaining a balance, they should attach importance to every action, considering it to be an action of Parama Purus'a.  Thirdly, people should always remember that they have come onto this earth to discharge some God-given duties - that they are merely tools in the hands of the Supreme.  They have come to the world to do some work for the Lord: they themselves had neither any intention nor any necessity to come to this world.  The Lord has sent them for a short period to do some work for Him, and they should keep on doing that work with total disregard for praise or blame.

	Nindantu niitinipun'a'h yadi va' stuvantu: "If I am too concerned with those who praise or censure me, I will not find time to do my real work.  As I have come to this world only for a short period, my only concern should be to keep on doing the duty the Lord has assigned to me.  And while doing this allotted duty, I should remember that I belong to Parama Purus'a.  I have come form Him, and I will have to return to Him - and to do that, I must complete my allotted duty."

	Now what are one's allotted duties?  The Lord has created this world, and He has been playing His divine game with His creation.  One must think, "I shall help Him in His liila' (divine play); I will act in all respects like a tool in His hands.  After pondering deeply, I will do only that which will please Him and make Him smile.  Seeing that smile on His face, my mind will be filled with joy.  Parama Purus'a is the absolute and Supreme entity for me - I have been moving, and I will keep on moving only to merge in Him one day.  And that Entity who sent me into this world will also do everything necessary for me - that is His primary responsibility.  I should not have the audacity to remind Him about His duties - He knows better than I do what He wants me to do.  Perhaps He has been thinking about me longer than I have been thinking about myself!  He is maintaining a close watch on me twenty-four hours a day, for two reasons: one, so that I should not go astray, and secondly, so that I do not fall in any trouble or difficulty."

	Some people pray to the Lord, "Oh God, give me beauty, give me success, good fortune, fame - and grant me victory over my enemies."  This type of prayer is totally unnecessary.  He understands what is necessary for you - let Him do His duty. you simply keep doing your duty and say, "I will continue to do whatever duty you have assigned to me, and in the process if my energy is exhausted, please supply me with more so that I can properly do the duty which you have given me.  I am ready to work for you - please get your work done through me as you think fit.  I want nothing in return."

	The only goal of living beings is to attain Parama Purus'a.  This singular goal should permeate the major portion of the activities of ideal human beings.  You should always remember that from the moment you get up until the moment you go to sleep, Parama Purus'a is your supreme Goal.  Whatever you do, you should do keeping your vision fixed on that Goal.  Only to perform His allotted tasks have you come onto this earth.  You should always think, "I will die while doing those tasks - even while dying I will continue to do His work."

Ananda Purnima 1979, Calcutta