THREE TYPES OF OCCUPATIONS

official source: Prout in a Nutshell Part 16

cross-references: none

this version: is the printed Prout in a Nutshell Part 16, 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.

      There are three types of jiivika' or occupations for human beings -- physical, mental and spiritual. Animals have only one type of occupation and that is physical. If animals get food they are satisfied, but human beings are not satisfied with food or mere physicalities. They also need to be engaged in psychic and spiritual occupations. Psychic occupations are those which engage the mind, while A'dhya'tmik or Dha'rmic Jiivika, or spiritual occupations, are those which involve human beings in the field of Dharma.

      The first human beings evolved one million years ago in Ra'r'h. These first humans were no better than animals. They had only one occupation and that was physical. They used to hunt animals for food, and to be successful hunters, they needed weapons. So primitive people started producing weapons out of bones. This signified the beginning of the first age -- the Bone Age. However, bone weapons could not fulfill all their requirements.

      After the Bone Age came the Stone Age. In the Stone Age stones were the predominant tools. Stones were harder than bones and lasted longer. Even today in Ra'r'h, stone tools can be found where a river flows near the base of a mountain.

      After the Stone Age came the Bronze Age. In the Bronze Age people started manufacturing deities out of bronze. Some of these statues can still be found today.

      After the Bronze Age came the Iron Age. At this stage human beings progressed more rapidly and spread out with increasing speed. In the Iron Age people also began to manufacture items more scientifically.

      Although human beings evolved about 1,000,000 million years ago, the present humans originated only 100,000 years ago. Human beings took 900,000 years to progress to this stage. Even after this, a long time passed before human beings became civilised.

      Before the Iron Age, human beings used to live in caves or trees. These primitive humans were mainly engaged in physical occupations, though a small amount of their energy was spent in psychic occupations. Their physical occupations involved gather ing, preparing and eating food, while dance satisfied their need for psychic occupation.

      One of the first discoveries human beings made was the ladder, as primitive humans felt the need to climb trees to get to their homes. Later a type of ladder was also used to level wet ground for agriculture. A similar system is still used in parts of India today.

      Once agriculture started, people learnt how to grow straw, and they began to build straw houses on the ground. After human beings learnt the science of elementary construction, they were able to travel and settle wherever they chose, and they achieved a measure of stability and security in social life. This development led human beings to contemplate something higher than the physical or psychic spheres, and they began to think about spirituality. This in turn led to the commencement of Atmic or Dharmic jiivika 15,000 years ago, and consequently the Upanishad and the A'rnyaka portions of the Vedas were composed. So, we can say that human civilisation started about 15,000 years ago, and that the Vedic civilisation is the oldest civilisation in the world.

      About this time, people also began to specialise in different fields of labour according to their capacity and efficiency. For example, those who were physically strong would protect their village and provide general security, and those who were more artistic or skillful would manufacture artifacts, clay pots or prepare hides and cloth. In those days there was no caste system.

      However, a full-fledged civilisation, with the four symbols of advancement -- agriculture, the wheel, dress and script -- start ed only about 7,000 years ago. Human beings had grasped the rudimentals of these inventions by this time. Pictorial letters were invented less than 7,000 years ago, and philosophy was discovered only about 4,000 years ago. People knew how to make steel in the time of the Maha'bharata 3,500 years ago.

      With the invention of the wheel, the use of bullock carts became widespread. Those who were responsible for discoveries like the wheel or bullock carts were known as "Mahatmans." The title "Ma'ha'to" came from Mahatman. The Ma'ha'to community of today are the descendants of the talented people of the past. Some people think that Mahato is a caste, but this is not correct. There is no logic behind the caste system.

      Today human beings are becoming increasingly engaged in psychic and spiritual occupations, and this trend will increase more rapidly in the future.

      A'nanda Ma'rgiis should never compel people to follow A'nanda Ma'rga philosophy. Rather, they should always inspire people along the path of spirituality by encouraging selfless service, sacrifice, good conduct, spiritual practices, the development of all-round knowledge, etc. A'nanda Ma'rga is a comprehensive mode of living based on spirituality, and in A'nanda Ma'rga sa'dhana', dhyana and japa are Atmic or Dharmic jiivika.

11 November 1988, Calcutta