Every day,
we only wish to
tell others
about the profits we made.
Our minds
do not venture
into introducing
the topic of accounts.
We wish
to only delve into
the juicy details;
the vessel in which
that juice resides -
we consider
that
very hard.
But,
in the lower story of Immortality -
Truth is Sitting;
there is no way
to totally exclude Him,
and
go to That Realm of Joy.
Truth is the Essence of Rules.
If we have to obey Him,
we definitely need to obey
All His Rules.
Whatever is True -
which is to say,
Whatever Is
and
Whatever Exists -
They cannot be free from Rules
in any way;
They Exist
verily because
They Exist within some Rules.
The truth
that does not have
any rules,
any bondage -
that is a mere dream,
that is a mere whim;
that is even more illusory than the dream,
that is even more empty than the whim.
He Who Is the Essence of Complete Truth -
He Does Not Get Bound by others' rules;
His Own Rules
Are
within Himself only.
If that does not happen -
if He has not Bound Himself,
then nothing can come out of Him,
then nothing can be saved from Him.
Then in the rampaging dance of madness
nothing would have had any fixity anymore.
But, we can see -
the very Form of Truth are Rules -
completely indefectible Rules;
not a single end of Them
has even a shade of exceptions.
This is precisely why
in the Bondage
of This Truth,
the Whole Universe
has remained imbedded;
this is precisely why
with Truth,
our intellect has connections,
and
upon That Truth,
our Total Dependence Exists.
Just like a tree
requires at the beginning
to go deep into the soil
with its roots,
likewise,
we too
in the beginning -
need to
establish ourselves upon Truth
with innumerable big and small roots.
Whether we wish or not -
this practice we have to perform.
A baby cries out: 'I shall walk upon my feet';
but, till the moment
(s)he can negotiate gravity
by obeying the rules of walking -
after much practice -
until that moment,
(s)he has no other recourse -
only saying 'I shall walk' shall not do.
These rules of walking -
whenever the baby accepts them,
then
these rules
do not torment him/her
anymore.
Not only is it the case that
they do not torment him/her,
but
they also give joy to him/her;
the moment
the baby acknowledges
the Bondage of True Rules -
(s)he gains his/her own Power of Walking,
and becomes joyful.
Thus,
gradually -
when (s)he learns to
completely obey
the truth of water,
the truth of soil,
the truth of fire -
then
not only are some of his/her inconveniences got rid of,
but
with respect to
water, soil, fire -
his/her powers become successful,
and also give joy to him/her.
Not only with the Nature of the Universe -
but with society too,
in order to be able to connect with the Society
in True Relationship -
the baby
needs to perform
a lot of practice;
(s)he needs to accept
a lot of rules;
(s)he needs to stop
a lot of indulgences,1
(s)he needs to lessen
a lot of anger;
(s)he needs to bind himself/herself
in a lot of ways,
and (s)he needs to do that
with a lot of people.
When accepting these rules
becomes easy for him/her,
then
living in the society becomes joyful to him/her as well;
it is verily then, that
his/her powers with respect to the society -
with the help of those very bondages of rules -
those diverse bondages of rules -
become free from obstructions,
and
receive great joy.
Thus -
when most of the people
within the Nature of the Universe
and
within Society -
become more-or-less passable,
it is verily then
that
they start feeling secure,
and
considering themselves unimpeachable,
become happy.
But there is a certain kind of money
that works in villages but not in cities,
works in a cheap store of the city but not in a bank.
If we go to a bank to redeem the value of that,
then immediately
the banker who is there -
(s)he recognizes it as bogus
with nothing more than a single touch,
and voids it on the spot.
Our condition, too, is just like that -
in our house,
in our village,
in our society
we have kept ourselves tolerable -
but,
when we stand in a big bank,
then immediately -
to the banker,
in a single moment
all our impurities get exposed.
If we want to be present there -
then we shall need to be True, even more True.
We shall have to bind ourselves
with
many more rules;
we shall have to accept
many more liabilities.
In That Market of Immortality -
even a tiny bit of fakeness won't work;
unless we become Completely Pure Truth
we cannot hope to buy Immortality.
That is why
I was saying -
if we only keep talking about the Elixir of Immortality,
that won't work;
we shall also need to
see to the Accounts of That.
When we sit to check our own accounts,
then even if there is a discrepancy of two to four rupees,
we say: oh that doesn't matter.
Thus, every day
the discrepancies only keep accruing.
With Nature and with People
in our behavior every day
large and small -
so many untruths and so many misdeeds
we are perpetrating -
if word arises with respect to them,
we immediately say:
'those things always happen,
many people do those things,
those things do not imply that
I need to
get out of the Civil Society.'
In the ledger of domestic accounts
these kinds of laxity take place;
but those who are honest by birth2,
those who are great people3 -
if in a business worth one lakh rupees
the accounts of a single paisa cannot be settled -
they cannot sleep
all night.
Those who are looking at big profits -
they fear even a minute discrepancy;
they cannot live
without making their accounts completely and impeccably true.
That is why I was saying,
That Ultimate Emotion - the Emotion of Love4,
if we want to grow up to be the Banker of That -
then
calling the Accounts Ledger dry,
and
eluding It by even a tiny amount
shall not do.
He Who Is the Treasurer of Immortality -
to Him -
whimsical requests
shall not work at all.
For He Is a Great Accountant -
in This Huge Affair of the Universe,
there is no error in Accounting anywhere -
to Him,
in what excuse
shall I go and say,
'I don't know anything else,
I don't recognize anything else5,
Please Give me Love6 only,
Please Make me mad with Love.'
The day
Maitreyii cried out
for Immortality,
the first thing
She said was,
'Asato Maa Sadgamaya -
Please Bind my life, my psyche
in Truth -
delivering them from
all wayward untruths;
the Talk of Immortality
can happen
after that.'
We too have to perform that very prayer
every day;
we too have to say;
Asato Maa Sadgamaya -
Please Do Not Let my mind
be scattered to thousand pieces
in lawless, unrestrained untruth;
Please Bind it
completely -
in the Unworn Thread of Truth;
after that,
That Necklace -
if I want to put It on Your neck,
then
I shall not have to be ashamed.
6 Paush 1315
(December 20, 1908)
Bengali original: http://www.tagoreweb.in/Render/ShowContent.aspx?ct=Essays&bi=72EE92F5-BE50-4057-6E6E-0F7410664DA3&ti=72EE92F5-BE50-4617-FE6E-0F7410664DA3&ch=c