December 21, 1950.
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Shri Gopinath Bordoloi, Ex-Chief Minister of Assam,
and the Hon. Rohini
Kumar Choudhury came to Central Satsang, Pabna from Calcutta
by Assam Mail today. They put up at Pramathda’s house. They went there, took
rest for a while, and then they went to Thakur. Thakur was seated on a bedstead
near the embankment of the River Padma. It was the rainy season, and the water
was flowing past the embankment with a soft and sonorous splashing sound. They
came and took their seats on chairs beside Sri Sri Thakur. I came after they
did ; so I don’t know what conversation took place before I came. It was night
time of the dark fortnight.
Thakur
said, “It is not convenient
to talk if the face is not visible.” So the light was put on. Kestoda, Panchananda, Chakrapanida, Pramathda’s,
I and others were present. Shri Bordoloi raised topics on Dharma and Politics.
Thakur
said, “Dharma is such a
thing that nothing other than Dharma can be Dharma ; so it is called a science.
The cuckoo of England, of
the Sahara, or of any place utters the cry
‘coo,’ if it is a cuckoo at all. Dharma is everywhere one and the same, and
Dharma is all. You will find in the Philosophy of Sri Krishna that He has
spoken of all-inclusive Dharma alone. He has not spoken separately of politics,
as something divorced from Dharma. Politics is an integral part of Dharma.
Politics normally evolves where there arises a big crystallized community of
people centering around Dharma and its living embodiment. Then the slogan
becomes spontaneous, ‘We take shelter of Buddha, we take shelter of Dharma, we
take shelter of holy organization.’ In this way Dharma naturally includes
Politics.”
Then
came the theme of non-violence. Thakur paused and then replied emphatically,”Non-violence necessarily presupposes
violence to violence. You cannot establish non-violence by allowing violence to
remain unhampered and undisturbed. To be non-violent to violence is to nurture
violence by indulgence.”
Shri
Bordoloi brought up the problem of tribes in Assam. He referred especially to their
separatist tendencies. Sri Sri Thakur said, “We must spread among them through the channel of Dharma ;
we must serve them, we must build institution for them suiting their needs and
give them power befitting their ability. Then they will feel us as their own
and will try with us to make the entire society powerful.”
Thakur
went on spontaneously, “there
are two aspects in Dharma ; one divine ; the other, discrete. That which is
divine is eternal, universal and invariable ; there is no change in it. But the
discrete changes according to time, place and circumstance. For example, it is
necessary to take many chillies in one’s diet in Madras. But taking so many chillies here will
bring dysentery. There are some cold places where the smoking of hemp (ganja)
may be needed for one’s health ; so there is Dharma to smoke hemp. But it will
not hold good everywhere. In emergencies there is also the provision for taking
beef ; but if out of lust we introduce it everywhere---indiscriminately—then
Dharma or scripture cannot be blamed for the mischief. If we disregard moral
law, nature will have its own reaction. Do we care to obey scripture ? Say, for
example, there is definite mention in the Koran that the blood and flesh of
creatures do not reach Allah, but in actual practice just the opposite thing is
observed in the name of Dharma. There can be no difference among true Hindus,
true Muslims and true Christians. If there is difference, there is no Dharma.
At least, some deviation or disorder has crept in somewhere. This is the plain
fact I know ; I am not a learned man.”
Kestoda
asked, “Where is the
solution of all these problems ?”
Sri
Sri Thakur replied, “The
solution which brings solution of everything and fulfills every aspect of life
is the real solution. Today taxes are bring imposed on people in so many forms,
but if the system of offering to deity and dedicating properties to selfless,
benevolent Brahmins—once in vogue—be again introduced with new impetus, lots of
things can be organized on the strength of that fund. How long does it take to
get back the golden age of India
? Push it and organize it effectively. It is a tremendous thing, the loving
offer of heart out of gratitude. Those who give and the whole country receiving
the benefit thereof grow simultaneously. It is a materialized fact. Just do and
have. Oh! Sabyasachi, merely be an instrument ! Whatever we do, we must achieve
evolving integration towards the Ideal on the basis of the nurture of
individual instincts. Ideal means a practical man who has realized the truth in
flesh and blood. The realized men whose very being habitually pulsates with the
impulse of doing good to humanity is verily the man who can be our Ideal. It is
really interesting to note that there were many, many seers in our country, but
every one of them used to recognize and revere all the others in perfect amity,
as if all of them combined represented one man. In those days every community
locked to the interest of every other community, every man was the interest of
every other man, and every institution was the interest of all other
institutions ; and the magnificent result achieved thereby can be learned from
the reports of Magasthenes and others. When this integration was broken, it
spelled disaster for the country.”
Shri
Bordoloi said, “We shall
build a University at Gauhati in Assam.”
Sri
Sri Thakur said, “Do ; do
it immediately, Name it Basistha
University. What is the
good, giving it the name, ‘Gauhati
University’ ? Propagate
our ancient ideas and Ideals with all their glory. External conquest is no
conquest at all ; it is cultural conquest that brings fundamental errors, and
eugenic dislocation also invites them. Adjust these two sides and organize
agriculture, irrigation and agricultural industry. Moreover, you are to make
the whole nation an integrated mass, where every community is for every other
community, every party is for every other party, every province is for every
other province. I say, there is no need of hatred. Any bacteria may enter your
body, but if you increase your vital power, they will not be able to affect
you. I do not understand the significance of ill-will towards British. I always
think in terms of augmentation of our own powers. I also told to Dasda (Late C.R. Das). Also, we should not lose
sight of the fact that mere pacts can do no good, and compromise of principle
is highly injurious. We should also effectively infuse the idea in society that
there should be no question of Hindu, Muslims, Buddhist or Christian. The basic
point to be remembered is ‘vox expletory, vox dei’ ; that is, we should accept
the message of an all-fulfilling capable person as the voice of God, to
whatever community be may belong. If you begin in right earnest, you can
accomplish everything in no time.”
Someone
asked, “Under the present
circumstances, how can things be done immediately?”
Sri
Sri Thakur said, “Yes !
You can have it done right now, but you will have to work hard for it. Deer
never enter the mouth of a sleeping lion.”
Shri
Bordoloi said, “If we can
achieve success on a small scale, it is not difficult to expand it
extensively.”
“Yes ! You are very right. If a zygote
is formed, it can be evolved into a full-fledged body. If a nucleus takes
proper shape, there is no worry ; it will cover the whole country, like the
bamboo mat of Sultan Sahib.”
Sri
Sri Thakur went on speaking with an emotional fervour. “There are three things : Ideal,
Individual and Environment. And again :
Yajan (religious practice), Yaajan (religious propagation) and Ishtabhriti
(love offer to Ideal). Each individual will have to observe Yajan, Yaajan and
Ishtabhriti with active attention to Ideal and environment. His individuality,
with all its special characteristics, will sprout through it. And again, there
is also the statement in the Gita, “Those who propagate me will also attain to
me’ ; Yaajan is such a thing that God can be had only through it. Real
automatically brings Yajan and Ishtabhriti. There is no need to fear. We have
fallen a bit. That does not matter much. Even now our instinct, the immortal
necklace of germ cells within us, is all right. Everything will be right if we
can push on with alert eyes.”
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