Identifying Chameleons

Those people who are motivated by geo-sentiments have been harming society in countless ways.

You cannot such:

• identify people through your defective knowledge
• detect human chameleons

If you alone are personally harmed by those people, if you alone are persecuted, humiliated, or exploited, it does not matter much.

But if a whole social group is affected, that cannot be ignored.

You will have to identify such reactionary forces in the society, such vocal revolutionaries who claim to be socio-economico-political reformists, but who actually befool the people by adopting such pseudo-reformist, pseudo-humanistic strategies. You will have to recognize them all.

When you fail through study to detect those pseudo-revolutionaries, those who are depriving the masses of the minimum necessities of life, what will you do? You will have to identify them.

You will have to analyse each and everything in the proper perspective. Until you come to a clear conclusion after proper analysis, you cannot rescue the people from the tightening noose of exploitation.

Here the importance of study is tremendous – you will have to do it. You cannot afford to shut the pages of your books and remain like frogs in the well. You must enlarge your mental horizons and move ahead by shattering all social bondages.

What sorts of bondage?

The bondages of geo-sentiment. You will have to shatter all of them. The frog in the well thinks that its well is perhaps the biggest body of water in the world. But when it comes in contact with a big pool, it realizes that the pool is greater than was the well.

After coming in contact with a pond it further realizes that this is greater still than the pool.

When finally it sees the ocean, it realizes that this is something really big. It thinks, “As long as I was in the well, I thought the well to be the greatest.” Similarly, until geo-sentiment is removed, people will fail to realize the truth. Hence the tremendous importance of study.

But at the same time, care must be taken to avoid the limitations inherent in study. For instance, we are taught that our country is blessed with profuse water and laden with fruits.

After hearing this, we may pass on this information to thousands of people.

But after proper study, we come to discover that our country is suffering terribly from an acute scarcity of water: People do not even get a sufficient supply of drinking water, what to speak of water for irrigation. We are told, “Our country abounds in agricultural produce, especially fruits, which are then exported to different countries;” but after we study, we discover that our country is importing thousands of tons of food grains from different countries, and the very lives of our people depend upon these imports.

Sometimes even rotten flour comes from distant lands, and that flour, after being soaked in water, serves as food. Yet we say, parrot-like: “My golden land, I adore you.” These are some examples of the bondages of geo-sentiment which people fall into due to their ignorance.

Those who detect the facts later on simply burst into laughter and think, “When I repeated these tall tales to others, I wonder what they thought of me!” These types of false notion based on geo-sentiment have to be totally smashed, and for this there is no other way but careful study.

But even study is not enough. There are some people, particularly vocal revolutionaries, who glibly speak many high-sounding words. Through these high-sounding words, they sway the weak and sensitive parts of the mind. For instance, they say: “My native land is like this, like that”… “We are such-and-such race”… “We are a race of heroes and heroines.”

This is how they sentimentalize people. And, caught up in these geo-sentiments, the people become devoid of rationality and also shout to the same tune. At that time, they do not realize that their shouting is inspired by false information.

One will have to escape from those bondages of false information. “The water of such-and-such river of my country is so pure that it never becomes spoiled.

By drinking it – what to speak of human beings only – each and every protoplasmic cell of the human body will attain liberation!” But strangely enough, in that river there are so many fish and aquatic creatures who do not attain liberation! Moreover, scientists, after examining that water, concluded that that so-called pure water is not fit even for bathing, much less for drinking!

These are all different expressions of geo-sentiment.

Thus the importance of study is tremendous.

Those who are educated must conduct seminars among themselves and also among the less-educated – they must make the latter understand. Knowledge must be disseminated throughout all sections of society.

You must create opportunities for all people to judge everything in the light of truth. Liberate the intellect of each and every person. Human intellect is now bogged down in a marshy quagmire – let people enjoy the sweet taste of intellectual freedom.

Rationalistic Mentality

You should remember that defects in study – defects due to ignorance and defects due to change in time – are all non-transcendental – práptajiṋána and not áptajiṋána. That which establishes one in the spiritual realm is transcendental knowledge. It is also called ápta vákya in Sanskrit. How to eliminate these defects? Through rationalistic mentality. Everything written in books should not be automatically accepted. I may read and understand everything written in books, but my mental acceptance will come later. When shall I accept it? After thoroughly verifying all that I have read. Now for this verification, one must develop rationality. You should remember that study is the first step, and rationalistic mentality is one step higher. In which direction? Towards the establishment of Neohumanism.

The first step towards the establishment of Neohumanism is study; the second step is rationalistic mentality. I will hear something, then I will analyse its positive side and its negative side through rational analysis. I will weigh the pros and cons of everything. If the positive side is predominant, I will give my verdict in its favour – I will say, “Yes, it will do.” And when I see that the negative aspect is predominant, I will conclude in the negative – that is, I will say, “No, it will not do.”

(This sort of clear conclusion, this logical decision – not a mere decision only – in favour of either the positive or the negative is termed siddhánta in Sanskrit. So siddhánta means “logical decision”. Not just “decision”, “logical decision.” Do not confuse the word.)

This logical decision in favour of the positive or negative is not final either; you will still have to proceed ahead. And in which direction is that next step? If that logical decision is conducive to human welfare, for the benefit and happiness of all beings, for the spiritual well-being of all, then only will we support and propagate that idea and devote ourselves wholeheartedly to its implementation. Otherwise we will some day say, “This decision is good, no doubt, but it has no value in the practical world. Its dazzling colour will vanish after some time, just like a firefly’s glow.”

Similarly, when you reach your clear decision in favour of the negative, and when you see that the rejection of that idea leads to the benefit and happiness of all beings, the spiritual well-being of all, you will reject it permanently – “My ‘no’ is final.”

Or else, if you see that by proper cultivation it may be used for human welfare, then you should say, “My ‘no’ is not final – this idea may be used in future.” That is, regarding anything that may later be used for promoting human welfare, the “no” is not a final one; but if it cannot be used at all for human welfare, the “no” is final. Perhaps in the future you will support it; not only support it, you may devote all your time and energy for its propagation. So this final discrimination for promoting human welfare which is the final outcome or desiderative point of discrimination, is called viveka – “conscience”.

Now, what will you do to counteract geo-sentiment, to safeguard yourself and also the collective body? (It is more important to protect the collectivity than to save yourself.) First, you will study. And what will you do to remove the defects in study? You will have to come to a logical decision after examining the positive and negative sides. And then, after reaching a conclusion, you will decide whether that conclusion will be implemented or not; whether or not you will materialize that conclusion will be decided on the basis of whether or not it is conducive to human welfare. When you reach this final decision, this final desiderative point, that is your conscience. Finally, through your conscience, you can successfully combat geo-sentiment.

Many people have come into this world, who by their cunning have instilled various dogmas in peoples’ minds and exploited them in various ways. Ultimately the greatest necessity to fight against them is your conscience. I have already explained to you what conscience is. You must keep your conscience ever-vigilant. You must never merely applaud after hearing others’ words or reading books. You must not give undue importance to any person or any theory. In this way you will have to fight against geo-sentiment through study and rationalistic mentality.

In the first stage you study; in the second you analyse the positive and negative sides; and in the third stage you arrive at “blissful or non-blissful, auxiliary or non-auxiliary.”(2) When you complete this whole process of logical reasoning, the outcome is your “awakened conscience”. This state of awakened conscience is what is called “rationalistic mentality.”

Keep your conscience ever-vigilant. Develop a firm rationalistic mentality, and no one will be able to deceive you by false geo-sentiment. This rationalistic mentality will provide you with sufficient inspiration and strength to fight against socio-sentiment, ordinary humanistic sentiment, and pseudo-humanistic strategy. You will not only gain vocal strength, but become strong in all respects.

22 March 1982, Calcutta

Footnotes

(1) The idea that someone is the direct descent of the Almighty. –Trans.

(2) That is, that which does or does not contribute to the welfare of all. –Trans.