Play
your role to please the Lord
You are
neither a Brahmana nor the Kshatriya nor a Vaisya nor again a Sudra: you are
neither Indian nor a European nor do you belong to any other part of the world;
you are neither a Hindu nor one embracing any other religion or creed. You are eternal fragment of God, you are
identical with the Supreme Spirit. Like you, not only the human beings but all
living beings of the whole universe are eternal fragments of God or one with
the same Spirit. That you are manifest in the form of this body is a Maya
(enchantment) of the Lord or His play. Recognizing this body as well as all its
activities to be a pastime of the Lord, witnessing his play uniformly
everywhere and playing the role of an actor in His play according to His
pleasure. Offer worship to the Lord by behaving according to the part assigned
to you. Let the pleasure of the Lord be the sole motive of each dealing of
yours everywhere in an equal degree. Let your behaviour vary but not your
recognition of equality this constitutes skill in action.
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| Famous Temples of West Bengal |
Never brings your likes and dislikes into play anywhere. Just as the
notion of one’s own and other than one’s own for the sake of play as well as
one’s behaviour in accordance with this notion exist only at the time of play,
till the play is over and by way of the play alone, nay, they exist only for
the successful conduct of the play, there is not the least notion of one’s own
and other than one’s own in reality nor are there any likes or dislikes at play
at any time anywhere, in the same way worship the Lord by doing your duty in
the proper way, unswayed by likes and dislikes.
If taking a fancy for any living being, object or situation and
recognizing anyone as your own at any place, you hate another, you will not
only burn with haltered and perpetrate sin in the form of anger and violence;
but if at the moment of death the thought of any object of hatred is
predominant in your mind, you will be reborn in that very country to which the
object of your hatred belonged and will begin to hate that very individual for
whom you conceived a liking and cherished a feeling of mine, hating another.
For example, suppose you belong to a country. Now if you die with the thought
of that other country foremost in your mind, you will be born in that very
country and in the same way as you cherish a liking for this country and a
dislike for the other land, you will then begin to cherish a liking for the
other country and a dislike for this country. Therefore do not conceive a
liking or dislike for anyone or anything anywhere. Maintaining an outlook of
equality at all times in every respect, worship the Lord—serve Him through the
performance of your duty.
Whatever exists in this world is meant for some use. This is a
matter-of-fact world of usage. All this disparities belong to the
matter-of-fact world and are essential. Really speaking however, their nature
is not what it appears to be. In reality—in essence of course God alone is
sporting everywhere, constantly go on perceiving His pastimes; through
different sentiments continue to enjoy the one great sentiment that He is and
go on propitiating the all-sportful Lord by turning every activity proceeding
from you into a part of His Play.
The all-sportful Lord and His pastimes are essentially the same, though
appearing different. Appearing in endless forms through sport while remaining
one, He continues to enact an endless variety of plays.
So long as you are not able to perceive the all-sportful Lord and His
play your bondage will not come to an end nor will your impurity disappear nor
will your fear and despondency cease nor will you find peace or happiness,
Therefore perceive the Lord and His play everywhere at all times in uniform
degree.