For each and every piece of work you should know what is what and which is which; why you are doing this, why you are not doing that. So many times in the past I said that our human society is a singular entity. It is integral, it cannot be divided into fragments and parts, because rudimentally humanity is one.

Does a child know that it belongs to a particular country? Does a child know that it is white or it is black or it is yellow? Does it know — a child, a little one? It does not. We senior people inject so many isms into their minds. We say, “You belong to the upper class;” we say, “You belong to the lower caste.” We say, “You are a Jew,” “You are a Muslim,” and so many things. We, the senior people, are responsible for all these differences in human society. But human society is one. And who are the people at fault? The senior persons, the respectable persons. Is it not a fact? You say — Is it not a fact?

[Audience replies: “It is a fact.”]

Our society is one. And I am preaching this from my very childhood — that human society is one.

Say, creed. We say there are so many creeds. “We are serving the human society irrespective of creed.” We say like this. But can there be more than one creed? What is the human creed? To move towards the Supreme Entity, move towards the Supreme Source, the perennial source of bliss. It is the only creed. Knowingly or unknowingly, we are all moving towards — what? We are all seekers of — what? We want — what? We want bliss. We want peace. So for the entire human society the creed is — what? How many? One. We are all knowingly or unknowingly moving towards Him; so human society cannot have more than one creed.

Can there be more than one creed? No. Those who say that there are so many creeds in society are actually — they do not resort to truth. I will not say they resort to falsehood, because they are also gentlemen and ladies. But I must say that they are not resorting to truthfulness. (Because I am a gentleman, I am to use guarded language.) [laughter]

The second thing, you see, people may say there are so many religions. No, there is only one religion, not so many religions. And that religion is sana’tana dharma, ma’nava dharma, Bha’gavata dharma. That is, what is religion? The goal is attainment of Godhood, to be one with the Supreme Father, to come near the Supreme Father, to enjoy the supreme bliss. That is the goal.

So can there be more than one religion? No. Those who say like this are not religious people. They are agents of religious ism. Can there be more than one religion? There is only one human religion, and that religion teaches us to move towards the Supreme Father.

Class. Is it a creation of the Supreme Entity? All classes, say in the sense of economic classes, rich, poor, etc. — are they God-given or man-made? What are they?

[Audience replies: “Man-made.”] Man-made.

These things are creations of our defective social order. And who is the creator of this defective social order? Human beings.

And, caste. When all are children of the Supreme Father, all are progeny of the Supreme Entity, children of the same Father, can they belong to more than one caste? If the father is a Brahman, his children will certainly be Brahmans. Children inherit the caste of the father.* When the Supreme Father for the world is one, can there be more than one caste in human society? You say — I just ask you. No, there cannot be more than one caste. No Brahman and no Shu’dra, all one. When they have got the same father, the same progenitor, then they must belong to the same caste. So my decision is final and supreme. Human society is a singular entity; human society is one and indivisible.

* Here the author voices a caste rule used by dogmatists, to show that their same logic can lead to a different conclusion. –Eds.

When paying respect to a person, we should remember this fact: that we belong to the same class, same creed, same community, same religion, same family. We have this supreme family binding with one another. Nobody is superior to you; nobody is inferior to you. You pay respect to anybody and everybody because anybody and everybody is an expression of that Supreme Entity.

What is our style of extending goodwill? We say, Namaska’r. That is, “I pay respect to the Supreme Entity residing within you.” You should remember this. “I concentrate all the good feelings of my mind here in the trikut’i [between the eyebrows].”

In your mind there are so many propensities. Propensities are called vrtti in Sanskrit. So there are so many vrttis, so many propensities, in your mind. One portion of your mind is saying, “Today I’ll take hot rice.” Another portion is saying, “In the near future I’ll try to go to Calcutta.”

Another portion of your mind is saying, “Now I’ll have to do some relief service to the people.” Another portion is saying, “I should do something concrete for the refugees.” There are so many thoughts within your mind. Another portion of your mind is saying, “I’ll become a wholetime worker. I’ll leave my house.” Another portion is saying, “But my mother will be weeping.” Another portion is saying, “No, no, I’ll have to do something for the greater world.”

So many thoughts are in your mind. But you should concentrate all your thoughts at a particular point, here — that is, with all the strength and goodwill of your mind you are doing this — you are touching these two palms here [trikut’i]. That is, you are concentrating all your goodwill here, because you are paying respect to Parama Purus’a residing within this body; this body; this body; this body [pointing to different people]. First do this.

And not only mental concentration, you are human beings, you have got so many sentiments also. Human sentiment, you know? When you feel much joy you burst into tears, when much sorrow you burst into tears. These are sentiments. And human beings are guided by sentiment, more by sentiment than by logic, you must not forget it — more by sentiment than by logic. So your sentiment is also there, so with all the concentration of your mind and with all the sweetness of your sentiment, from the very core of your heart, you are paying respect to Parama Purus’a residing within human structure. So you do this [palms together at midpoint of chest], and say, Namaska’r. I think you have understood it?

A very sweet idea. So it is my opinion, my desire, that human society [be] one, indivisible; it is an expressed form, a sweet expression, of Parama Purus’a, to whom you should always pay respect by doing namaska’r.

–Prabhat Rainjan Sarkar (AKA Shrii Shrii Anandamurtii)
9 August 1979 morning, Bangkok
A’NANDA VACANA’MRTAM PART 30