The Pearl of Wisdom - Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12

Who is a true human?

Disciple: O glorious guru, how is one to live as a human? What are the duties of man? Teach me these, my glorious guru.

Guru: Listen, child. It is rare to be born a man. It is rarer still to be born a man who is not lame, blind or deaf. It is rare to be born as a king among men. It is rarer still to be born as a “human”. To grow as a human, to live as a human, to believe and trust in the Inestimable God, to forget the body, wealth and life and to become a “gnani” whose trust is exclusively in God and God alone, is very, very rare indeed ! However, in the nature of things, a man so born has to perform good deeds on the earth. All evil should be torn away. Theft, murder, lust, abuse of the guru and falsehood must be dispelled. Deceit must be removed. Charity must be given high priority. Evil thoughts must be banished. Gratitude must be well performed. Temper must be destroyed. Duty must be fulfilled truthfully. Theft and killing must be discarded. Senseless ideas must be plucked out. You must forget gossip and backbiting. You must love all other lives as your own. You must not deviate from truth, patience, tranquillity, calmness, duty and justice. You must shower compassion on every living thing created by God.

Man shines as a being who occupies an exalted position over all other lives. Such a dignified man – a god on earth, must not harm any other being but perform charitable acts. All beings are drawn in affection towards a man who is thus endowed with charity and filled with many other human traits. In consequence, God bestows on him His Compassion. The eighty-four hundred thousand (84,00,000) lives, starting from the fly and the ant will shower their affection on him.

The man who follows this path and lives an exalted life is the true human. Even if this is not done, but he refrains from harming any being, this in itself, is said to be a great act.

Know this well and know thy own self. You must realise the truth and look at all things with compassion, disciples, gems of my eyes.

Disciple: Swami, we shall try to know all this and behave accordingly.