Chapter 4

The heart must be plucked out and the bleeding heart placed upon the altar. Then great things are done.

Get up, put your shoulders to the wheel for how long is this life! As you have come in this world, leave some mark behind. When you first came in this world, the world rejoiced and you cried; now live your life in doing such acts that when you will leave this world, the world will cry and you will go laughing.

Millions like you and me think that we are great people in the world; but we all die, and in five minutes the world forgets us.

Whose birth is praiseworthy? – Who is never reborn. Whose death is praiseworthy? – Who never dies again.

People live to die; we die to live.

Achieve the consummation of human life before you pass off – Arise and awake and stop not till the goal is reached!

India must rise, the masses and the poor are to be made happy. Rejoice that you are the chosen instruments in His hands. Every man to the fore, every good will be added to it for us, every hand will smoothen its way, and glory be unto the Lord!

We are the servants of the Lord. Be you all helpers in His cause. He stands behind and gets his work done by us. So casting all doubts away, please help our work.

All blessings will attend those who will help in this great work; so help us to get strength to carry into practice His commands! He who will work will be the crown of His head.

Be ready to lend a hand to every worker of good; help all who are trying to be and do good.

Now, we have to make the character of Mahavira our ideal. See how at the command of Rama he crossed the ocean. He had no care for his life and death.

One who comes to fight without caring for one’s own life, his valour goes high one hundred times.

I shall consider myself fortunate if the cause to which my humble life is dedicated is able to win your approbation and support.

If you think that the cause is worthy of your association and sympathy then we shall be very grateful to receive your cooperation for the great work. Knowing your native kindness of heart I think I am not disturbing you by asking and entreating you to do something for this country. Yours, I am sure, will be the first hand that will be stretched forth to help.

That you may catch my fire, that you may be intensely sincere, that you may die the hero’s death in the field of battle – is my constant prayer.

That the Lord may make your noble hearts feel intensely for the suffering millions of India, sunk in ignorance and it is my constant prayer that all of you live a long life for the good of yourself as well as your brethren.

Godspeed to all good work and infinite blessings on all the workers of good.

In my view three things are needed to be a patriot. First, feeling from the heart. Do you feel? Do you feel that millions and millions of the descendants of the gods and the sages have become next-door neighbours to brutes? Do you feel that millions are starving today, and millions have been starving for ages? Do you feel that ignorance have come over the land as a dark cloud? Does it make you restless, does it make you sleepless? Has it gone into your blood, coursing through your veins, becoming consonant with your heart beats? Has it made you almost mad? Are you seized with that one idea of the misery of ruin, and have you forgotten all about your name, fame, wives, children, property even your own bodies? Have you done that? This is the first step to become a patriot.

The true man is he who is strong as strength and at the same time possesses the heart of a woman. You must feel for the millions around you and yet you must be resolute. Though seemingly paradoxical, but you must possess these apparently conflicting virtues.

Feel my brothers, feel! feel for the poor, the ignorant and the downtrodden, feel till the heart stops and brain reels and you go mad of it. When you are inspired by this one thought, then will come power, help and indomitable energy. So struggle! Money does not pay nor name, fame does not pay nor learning, it is the love that pays, it is the character that cleaves its way through adamantine walls of difficulties.

Let every one of us, without respect of caste or birth, weakness or strength, hear and learn that behind the strong and the weak, high and low, behind everyone, there is that infinite soul, assuring of the infinite possibility and capacity for all to become great and good. Let us proclaim to every soul: “Arise and awake and stop not till the goal is reached. Arise and awake from this hypnotism of weakness. None is really weak; the soul behind is infinite, omnipotent and omniscient. Stand up, assert yourself, proclaim the God within you, do not deny Him! Too much of inactivity, too much of weakness, too much of self-hypnotism has been and is upon you. You people of modern time India de-hypnotize yourself, arise and awake from this age long deep slumber and realize your true-self! The way to do it is found in your own sacred books. Teach yourselves, teach everyone his real nature, call upon the sleeping soul and see how it awakes. Power will come, glory will come, goodness will come, purity will come and everything that is excellent will come when this sleeping soul is roused to self-conscious activity”.

Think not that you are poor, that you have no friends. The whole world is made by the energy of man, by the power of enthusiasm, by the power of faith. “Arise and awake, and stop not till the goal is reached”. Be not afraid, for all great powers throughout the history of humanity have been with the people. From out of their ranks have come all the greatest geniuses of the world; and history can always repeat itself. Be not afraid of anything. You will do marvelous work. The moment you fear, you are nobody. It is the fear that is the cause of all miseries in the world. It is fear that is the greatest of all superstitions. It is the fear that is the main cause of our woes.

All these ideas of weakness will be nowhere. Now it is everywhere – this current of the vibration of fear. Reverse the current; bring the opposite vibration and behold the magical transformation! You are omnipotent – go, go to the mouth of the cannon, fear not!

“Yield not to unmanliness, O son of Partha! Cast off this mean faint-heartedness and arise, O scorcher of thine enemies! There is in the world neither sin nor miseries, neither disease nor grief; if there is anything in the world, which can be called sin, it is this fear; know that any work which brings out the latent power in thee is virtue; that which makes the body and mind weak is verily sin, shake of this weakness, this faint-heartedness! Thou art a hero, a vira; this is unbecoming of thee”.

“In such a crisis, whence comes upon thee, O Arjuna, this dejection, un-Arya like, disgraceful and contrary to the attainment of heaven”.