Dasbodh Excerpts Slide Show

Excerpts from Samarth Ramdas Swami's Dasbodh Part 3

If many intellectuals gather at one place then everyone speaks more loudly than others. The matter that is of general interest is forgotten altogether. He who has the habbit of saying 'I Know' 'You don't', he is distracted from the path of equity. He speaks whatever he likes to show his greatness. At the end the equity cannot prevail and what prevails is something inequitable. On one hand there is a rise in ego and the heart is burning on the other. Therefore he who is intelligent shows to people that he does not know anything. He makes out to the public that he is a fool and saves himself from the burden of ego.

There is someone who understands that the God is greater than him. He also understands that the God resides in the minds of people. Therefore he always soothes the minds of people. If there is chaos at any place then the intellectuals present there are held responsible. What intellectuals they are? They dont know how to keep others mind. Hostility begets hostility and makes us sad. Therefore let us understand the virtue of being good. He who is good is always attentive. He never gets into something petty. He who is great should have pity and foregiveness in his mind. Someone who is a man of virtue, happens to sit besides a man of vice. The former understands the shortcomings of the latter. He who is man of conscience always work conscientiously. On the basis of conscience one can explore the remedies, the options and can undertake the long term efforts. A bad person is engulfed in conflicts. He who babbles often goes down to a low level. He who distracts from the path of conscience is not a wise person. A foolish person knows least about the equity, options and remedies. He just rakes up something and enters into a pettty loop. Then those who are intelligent set the things right. They help people come out of non-sense. They lead others by their action. There are many people in this world. There are good people also among these many. A good person causes satisfaction to the minds of all. He understands the mind of people. He understands the time, circumstances and the relativity of everything. He knows how to calm down the agitated people. People who are like this do have a very capable conscience. People at large cannot understand the work done by such people. He leads many people and drives many organisations. This state of capability can be acquired only on the basis of conscience. Let us strengthen our conscience in solitude. Let us realise the God. Let us not divide people between those who favour us and those who are against us. One can conceptualise the great plans in solitude. One can think about the whole universe in solitude. Let us meditate in solitude and identify where the things went wrong. Let us reach out the eternal spirit in solitude. He who knows the art of living in solitude becomes a man of vision. He can read the future.

While giving response to someone we should understand the purpose and also his mind. Let us understand some signs of intelligence. All our activities sans intelligence are useless. If there is chaos at some place then who can be satisfied in being there. Where many people want to speak many things, we should keep quiet. We should quickly read others mind. Dont sit among useless people. Dont indulge in quarelling against the harsh ones. Dont disturb the satisfaction of the minds of others for the sake of your ego. Let us put up an appearance of a beginner. Let us not make a show of our intelligence. Let us speak soft words to gain understanding of the mind of people. Do understand any event in its true sense. Dont rake up quarrels with many. If we do this then we cannot convince others even though being on the right side.

Dont get tired of exploring. Dont be in the company of the corrupt people. Dont level wild allegations against anyone when you are in the company of corrupt people. We should try to understand the mental pain of the afflicted person. We should read an extract from a book that is relevant for his problems. Good people will develop the habbit of reading after knowing something from you. Dont sit among people to kill time. Dont participate in the act of collective devotion if there is no substance in that activity. Someone should display good qualities while having interaction with people. If he ensures this then he can interact with any person. You should make friends after due evaluation. Your communication with people should be an act at par to the devotion to God. People should get pleased on communicating with you. Be good to everyone. You should get the detailed information about the place where you plan to go. People should come close to you as if you are very dear to them. The divisions among people are superficial therefore you should not be too much concerned about that. You should soothe the minds of all. You should not go anywhere when it is dark.

He who wants to be a friend of the world, should understand that the key to this is with his tongue. He can be friend of all if he speaks sweet honeyed words. He should search for good people and identify them. He should attend any gathering where people glorify God. He should sit there at a distance like a deprived person. He should understand whatever is being told there. There he can find the good and the broad minded people. He should get close to such people. Listening is a good method of learning. It is still better to think over what has been listened. This leads to satisfaction of mind. We should be attentive when we are among people. We should understand their minds. There is no need to feel tired without understanding the truth.

Please listen to the qualities of a useless person with an attentive mind. He who shuns these qualities becomes good. Someone becomes poor for sins committed by him. He who is poor increases the stock of his sins. This keeps on happening for every moment. Thatswhy now you should listen to the signs of uselessness. You should try to shun these signs very meticulously. Thereafter there is a scope for someone to demonstrate signs of goodness.

A useless person likes laziness. He never likes taking any efforts. He always has cravings for something improper. He is always confused and sleepy. He speaks rubbish in many ways. He never soothes anyone's mind. He does not like writing or reading. He listens to none. He never maintains any books of accounts. He does not have an attentive mind. He loses something, drops something, breaks something, commits many mistakes and mischiefs. He never likes the company of good people. He gets into the company of useless people. There are some persons who are always ready to do something bad. He has many such persons as his friends. He also ropes in the thieves and the sinners. He is very attentive to tarnish others and to steal something. He hurts others and parts with their share. He least understands the long term thinking and the principles of equity. He always longs for something that belongs to others. He is very comfortable as he sleeps a lot but he is also hungry as he is not able to get food. He is friend of none. He speaks many harsh words. He is so foolish that he can be tamed by none. He rakes up fights against the pious people. He wholeheartedly gets into the company of useless people. He always likes very much the thing that is highly condemned in the world. He does not find any scope for social well being. He causes harm to many. He is a sinner and a useless fellow. He cannot attain any congruence and logic in his activities. He is never careful while speaking. He cannot be tamed in any way. None likes what he says.

No one relies on him. None is friendly to him. He does not have any knowledge or riches. Still he is very proud of his status. He who soothes minds of many makes his future bright. But someone who is useless will not listen to such good advice. Now what remedy can be there for his problems. He dreams of great things. He gets nothing. He is always confused and he builds castles in the air. How someone can clean his mind if his mind is distracted from the noble path. He does not have any determination and renders himself useless due to nonsense. He speaks in a gathering of people though he understands nothing. Then people come to know that he is foolish. A person who can demonstrate his good qualities to people gets recognition from the people. Recognition from people does not come free of cost. Those who demonstrate bad qualities are put to shame on many occasions. Someone who is useless, he does not get into the company of good. He takes no efforts to make himself wise. He who behaves like this is an enemy of himself. He does not understand his own good. When we do good to someone then we are doing good to us for future. He who does not understand this is a useless person. A quality which is not approved by many is a bad quality in itself. We should understand the cause and effect relationship. Still we should also note that nothing can be demonstrated if there is no effect (and only cause). One who sits idle is flowing in the river of sorrows. He is perished by the passing of time. He who is not approved by many is a sinner. He does not get any shelter anywhere. Thatswhy one should shun the bad qualities. Now he will get everything.

We have discussed the qualities of a useless person. One should shun these qualities by using his conscience. Now listen to the good qualities that can cause great happiness. He who abides by good qualities makes multiple efforts to make others happy. Everyone likes a person with good qualities. He has a good hand-writing. He is very attentive and good at reading. He understands the meaning of what he reads. He does not break anyone's mind. He does not part the company of good. He always thinks about the good qualities. He is good at understanding people. He is very innovative. He does not foolishly hang on to any opinion. He is friendly to all as he is a reservoir of good qualities. His fame is evident. He is independent. He always questions someone politely. He knows how to tell the pertinent meaning. He does what he says. He does everything nicely. He is recognised by all. No one can point any finger to him. He is a glowing merit personified and is great. He is always for the well being of others. He is sought after by all. Now what is that he is lacking in this world.

Many people have hopes from a good person. He is always there at the right time. He causes harm to none. He knows many arts like music. He always has enormous love for the technique of realising the truth. He speaks politely with everyone. He keeps minds of all. He sees that none is deprived of something. He understands equity and devotion to God. He always makes good the time at his disposal. How can such a person be afflicted by poverty. He who is adorned with great qualities stand out shining amid many. He looks as great as the rising sun. How can there be any unrest when a good person is there. Those who are devoid of good qualities are useless people. One should know the complexities of the material world and the overall dimensions of the spiritual world. One should acquire the good qualities. Someone who is good never changes his rule of life. He has a detached mind. He does not diturb the composure of anyone's mind. He always keeps his conscience. He is a man of action. He is a man of devotion. He is a man of knowledge. He is a man of detachment. The intelligence of this person is too deep to get disturbed.

He who demonstrates all good qualities cannot be termed as bad by anyone. He simulates the eternal spirit that is all pervading. All people whether they are great or petty, they are highly attentive to their own cause. He is attentive like them but for the cause of others. He feels sad for others sadness. He feels happy for others happiness. He wishes that everyone should be happy. As father has equal love for all his children, he is worried for the well being of all. He cannot bear others pain. He is not after making money. If someone offends him then he does not feel offended. He attributes that offence to his body which is perishable. How a person who has knowledge can have his conscious at the level of his body. He who has his conscious restricted to his body demonstrates a bad quality. One should demonstrate good qualities to people. Anyone is attracted if he finds a good quality somewhere. Anyone becomes sad if he finds a bad quality being worked on him. Common people cannot understand the sharp intelligence. A good person should forgive such common people. When the very same people realise their mistake then they support him in various ways. Many people think that they are great. A great person has patience. He is generous and serious in his thinking. Whatever are the good qualities they demonstrate capability. Bad qualities are useless.

A good person always have the love for God. He also motivates others for devotion to God. His intelligence is as demonstrated as the sun. He knows how to deal with bad people. He also knows how to soothe good people. He knows the mind of all in the proper context. He influences the minds of people who associate with him. He can cause a rise in the good qualities of people who are associated with him. He can lead the community to take on the specific effort. He is very innovative in his ways. Everyone likes him. He never has any selfish interest in anything. He demonstrates a high level of devotion and knowledge. He has a great intelligence. He remembers God in a great way. He undertakes great projects at all times.


He exercises a great devotion of mind. His good fame has touched great heights. People experience satisfaction of mind when they see his great devotion. He who does not undertake great actions cannot spread his glory. You cannot spread your glory among people by just wandering here and there. We are least confident that we will live very long. We do not know what is there in the offing. Therefore we should be attentive. We should do whatever we can. We should fill the whole universe with the devotion to God. We should do immediately whatever we can do with ease. We should apply our conscience for the things that we are not able to do. There is nothing that is outside the scope of conscience. If we think about something conscientiously in solitude then the truth comes to our mind. He who is always attentive and active, what is that where he is lacking. How one can act intelligently if he does not like solitude. One should understand the eternal spirit. One should have a detached mind.

We should understand that God is there where people are. We should have conscience. We should take care of people. Someone behaves like this. He considers himself to be very good. He thinks that people are bad. Now when everyone is bad then how he is an intelligent one. If we just get away from everybody then we will be in a place where there is no one. Now what will we do there. Therefore we should give up such wrong line of thinking. The fools are shouting something rubbish in a foolish manner. The intellectuals are uneasy for what they have understood. This is how he is put to problems from both the sides. He cannot pack up his show. He cannot be silent either. He should not find fault with others for his condition. He should not go after recognition. He should make good of whatever of his life is remaining. He should move out of the place. He does not like to move out. He cannot bear with others. Now he is suffering from the great pangs of confusion. He has been told the remedy. He should understand the remedy for himself. The greatest of our bad qualities is to treat our bad qualities as good. This results in committing sin that follows invariably.

He does not understand what wrong he has done. He is not able to control his mind. He cannot tame the ego that is erupting like nothing. Now whatever he does remains incomplete. He hurts many. He cannot understand as to what has gone wrong. He is idle due to lack of work and is experiencing a downfall. He does not have any control of his intelligence on what he does. He does not have any foresight. He is a gone person and does hopeless things. He is trapped in the web of confusion. He cannot understand anything as to how to get out of all these. What others can understand in this case. He dances to the tunes of his expectations rising from confusion. Who can understand these secret expectations? He has to do this for his own. He should have a firm power of discrimination. He should make his mind attentive. He should have a satisfied mind. Why should one run here and there for the sake of recognition. Why should one become sad and should make others sad. This is not a sensible thing. He has hurt people a lot. He has been hurt a lot. He has done this bubbling for what sake?

This is how the recognition affects. It is partially good and partially bad. We should understand this and then act. We should be among people and then we should get into solitude. This is how we should spend our time. If we do like this then we get time to take rest. The recognition is not forever. Nothing is as great as a satisfied mind. One cannot have a privilege of being human in all births.

He has knowledge and detachment. He has a liking for the cause of community. He should be in solitude without any break. He will understand in solitude the processes that are going on. He can conceive great ideas. He can understand the state and fate of people. If someone who is not active, what he can understand. Someone who does not scrutinise his books of accounts is a pauper. Someone builds up a huge empire. While someone finds it difficult to make both ends meet. The spectrum is so huge that we have these two extremes. Whatever is planned nicely can be implemented easily. Otherwise the work gets stuck up. If someone is always amid some people then those people know ins and outs about him. Then they will also talk about some of his matters for which they do not have any business. This is not a proper thing to happen. A good person should not rest with assurance. If someone is lazy then his actions cannot bear any fruits. We should not do anything that defeats the cause of a comminity. We should have a tight schedule of devotional works. Then there wont be any time available for nonsense.

A thief should be appointed as a store-keeper. If he does something wrong then he should be saved. We should remove all foolishness from his mind bit by bit. We should never disregard the age old principles of managing people. If a useless fellow is working against our interest then we should pit another useless fellow against him. A babbling fellow should be pitted against the babbling one. We should never get into any confusion or petty fighting. A thorn should be used to remove a thorn pricked. We should not tell others about these things. No one should blame us for dirty procrastination. A work is accomplished very fast when people are not told about it. Otherwise lot of people poke their nose into it.

We like to get recognition from people. Whoever looks at us should think that we deserve the recognition. A work is accomplished only when it is done. If not, it remains outstanding. Therefore one should not do any procrastination. He who relies on others for his work should understand that his work will never be done. He is good who undergoes hardships for the sake of his work. If everything about the work is told to everybody then the purpose of the work becomes blank. Therefore such a thing should not happen. We should control the work being done. The work should be segmented and we should see that others execute the segment allocated to them. Many bad elements should be uprooted while managing politics. We should fiercely fight against the people who are strong and outspoken against our interest. We should see that politics is not jam packed by all bad elements. We should understand the weak points of the mean people. We should make a very heavy onslaught against them and grind them to powder. Later on they should be given support to become good. We should not devastate them. He who fears bad elements cannot uphold politics.

If you want to organise a community on large scale then you should demonstrate strengths. You should not just put up a hermitage and raise your ego. You should understand the bad elements but you should never tell others that you have identified them as bad. You should behave with them as if you consider them as good people. If you express the opinion that you have for them then that will cause endless friction. Therefore one should not do this. A warrior gets full of valour when he is challenged by the army of the enemy. A good person should be like this while attending to the spirtual call. He should hit blows to some of his enemies to show his might. Nobody can just think of mutiny against him. These are the signs of being great. One should be very particular in politics. One should never think that he can afford carelessness. He is not visible anywhere. Everyone speaks about him. He has won over the hearts of many through his good speech. He pits up a useless fellow against a useless fellow, a strong fellow against a strong fellow, an offending one against the offending one. People are entertained when they see a 'tit for tat' fight. But the one who controls all this is visible to none.

English translation of excerpts from Dasbodh Part 2

Don't necessarily have a detached mind. Do have detachment of mind forever having opted for that. Don't live among the people who consider you to be of detached mind if your mind has lost its detachment. Don't gaze at any lady. Don't get into this habbit. Don't show me your face if you cannot do so. Don't put up at the same place for a long time. Don't indulge in senseless discussions. Don't look at lady and wealth with too much cravings. Don't derail from the path of good action. Don't accept any wealth offered to you. Don't do anything that will make people to point finger at you. Don't feel ashamed for asking for alms. Don't give any reference while asking for alms.

Do wear clean clothes. Don't long for delicious meals. Don't stick to your point of view. Do understand the circumstances. Don't crave for anything. Don't feel tired of work. Don't be unduly worried about your life. Don't let the detachment of mind fade. Don't lose courage. Don't make your knowledge impure. Do have conscience always. Don't cease your devotion to God. Don't break the string of love for the signs of God. Don't have too much worries in your mind. Don't feel sorry for hard work. Don't lose courage in tough times. Don't get tired on being offended. Don't feel harsh on listening to harsh words. Don't burn on being humiliated, very severe may be the humiliation. Don't be ashamed for the sake of your perception of the public opinion. Don't feel ashamed if someone wants to put you to shame. Don't have irritation of mind on being irritated. Don't discard the path of truth and purity. Don't indulge in petty squabbles with people. Never get into the company of bad.

Don't have a short temperament. Don't enter into quarrels on instigation. Don't lose your composure on itch. Don't laugh on making laugh. Don't talk on making talk. Don't wander here and there always. Don't dress in the same clothes daily. Don't put up at one place. Do keep moving. Don't get close to others. Don't accept gifts from others. Don't sit among people always. Don't set up any routine. Don't ask others to relax. Don't show that you are very particular. Do work on your schedule. Don't skip your studies. Don't depend on others in any way. Don't lose your independence. Don't lose your indifference. Don't have expectations from others at all times. Don't keep an eye on wealth. Don't get delighted for being recognised. Don't disturb the state of your true self. Don't speak rubbish. Don't care for what others think. Don't get involved anywhere. Don't break the tradition. Don't damage the recognition that you get from people. Never get distracted from the path of knowledge. Don't distract from the path of action. Don't disturb the state of detachment. Never cause any interruption in your devotion to God.

Don't indulge in debating issues. Don't have a bad policy. Don't get distracted in the fit of anger. Don't convince the hard-core person. Don't speak boring. Don't put up at the same place for years together. Don't accept any recognition. Don't stick to the recognition having accepted any. Don't carry the burden of recognition on your head having stuck to any. Don't consider yourself to be great. Don't sit idle in the guise of greatness. Don't expect any respect from others. Don't shun simplicity. Don't shun intelligence. Don't be convinced that you are great. Don't talk over the subjects on which you Don't have any authority. Don't pour on anyone heavy showers of your preachings. Don't make spiritualism an exercise in empty words. Do have a severe detachment of mind. Do undertake enormous efforts for doing study. Don't be severe against anyone. Don't speak harsh words. Don't issue hard commands. Don't be harsh in any way. Don't have cravings in your mind. Don't preach without doing. Don't ask your followers something year after year. Don't use humiliating words. Don't run after sense organs. Don't indulge freely in the strange acts of devotion to God. Don't feel ashamed for doing a petty work. Don't burn with anger, think consciously. Don't commit mistakes under the notion of your greatness. Do follow the ethics and morals always. Don't do any work that is not reasonable. Don't speak unless the point is understood. Don't have a strong determination on the basis of your opinion. Don't feel sad in the fit of foolishness on someone telling you words of wisdom. Don't lose your attention. Never find delight in doing nothing.

Don't get confused. Don't ask others to serve you. Do your work on your own. Don't speak without reason. Don't sing unless someone requests you. Don't follow the path of nonsense. Don't give up the work of social wellbeing. Don't cause pain to others. Don't put someone to confusion. Don't give up the appearance of a beginner (not an expert). Don't assume a role of leader for yourself. Don't preach for making money. Don't speak confusing. Don't have a big determination. Don't read any book unless you can complete it. Don't examine others to show your intelligence. Generally Don't exploit others. Don't argue against someone somewhere. Don't be selfish. Don't get into a routine. Don't work for someone who issues commands without taking you into confidence. Don't ask others to rely on you. Don't ask for too much in alms. Don't preach for the sake of alms. Don't get involved in the matrimonial talks. Don't occupy the central place. Don't carry the weight of recognition always. Do think beyond the daily chores. Don't eat anything that is offered or liked. Don't accept invitations as a guest. Don't have food at a place where food is being offered to all on account of a ceremony like marriage, nomenclature etc. Don't make yourself pitiable. Don't attend marriages. Don't sing for the sake of stomach. Don't preach God for any consideration received. Don't give up the routine of asking for alms. Don't have meals at someone's place on week-days. Don't visit to someone in the hope of consideration. Don't do good for the sake of money. Don't accept any reward offered to you.

Don't construct a hermitage. Don't have attachment to that having constructed. Don't become a chief of a hermitage. Do everything but with a detached mind. Don't link your ego with the hermitage. The purpose of hermitage should be to facilitate people's devotion to God. Do keep on with the efforts. Don't be lazy in any manner. Don't forget devotion to God till the last breath. Don't work for recognition from people. Don't feel the pride of recognition. Don't lose the path of devotion. Do have a detached mind always. Don't crave for recognition. Still your action should be such that you should gain recognition. You should have devotion to the signs simulating God. Don't follow the wrong method of devotion. Don't be highly dynamic. Don't sit idle. Don't undergo too much hardships. Don't relax always. Don't talk a lot. Don't keep quiet. Don't eat in excess. Don't observe fast. Don't sleep a lot. Do have an adequate sleep. Don't be very particular. Don't be vague. Don't be among people always. Don't get isolated. Don't go after too many comforts. Don't commit suicide. Don't be in the company of many. Don't shun the company of good. Don't be orthodox. Don't follow the wrong path. Don't indulge in petty things. Don't be under the dominance of others. Don't have excess love. Don't be harsh. Don't be suspicious. Don't be reckless. Don't follow too many methods for realising the truth. Do follow some method of realising the truth.

Don't be after the sensual pleasures. Don't just disregard the senses. Don't crave for comforts. Don't suffer hardships. Don't seek all types of experience. Do have an appropriate experience. Don't tell others about your true state. Don't just keep silent. Don't allow your mind to have a say. Do care about what your mind says. Don't meditate on something which cannot be meditated upon. Do meditate. The spirit is beyond the reach of the mind and the intellect. There is darkness without intellect. Let us disregard what is being perceived. Don't go about without perception. Don't project yourself as an intellectual. What is there if there is no intellect. We should not see logically what is beyond logic. Still what is there without logic. Don't always wander in the forest of memories. It is not good to be unable to recollect something. Don't do discussions. How things can be resolved without discussions. Let us see the world beyond divisions. Still there are some glaring divisions. Never distract from the path of good action. Don't indulge in unbridled expectations. Don't work without conscience. Don't anyhow disturb the composure of mind. Don't write without sense. Don't do away with writing. Don't read without sense. Don't do away with reading. Don't skip talking to people. Don't start conflicts on being asked a question. Don't get tired of people. He who abides by this teachings becomes an abode of happiness. He suddenly becomes a leader.

A person cannot acquire beauty like sharp features etc. through efforts. These parameters are set at the time of the birth and cannot be changed. But there are other parameters that can be changed. A dark person cannot become fair. There is no remedy for marks left on the body by small pox. A dumb person cannot speak. These are said to be the natural parameters. A blind cannot see. A deaf cannot hear. A handicapped person cannot do anything for the organ that is not there. The list of deformities for which there is no remedy can be very long. But there are some parameters that can be set right by any person. A person can shun the bad qualities. He can acquire good qualities. The wrong methods of living should be shunned. The right methods of living should be practised. If shown the exit route, foolishness can go. One can develop the style of analytical thinking. One can understand any work in the course of doing it. One likes to get recognition. Then why should he neglect learning. A person who is not intelligent cannot rise to a higher position. We should do good to us having understood this point. He who follows path of goodness is liked by good people.

Someone has beautified his body. This is not of any use if he does not have the intelligence. He is doing something that does not have the underlying fundamentals. He should beautify his mind and intellect in various ways instead. He should create a resource base for his mind and intellect every bit by bit. He who does not make any efforts, does not learn, does not put any strain on his body, is not able to learn any good qualities and he runs a short temperament.

Whatever we do to others, we are at the same time doing it to us on credit basis. The very same thing that we have done to others will happen to us in the future. If we are putting others to trouble then we will be put to trouble in the future. He is intelligent who understands the principles of equity. He who is not judicious is miserable. The various marks of intelligence are recognised by the one who is intelligent. The actions that are liked by many are recognised by many. Other actions go waste. The world hates such useless actions. It is we who decide how people will react to us. Whether they will be satisfied with us or they will be angry with us. If we are satisfied with someone then he is also satisfied. If we are friendly to someone then he is also friendly to us. Whatever good has come into existence through consistent efforts can cease to exist in one shot. Kindness begets kindness. Hostility begets hostility. Why should we act without purpose knowing all this? Clothing decorates the exterior while intelligence decorates the interior. You have to decide which one is better.

What is the outcome tell me by beautifying the exterior? Intelligence has protected people in a number of ways. One should have good meals, good clothing and one should be recognised by all, this is what one wants. He who wears out his mind and body gains recognition from people. Those who think of other means of getting recognition will feel sad in the future. He who completes the work of people that has stuck somewhere becomes a source of attraction for people. All people will come to him for the sake of their work. Therefore he who makes others happy becomes happy. He who is putting others to hardships will undergo hardships. This is clearly visible. He who does not see this, cannot understand the truth. Therefore everyone should understand this. Those who have understood this and acted accordingly have become great. The rest of all are useless.

The wealth of a person is proportional to the systematic activity that he undertakes. As the wealth rises, the interaction with people also rises. We should understand the things that are very clear. If one is lethargic then he cannot complete any work and whatever work he has done is wasted. He who works meticulously completes his work. He who cannot understand this simple fact cannot be called a sane person. If the atmosphere is of friendliness then the work is accomplished. If the atmosphere is of enmity then the work gets sabotaged. Whatever has been said tell me whether it is true or false. He who is not taking any efforts to become wise is not doing any benefit to himself. He is not friendly to people and is hostile to all. He who behaves like this should be called as an ignorant. Who can gain satisfaction in company of such persons. He is all alone and is fighting against the world. How can a lonely person be successful against many. One should occupy a place in the mind of people and in their discussions. One should display good qualities while having interaction with the people. One should enlighten the people. One should work for the upliftment of the downtrodden. One should contribute to cause a rise in devotion to God.

The eternal spirit is residing in all. The spirit that occupies a body is an expert in being weak. It knows the things that are happening around and also develops perception about the things. The nature is strange in many respects. Someone gets something after a lot of efforts. Others get the same thing without taking any efforts. We should experience everything and should understand what is good. Let us be one with others. Let us explore the eternal spirit. Similarly our mind should be attentive to others concerns. We can see that our mind is not that attentive. Now we think about something, then about the other thing and this goes on. If we are adamant then the work is sabotaged. What we need to have is experience.

We dont understand the mind of others. We cannot experience the feelings of others. We dont know how to influence the people. People dont act intelligently. They try to affect others by the means of the demonic magic. Such people are lacking on many counts. They should understand that the eternal spirit is all pervading. On whom should the demonic magic work. He is great who works on the basis of his conscience. Those who are great they do something great. Those who are petty they just pretend to do something. The people can be identified as good or bad only on the basis of their action. The King follows the royal path. The thieves have their secret paths. He who is foolish does harm to himself by being very selfish. A fool thinks that he is very intelligent. The fact is that he is miserably foolish. One who is intelligent understands different signs of intelligence. He who merges his identity with the eternal spirit becomes an eternal spirit. Now he is lacking in what. Intelligence is a divine gift. A person without intellect is useless. He goes begging even when he is a King.

Whatever may come to our mind, our mind develops a liking for that. In the course of time the ego rises and we are chained to what we like. Everyone says that he himself is great. Everyone says that he himself is good looking. Everyone says that he himself is intelligent. Everyone says that whatever he has said about himself that has been said having the whole world in mind. This is how people think. No one says that he is on the minus side as compared to others. Those who have knowledge really have a good perspective of vision. People develop ego on the basis of their perception. This should not happen. They should have conscience. One should not be proud of a worthless thing. One should not get distracted from the truth. The one who does exactly opposite to this is a fool. He who has ego in relation to the truth does not have any ego at all. An ability to justify can never be compared to a disability to justify. You can only justify something that exists for certain. Disability to justify means that the basis of your jusification is gone. How can a very pertinent thing be same as a very irrelevant thing. Those who are honest don't have fear in mind. Those who are thieves always run here and there. Someone is very effective in preaching while someone speaks just for the sake of speaking. Whatever we do without proper thinking will make us feel tired. We should search for someone who has developed a good power of discrimination.

There may be a lot of common people but a man of vision exercises control over all of them. Common people cannot cause any harm to him. Thatswhy you should get close to the men of vision. Those who don't have any vision wander here and there. Dont tell everyone about your relations with the men of vision. One who wins over the heart of people in power can attract lot of people. He is held in esteem by common as well as good people. Expand your contacts through networking. Influence intellectuals by your intelligent thinking. You should put stumbling blocks in the path of wrong doers. This you should do while observing the tenets of equity. One should have a simple appearance. One should have a mind capable of dealing with complications. One should never deviate from the cause of people. One should have a detached and innovative lifestyle. A good fellow who can live like this is rare in this world. One should read a lot. One should soothe the syche of people. Then he should occupy the mind of all with dynamism. One who sits at one place cannot do anything. So one should be attentive and one should meet people. One who maintains contact with people is showing the signs of cleverness. He who has the aforesaid qualities has a satisfied mind.

Someone has a habbit of listening to others. He always forms his opinion on the basis of what others say. He ultimately becomes a victim of his baseless opinion. We should listen a lot from a lot of people. We should also verify what others say at the level of our experience before taking any point of view.

Dont say no to anyone. One should understand the plus and minus of what he says. Do speak with some purpose in your mind. Dont speak for the sake of speaking. There are some people who are stubborn and useless. Still one should listen to what they say. This is how we should please the minds of many. If someone develops a twist in his mind then he nourishes that twist for a long time. Therefore those who are intelligent should not cause any twists in the minds of others. He who makes foolish people wise leads a worthy life. He who escalates the attrition is foolish. We should reach the mind of others. We should accept our defeat at times and turn the tables at an appropiate time. We should do all this with conscience and no one should know anything about it. Let us behave like others. Let us talk like others. Let us agree to others point of view. He who works for general good does not do anything bad. He maintains contacts with people. He tries to understand their mind and then he analyses further. He uses different means for reaching out to people. Where a stubborn meets a stubborn there is a disorder. If there is ill-will then there is no scope for intelligence. It is very easy to talk a lot but it is very difficult to execute. It is really very difficult to get over others mind.

Do bear the blows and slaps. Do bear the harsh and evil words. People who offend you will come back to you on feeling remorseful. You should speak after understanding the circumstances. You should not make out to others that you are intelligent. We should be humble whereever we go. We should see the houses in the villages and the cities. We should evaluate all people whether great or not great under the guise of asking for alms. You will find something of substance if you meet a lot of people. You may establish friendship with some great people. If you sit idle then nothing happens. So keep moving. One should be attentive at everything. One should understand the prevailing conditions before going to some place. Wherever one may go, one should keep one's conscience. One should read and recite a lot of things. One should do everything to soothe the minds of people. He who offers something that the people ask for is a great person and he is recognised by everyone. A person who is recognised by all is not a common person. Many people abide by what he says. These are the signs of cleverness. One who is clever is not lacking in anything whereever one goes.

People are greedy. The first word that they say is "Dev". "Dev" is a marathi word for God. "Dev" also means "give" in marathi. When people say "Dev" they mean to say "Give Something". This is what they crave for. People are zero on the front of devotion. Still they long for happiness. This is like asking for the payment from the employer without doing any work. There can be no good results without hard work. There can be no kingdom without the hardwork done by the King. You cannot get anything without hard work. He who is lethargic cannot get any result of his work. Those who are of low stature, they just shirk hard work. Those who undergo the pains of hard work at the begining reap the fruits of happiness later. Those who take pleasure in leisure at the begining become sad at the end. Whether it is the material world or the spiritual world what is required is conscience. One should understand the benefits of long term planning. He who spends everything that he earns cannot sustain in the difficult times. They are wise who have a perspective for a long term. Whether it be a spiritual world or a material world, there is a great significance of accumulation of merit. He who does harm to himself is no better than a person committing suicide.

Our mind is restless. It is changing its state every moment. If we try to calculate the total time lost due to restlessness of mind then that will be a very difficult calculation. What people say is that the God does everything. We can realise the God. God can be realised by someone only on the basis of conscience. We can identify conscience among people by making search. God is one but there are many differentiations that are visible. The differentiation is so glaring that we cannot say that it is not there. One should understand the God and also the divine action. People talk about this subject without knowing anything. They speak without sense and make out as if they are very intelligent. They should do something to quench their thirst. Those who have made tremendous efforts have enjoyed good fortune. Others are just babbling. A useless person cannot understand the good qualities of a good person. The intelligent ones understand the foolishness of fools. He who has a mind full of bad methods, how can he understand any good method. He considers bad things as good. He who loses purity of mind can do no good to himself. He is a big zero on the front of intelligent thinking. Only good intelligent thinking helps in the material and spiritual world. Only on the basis of good intelligent thinking we can understand what exists forever and what is for a while.

English translation of excerpts from Dasbodh Part 1

Let us first be particular in doing our daily chores of life. Having done so we can then develop the conscience required for attaining the eternal spirit. If you will go for the eternal spirit disregarding your daily chores then you will become sad and miserable. You can be said to have conscience, if you have developed the ability of attaining the eternal spirit while doing your daily chores. He who renounces daily chores for attaining the eternal spirit may not even get food to feed upon. Now this useless person can attain salvation in what manner? He, who indulges in the daily chores disregarding the spirit, becomes restless. Ultimately he will be in deep trouble. He, who does not attend to the work allocated by his boss and sits at home comfortably, is humiliated by the boss. His humiliation is also seen by the people at large. He loses his prestige and makes out a laughing stock of himself. Thus he is put to great hardships for his deeds. The very same fate awaits for the person who disregards the eternal spirit. Therefore one should have regard to the eternal spirit. One who has regard for the eternal spirit immediately experiences the peace of mind. The point is that a person who has a free mind while doing the daily chores is a reasonable person. He is always alert and attentive. Therefore one should do the daily chores and also try to attain salvation. He who does not behave like this puts himself to many odds

An ant takes a view of the position while moving through the creepers and the trees. This is how the living beings move with conscience. Those who are human-beings should not get confused. If they are confused then what to say? One should plan with a large perspective in mind. One should be alert all around. One should be able to forecast the future. One who is alert becomes happy. One who is not attentive becomes sad. Anyone can see this fact in his day to day life. Therefore one who is always alert is great. He is great who has a satisfied mind while being amid people. One who is lethargic in being attentive is poised for a downfall. It may be too late sometimes to regain whatever has been lost.

We should learn from the people who have the ability to implement their long term plans. If we observe minutely the behaviour of such people then that can cause a change in our life. We should be able to identify such people. We should acquire virtue from men of virtue. We should shun the qualities and traits that we despise others for having. We should be in the company of the people whom we have already evaluated. We should not hurt anyone's mind. We should evaluate people continuously. Good people look same as other people. What distinguishes them from others is their conscience. We should identify people who can work for us. A good person knows very well about everything. This is his mark of goodness. He knows how much regard he should have for anyone.

People should listen carefully to what I say. They should listen to their desire. They should see what their mind is thinking. They should also observe all kinds of ripples rising in their mind. We want wholesome meals, good clothing and everything to be nice. Our mind wants all this but nothing is happening like that. We are expecting a good thing to happen and suddenly a bad thing happens. We can always see that while some people are happy others are not. We can see people undergoing hardships and blaming their fortune for that. They cannot work with precision and therefore cannot achieve what they want. Anyhow they do not understand their vice. They are not able to analyse their situation. What can they do for others? They do not maintain any equity in their action and therefore become miserable. They cannot understand others. They cannot behave like others. These senseless people then spread sparks of malice among people.

If people become malicious in their dealings then they become sad. All their efforts turn into hardships. Don't behave like this. You should evaluate people who are in your contact. You should exactly understand what they want. You should evaluate people on the basis of speech. You should be able to evaluate their mind. He who is attentive can understand others. While one who is not attentive cannot understand. Generally people find fault with others and justify their point of view. A good person undertakes a lot of thinking to understand another's point of view. Those, who don't like to undertake any efforts for understanding others, generate conflicts. We should leave the place where we cannot agree to other's point of view. But still while leaving the place we should not snap the relations. He who abides by truth in his deeds and words commands respect from one and all. People understand the principles of equity in the vicinity of such a person.

He, who cannot pardon the ignorant people, is no different from them. If the sandalwood declines to wear out then how others can understand its fragrance. All trees in the vicinity of sandalwood become trees of good fragrance as sandalwood perfumes all of them by wearing out. A person who cannot understand any virtue, how he can be understood by the people. When people identify good qualities in any person they become happy. He who delights people, also delights the eternal spirit pervading through all. Now tell me, a person who has reached the eternal spirit is lacking in what? It is really very difficult to keep all people in good humuor. We reap what we sow. If we have advanced a loan to others then that has to be received back. If we point out the shortcomings of others then we hurt them by doing so. There is a rise in overall happiness and affinity when we do good to others. Whatever may be our reply, the counter reply will be similar to that. We can understand this on our own. We need not discuss this with others. We should keep our mind informed of this fact every moment. Let us suppose that an evil person has met us. Our limit of forgiving this person has exhausted. Now we should keep quiet and leave the place. People are good at many techniques of evaluation but they are not good at evaluating other's mind. Those who lack in this technique of evaluation are useless. We should be good because we do not have infinite time at our disposal. It is really difficult to always maintain our conscience. All people are like us only. If we do good to them then they do good to us in turn. Now there is no need to tell more. We should abide by the qualities of Lord Rama and manage the politics for general good. If we do not have any regard to the prevailing time then this is absurd. One may have a lot of knowledge but if he disregards the prevailing time then what is the use of his knowledge?

A man who is weak, under distresss, of bad action, lazy, always hungry, indebted, foolish, involved in petty activities and has nothing. Nothing to eat, nothing to wear, utmost poor, having no baggage at all. He does not have any friends and relatives. No one recognises him and he is an alien person. What should he do? Whether he should die? This question is raised by someone and now the answer follows.


Whatever may be the work big or small it won't be over until it is done. A person should not work like a useless fellow. He should be always attentive. He who does not have attentive mind cannot perform. How can he gain happiness and wealth. Thatswhy shun laziness, make efforts in the right context. Whatever malice is there in the mind should be destroyed forcefully.

You may sing songs, play organs, dance, and do other things to express yourself and to entertain the public. People who come in our contact should remain satisfied. Our speech should gain recognition from the people. Let us not be boring and ineffective while glorifying the God. Let us open up the mind of people. If we do this then more people will join us for the devotion to God. There are many ways of worshipping God like devotion, knowledge, renunciation and yoga. We should demonstrate everything to the people. Let us act as per our preachings. This is a key of becoming a true leader. If there is no sense in our actions then we are suffering from a hopeless disease. Let us not exploit the people who are our followers. We should never do anything that hurts people. Let our mind be always focused on Lord Rama who is the most powerful. People like a person who does not have any ego. People also like to listen the glory of God. We should do everything to spread the glory of Lord Rama. Let the glory of Lord Rama penetrate throughout the universe and beyond. A preacher who is good at singing gets listeners in huge numbers. He who lacks in sense creates fuss. He who has sense can become stronger than the universe. There should be no scope for senseless thinking in our mind.

One should have wholesome meals. Whatever is left over should be distributed. It is not proper to throw away the left-over food. Similarly one should acquire knowledge. One should spread, whatever knowledge one has, among the people. One who is managing to float should see that others who are getting drowned are saved. One should observe the world and should assimilate the virtue. One should also ask others to earn merit. One who speaks without practising speaks senseless. Let us have devotion of mind while performing the rituals. Let us have concentration of mind while doing meditation. Let us work for the well-being of others. Let us do good to the maximum number of people. We should not ignore anybody. We should try to understand the difficulties of others. We should do everything possible for removing the difficulties of others. We should always be soft-spoken.

We should become sad at the sight of others' sadness. We should feel happy for others happiness. Let us reconcile our mind with the mind of others in the best way. We should condone the injustice committed by others. We should work for the well-being of others. We should work in such a way so that other people call us to be their own. We should understand others and work accordingly. We should evaluate the mind of others in various ways. We should speak relevant. We should respond immediately to others comments. We should not burn with anger and should forgive others. We should not be lethargic anymore. We should undertake enormous efforts. We should never speak words of jealousy to others. We should offer whatever is good to others. We should be highly selective in using words. We should be very attentive while doing daily chores.

We should devote our mind to God. We should remember that we are running out of time every moment. We should make our mark on this world that will last after our death. He who works with precision gains recognition among all. All people are kind to such a person. Now such a person is lacking in what? One who shows all these traits in his personality is worth for being called human. If we remember such a person then it as good as remembering God. Even if people humuliate you in the most severe manner, still you should maintain balance of your mind. The good people who can tolerate the company of not so good people are really great. One who is adorned with good qualities and decorated with 'knowledge and detachment', should be considered as a good fellow on this earth. He is undergoing hardships. He is bearing with others. He wears out but his fame remains forever. He who wants fame should do away with comforts. He who is after comforts cannot earn fame. How can one gain satisfaction without thinking? We should not hurt others mind. We should be meticulous always. He who is of forgiving nature is not put to any odds. We should do the work if we can. Whether it relates to us or others is not relevant. It is not good to do buck-passing at times. If you listen to soft words then you feel good. If you listen to harsh words then you feel sad. You know this very well. Then for what sake should you speak harsh.

If a pin is pricked there is a pain. We should learn to understand others from our experience. The thing that hurts others is not good. That will boomrang on us at some point of time. We reap as we sow. Our words are echoed back to us. Still what is the purpose of speaking harsh words. We should undertake enormous actions for making people happy. But if we hurt others then this is a demonic action. Hypocrisy, making hollow and tall speech, ego, anger, harsh words these are the signs of being an ignorant. This is stated in Shrimad Bhagwadgita. He who is adorned with the good qualities is a good person. He is sought after by many people.

Knowledge in the form of words that is not backed by practice is like a stuff vommitted by a dog. No sane person listens to such empty words of knowledge. He who has full devotion to God and who always acquires merit, people are always in search of such a person. He is the right person to organise people as a community. He should devote himself to the God and make God his own. If he dies then who are the devotees of the God? Thatswhy he should make other people devotees of the God. Let me tell you one thing on oath that you should not demand anything from your disciples. You should only demand from them the everlasting devotion to God. How this objective be attained if the people are not organised properly as a community. This community should then celebrate ceremonies on a large scale. This is how the all-pervading eternal spirit can be realised. Now listen from me with utmost attention the two basics that are required for organising the community.

A person who is good at preaching can fill mind of many disciples with devotion to God. He should also be able to understand the mind of his disciples. Whatever has been said earlier in the context of good qualities should be taken as standard. Let me continue with the effective preaching. One should do what he says. People attach great significance to the words of such persons. Whatever people don't like they don't accept. We are lonely and people are in large numbers. We have to live within people. We should teach them bit by bit. We should use our conscience to elevate people to the level that we have set for them in our mind. Those who are having conscience can respond to the call of our conscience. Others who lack conscience will start conflicts. There are many on the other end and we are alone at this end. Can one who is alone ever sustain? Thatswhy take into confidence the majority of people.

You can make a garland of leaves, flowers, stones, gems, fruits and anything you wish. What is common in all of these is the thread that runs through. If there is no thread then how can the garland be together? Now if someone says that the eternal spirit is similar to the thread that holds together the garland then he is not speaking the truth. A thread that runs through the garland is distinct from its other constituents. The eternal spirit is all-pervading. The eternal spirit is very dynamic. The thread cannot move on its own. Therefore thread is not a good simulation for the eternal spirit.

There is an element of water in the fluid of creepers. A sugar-cane is full of juice. Still there is a difference between the fluid in creepers and the juice in sugar-cane. Similarly the juice of sugar-cane and the stuff that remains after squeezing the sugarcane are not same. A spirit resides in the body. The body is not same as the spirit. The eternal spirit is still different. The eternal spirit is matchless and cannot be described. A beggar is a human-being and so is a King. How can anyone say that they are same? God, demon, human-being, a creature of a low breeed like an insect.... this is how the differentiation goes on. There is a huge difference between committing sin and earning merit. The spirit is doing a sin as well as earning merit. Still the capability of doing is altogether different. One will lead to salvation while the other one to hell. A poison is a liquid and water is also a liquid. It is absurd to compare them. There is a spirit residing in the body of a sinner and a person of merit. Still we should understand that there is a clear dividing line in between.

It is true that the eternal spirit is pervading through all. That does not mean that we should have intimacy with an evil person. How can a learned person and small kids be treated at par? A human-being and a donkey; a swan and a cock; a king and a monkey; how can they be considered as equal. Water of ganges and waste-water cannot be same. Anyone cant drink a handful of waste-water. Thatswhy be a man of good action. More than that be a man of good thoughts. You should be detached and intelligent. If in your opinion a coward is more significant than a brave person then who will save you in the battle-field. You can never say that a relationship with a beggar and that with a king is equivalent. Although there is an element of water in the fluid that does not mean that the fluid is fit for consumption. Food is formed from water. The stuff that is ejected while vommitting also contains some element of food. Still this stuff is not at all fit for consumption. This is how we should part with the evil and have the great in our mind. This will lead to spreading of our good fame all around.

A person who is good likes everything that is good. A person who is not good does not like this. This is how the useless people have come to existence. Don't act like a useless fellow. Be good. You should understand the glory of God. You should understand the principles of equity. You should have the conscience of behaving. You should keep all people in good humour. You should have patience to cause elevation of people bit by bit. We are very kind to our child. We move like our child while teaching the child. We should do the same thing while teaching people. The main thing is that we should understand others. One who is intelligent can understand intelligent action. But what about the fools. A fool should not be called a fool. We should not expose anybody in public. One who is not entangled has ability to make great victories. One should arrange great events at great number of places. One should understand the basics that are required for this. One should be very intimate to the minds of all. If we understand others then our mind comes to the level of the minds of others. If we disregard others then there is chaos. He is great who understands others. People are strongly attracted towards such a person.