Sl. No. 7 - Sermon - (With the earning of even a little bit of dharma one acquires gems of priceless spiritual truth from the depth of heart.)

Dhaka - East Bengal Brahmomandir
Sunday, 28th Ashadh 1293 Bengali Calender [1887 A.D.]

There used to live a poor brahmin in one country. Once his wife told him, “You are suffering from want of food and clothings; so many people are going to the palace and bringing along so much of wealth; if you too go and pray then we can at least get provisions for feeding ourselves; so please go to meet the king.” On being persuaded by his wife, the brahmin finally went to the palace and begged something of the king. The king offered him wealth and properties. Then the brahmin said, “Oh king, I shall not accept anything which you have inherited; I can accept only that which is earned by you.” The king thought over the words of the brahmin and found that parts of the property he was enjoying was inherited from his father, and the others were unjustly taken over from other kings. There was nothing that he had earned himself. Then he told the brahmin, “Oh venerable one, how can I meet your prayer as there is nothing which I have earned. However, please go home, come tomorrow, I shall see what can be done.” Accordingly the brahmin met the king the next day. That day also the king said, “I could not earn as yet. Do come tomorrow.” In the meanwhile the king went out incognito, went from door to door asking, “Does anyone need a servant—does anyone need a servant?” Nobody paid heed to him. In the meantime a blacksmith called him and asked, “Can you use a hammer?” The king agreed and was appointed by the blacksmith for the work. After seeing his way of hammering from a few blows, the blacksmith found him to be totally unfit for that work. He then paid the king four couries (small conchshell used as coin) as his remuneration and removed him from service. The king returned home with the four couries. The brahmin appeared the next day again. The king said, “Oh venerable one! if you agree to take any other property I can give everything”. The brahmin did not agree. Then the king handed over to him the four couries earned by him. The brahmin returned home with the couries. His wife asked, “What have you got from the palace?” The brahmin handed over the four couries to his wife and said, “This is the only wealth earned by the king himself, he has given me just this.” The brahmin’s wife fumed with anger and threw these with force into the garbage dump. After some time, one day the brahmin found that an extremely beautiful creeper had grown on that garbage dump and on it, had grown beautiful flowers and fruits. Out of curiosity the brahmin plucked one, tore it open and found it to contain beautiful pearls. After making a detailed investigation, the brahmin found that they had grown from those very couries that were thrown away. As suggested by his wife, the brahmin took one such gem and went to the market to sell it. The jewellers saw the costly gem and said, “Sir, the gem is so costly that we shall not be able to pay the price that it commands. Please take it to the king.” The brahmin then went to the king. The king too examined and felt that his whole property could not equal the price of the gem. Then just to save his prestige he played a trick and said, “Oh venerable one! You have brought one gem, I have two wives. I cannot take less than two.” The brahmin said, “What are you saying oh king? I can bring hundreds of gems. I have a plant of gems in my house.” Hearing this the king, driven by curiosity went to the house of that brahmin along with his courtiers. The king was charmed to see the beauty of the creeper. The king asked the brahmin. “Where did you find the seed of this creeper?” The brahmin replied, “Those couries earned by yourself are the seeds. This pretty creeper is born out of them.”

This is a fable. But it contains a distinct religious sermon. This story indicates that the way in which a trifle earning of couries of one’s own labour, one gets priceless gems, the same way, in the religious field also we find that if one achieves even a little bit of spirituality, in due time that itself bears useful fruits. I read books on dharma or I hear religious talks, but do I myself realise these in my heart or am I just reading and hearing them and repeating the same to others?

A soul searching is necessary to verify this. I read religious books, I hear religious talks, but if none of these enter my heart then that dharma is not earned. This is a very miserable condition. With the earning of even a little bit of dharma one acquires gems of priceless spiritual truth from the depth of heart.

I am performing all the external rituals of dharma, but my life is not developing, this is a sorry state of affairs. Rituals are of no use when life does not become religious. Lifeless rituals are not permanent. They may exist today, disappear tomorrow. Because they do not emanate from my soul, they are not earned by me. What is the use of bathing in the Ganga, chanting with one’s beads if one’s soul does not achieve purity? Dharma is not an external matter, it is something internal. The purity of the soul, love and all the virtues of the soul are dharma, but without getting acquainted with the Supreme Lord, none of them is achieved. God alone is dharma. The Supreme Lord does really exist. He is absolutely true. He is not a thing of imagination. He is not a matter of external talk. He is awake, alive and a directly visible God. Unless we can see Him like “Here He is” and can talk about Him, we have achieved nothing. We are unable to talk about the dharma earned by us. We are coming to the Brahmo Samaj, offering prayers. We must see if we really have achieved Truth, if we ourselves have earned dharma. Everything becomes useless if the creeper of dharma fails to develop. Irrespective of conducting samkeertan externally or not, playing khol (drum) or not, it is enough if we realise Him to be the Truth. If I die today all the external matters will be extinguished. None of these will be of any help to me. None of these belong to me. I want dharma—I want to see Him directly. But I cannot do so by my own power. How is it possible to see my God of Truth by my own capacity? He is drawing everyone to Himself the way a mother draws her child to her lap; that is why people are running towards Him. There is nothing to fear once this pull is felt. Whoever has felt this pull has walked the path of dharma. He can no longer go back to his own free will. He smilingly accepts distress and sufferings for dharma.

What is the place for dharma where there is only talk of dharma but no room for sacrifice. Dharma has no place there. Again and again we have to examine, have we really fallen for His attraction? He is the fish hook. I am the fish. He will catch, I will offer to be caught. There is no way unless I am caught by His hands. It will not-do if I am not caught in His net, in His trap like a fish! I am the lowliest insect. What power do I have? What is my capability? All forces belong to Him. May I not run away by tearing myself from this fish hook like a naughty fish. Temptations of the world are attracting me from all directions, the only way is to tell Him. When you find yourself to be dying of attachment, say immediately, ‘Oh Lord, temptation is pulling me from all directions, I am alone, my mind is unstable. I am not sure as to which direction it travels. Oh Lord save me.” He will then pull you. The way the river penetrates through the stones and moves to reach the ocean, in the same manner, when His pull touches the heart, it overcomes various obstacles of the world and moves to be with Him. I too shall fall in that pull, shall reach the ocean—being a river, shall offer to be caught as a fish in His net. After many trials I have found out that I am a material of no substance, my friend of the destitute is ‘all in all’. Bless me and let me stay in His pull.

Oh Lord! I beseech you; I shall cross the ocean of the world singing hymns in your praise. There is nothing that I have earned, whatever I see is You! When can I say wholeheartedly, “You are the wealth of seven kings, the jewel of my heart. How can I have any want. You are everything, You are everything, You are everything. All my wealth is You. You are the God of my soul. There is no one like You. You have protected, saved. Blessed are You! Blessed are You! Blessed are You! I Prostrate to You again and again.”