Chameleons Somersaulting to Save Themselves

In the past, many thinkers stated one thing in the beginning. But subsequently, when they discovered that the plain truth would cost them public support, they somersaulted.

I will give one small example.

Maharshi Kapila, while pondering his Sáḿkhya philosophy, did not initially say anything about Iishvara [the Supreme Entity].

• His school of philosophy is known as Niriishvara-Sáḿkhya [Atheistic Sáḿkhya].

But he sensed that his philosophy was likely to be discarded by the people. So he quickly:

• invented a new concept of Janya-Iishvara [Proto-God] and
• indirectly accepted the existence of God.

Another example: According to Shankaracharya’s school of philosophy, everything is Máyá – that is, there is illusion in the beginning, illusion in the middle and illusion in the end.

This is called pramáda in Sanskrit.

But then, that same Shankaracharya composed hymns to the River Ganges: Devii Sureshvarii Bhagavatii Gaunge [“O Divine Gauṋgá, goddess who has descended from the heavenly abode of the gods”].

According to him, the entire universe is false. So in this false universe, the River Ganges is also false! So what was the necessity of eulogizing such a false river?

This is a case of somersaulting to save oneself from a very embarrassing position, just like a harmless snake pretending to be poisonous.

This is a very fine example of a metamorphosed sentimental strategy.

There may be some people who will consider this change of sentimental strategy to be a natural process of evolution.

But in fact, it is not evolution but a metamorphosis of strategy.

Evolution does not take place so quickly nor so easily.

Those who have harmed humanity have various natures, and by now you have already understood those types of people.

It is a bit hard to identify those human chameleons who change their sentiments in order to exploit humanity more.

Sometimes, they shift their ground from one geo-sentiment to another geo-sentiment, sometimes from a geo-sentiment to a socio-sentiment, or from one socio-sentiment to another socio-sentiment.

They are adept at everything. To attain the support of the masses, one day a certain leader said, “I will not allow my country to be divided, to be vivisected – my country will be partitioned only over my dead body, not before.”

What he did in this case was to exploit both the geo-sentiment and the socio-sentiment simultaneously.

All clapped their hands in joy and said, “He is the only hope of our country,” and they considered him a god incarnate.

Then when the country was really partitioned, that leader did not open his mouth in the beginning – he preferred to observe his vow of silence. Later he merely said, “I am extremely sad, I am with the people.”

This is nothing but metamorphosed sentimental strategy. You must clearly recognize those people who adopt such a strategy; and to recognize them, one needs a greater degree of intellect, not merely common intellect.

Then what is necessary?

First, one who attempts to know them should train one’s mind, and to train the mind there must be a proper base. Suppose some boys want to practise running; they need a place for that.

Similarly, to train the mind, a base is required. In this case, the base is sama-samája tattva: “Whatever others might say, I sincerely believe that all humans have the right to food, clothes, accommodation, education and medical treatment. It is not enough for me to accept their rights in principle; as an honest person I should make the utmost effort to see that they have attained their rights.”

This is the spirit of sama-samája tattva.

Proto-Psycho-Spirituality

But it will not do to stop here with the spirit only. Supposing some boys want to run. If they simply stand still on the hard earth, will that be considered running? They will have to actually run. This running, this forward movement, is known as “proto-psycho-spirituality”.

What happens through this proto-psycho-spirituality? When a person is guided by it to think in a particular way, and sees that one’s own benevolent mode of thinking is not reflected in other people’s activities, then that person can easily realize their true nature.

So those who practise this proto-psycho-spirituality can easily recognize those demons in human framework. Then, after recognizing them, it is their duty to expose them to others also, to make people understand that they are repeatedly harming human society.

It is not enough for one to personally unmask them; one must open the eyes of others also. Only in this way can the well-being of the world be promoted. Thus it will not be sufficient to lie peacefully in wait, like goody-goodies in isolated ivory towers. One will have to spread one’s wings and soar high into the blue firmament.

So this proto-psycho-spirituality is a dynamic force. When a group of boys run in the field, their movement is the main factor. If they lose their mobility and sit down on the ground, that will not be considered running; it will only encourage the psychology of lethargy.

This universe of ours, as you know, is circum-rotarian (that is, rotating around its own nucleus). Nothing is outside its circumference, so it is not necessary to search for its nucleus outside.

One need not run about in search of the Nave, the Hub, the Nucleus; the Hub of this circum-rotarian universe is the hub of the individual also.

This circum-rotarian universe is controlled by one Centre both collectively and on a unitary basis. Thus each and every grain of dust, each and every blade of grass – all are being equally controlled by that Supreme Hub.

If, by some means, an individual can make his or her individual psycho-spiritual hub coincide with that circum-rotarian spiritual Hub, then that individual will feel oneness with every grain of dust, with every blade of grass – that will be his or her psychology.

This very realization will make one’s life-force throb throughout the entire universe. By means of this proto-psycho-spirituality one can fight against all sorts of socio-sentiments.

The human chameleons who use socio-sentiments or geo-sentiments, can also be easily detected in the light of proto-psycho-spirituality.

Now you may ask, what is proto-psycho-spirituality? First, we must discuss what psycho-spirituality is. Since it is the mind which advances towards spirituality, it is called “psycho-spirituality”.

It is called “proto” in the sense that it is a flickering entity – it is like a flickering flame, not like a steady flame.

It is not something unruffled or fixed; it is expressive of movement. Hence it is not complete psycho-spirituality but proto-psycho-spirituality. And the mobility portion within the systalsis of proto-psycho-spirituality is purely psychic; and the blissful staticity within the systalsis is purely spiritual.

So it is a happy blending of psychic and spiritual strata. Thus I call it “psycho-spirituality”.

One thing more should be added here. Whenever people, after performing some activity, think of the Nucleus of the circum-rotarian universe, their minds become all-pervasive.

Such people can never think of harming others; rather they will think only of universal welfare.

In that elevated state of mind, they will easily detect those demons in human form and will acquire the necessary capability to properly guide the ordinary or extraordinary individuals or groups who tend to be misguided by all sorts of socio-sentiments (because socio-sentiment is many times more harmful than geo-sentiment).

Intelligent people should clearly realize this, and then through seminars should make people aware of the importance of sama-samája tattva and proto-psycho-spirituality to fight against socio-sentiment. This is how intelligent people will show them the path of liberation.

This must be done, for although there may be some individuals who, knowingly or unknowingly, are fighting against this socio-sentiment, the majority of people are in darkness. That is why you will have to carry the collectivity with you, because the collectivity is yours.

The collectivity is not outside you – your future is inseparably connected with the collective fortune. You must take the entire collectivity with you and move towards the sweetest radiance of the new crimson dawn, beyond the veil of the darkest night.

28 March 1982, Calcutta

Footnotes

(1) Prakrti. –Trans.

(2) See also “Exploitation and Pseudo-Culture”. –Trans.