Chapter 8

It struck Venkataraman that the guy had come to work on the day of his son’s death. Some detachment this must be! He was the real sanyasin, wasn’t he? He asked him, “Why do you stress so much importance on work?”

“You mean duty? One’s duties are the most important criteria to check, if you want to know if you’ve lived a good human life. One who doesn’t perform his duties well, does not get anywhere near a complete life. As Lord Krishna says in the Bhagvad Gita, karma yoga is the most visible form of attaining moksha. You know your duties, and you need to follow them. The sanatana dharma does not discriminate even against atheists. As long as their karma yoga count is alright, they are as eligible for moksha as any theist who spends his day in nama sankeertanams. A sanyasin is one, whose duties are completely done with, and does not have any place in the mind for anything else other than the divine thought. Satyananda was the son of the priest of the Sai Baba temple here. He used to hate me for a long time, since he was a strict proponent of vegetarianism. I used to tell him sanatana dharma propagates vegetarianism only for a certain group of the society, but he would never listen. Once when his age took over his senses, he was caught eating onion, which was a strict no for the Brahmins here. The whole town shunned him for the act, and the poor boy, disgusted with everyone around him, tried to kill himself. I saved him and brought him to my place. I talked sense into him, and told him that his life is worth more than a mere onion. He did not walk back into the town which shunned him for the matter of an onion, but he now knew that he had to perform his duties perfectly. He took him father, and went out of Shirdi. Years later, he came back, telling me that his father passed away, and he had taken up the sanyasa ashrama. It was understandable since, his duties ended with his father, and setting up a life for him. He was alone, and did not find the need for a grihastashrama and so took up the final step. So, you must understand, situations are different for different people, but all that should matter in your choice, is the answer to the question, “Are you doing your duty right?”

Venkataraman had got his answer, and he took leave of Khalsapati. Ramachandran got into the car, and they drove back, this time to Chennai.