Letter No. 8

To, Wife of Rajani Kanta Ghosh:

     Treat people in distress as your own children and try to relieve them by the means in your power. Every one comes naked into this world and quits naked. Except Dharma (virtue) no wealth accompanies him. Dharma consists principally in alleviating the distress of the poor. The great Father makes some of His children owners of rich stores so that they may help their brothers and sisters. If the rich owner fails in discharging his duties, he is next made a dependent, the charge of the store being conferred on another more dutiful and worthy.

     It is not proper to think that few children in my charge are my own and others not. Children were given to me a thousand times before and I had to leave them each time. The present children also have to be left likewise. Why should we not make the whole world our own and live for all? The whole world has been connected with us in previous births, and truly we are their kindred. Let us therefore live for the poor and thus please Krishna who wants nothing more.

     Tears that we shed for our own grief are like flood waters which destroy the crops; tears shed for others are like gentle rain that fertilizes the soil of the heart and germinates Love of Krishna. Cultivate your heart with such tears to fertilize the soil and with the Name of Krishna as the agricultural implement. Krishna knows your wants and will satisfy them. Even the dominion of heaven without Krishna should be considered as infernal region. It is a great error to forget the lotus feet of Krishna for fleeting and trivial affairs of the world.

     A traveller coming to the shade of a tree cannot refresh himself if he indulges in quarrelling and dispute, and will lack strength and vigour to pursue his journey. Therefore make the best use of this short life instead of wasting energies in disputes of greatness or otherwise which will make you to lag behind and bring on various perils when the darkness of night sets in. Therefore do not run the risk of losing the right track leading to the goal of perpetual bliss.

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