In childhood, man is immersed in playing and frolicking,
In youth, he succumbs to the temptations of cupid.
In middle age, he spends all his time in amassing wealth.
In old age, instead of contemplating on God,
He leads a life of discontentment,
Unable to give up bad habits,
Not having the strength and interest
To follow the path of devotion,
He gets caught up in the quagmire of action and reaction
And ultimately meets his doom. (Telugu Poem)
This is not the way one should fritter away human life, which God has gifted with lots of love and hope. Under all circumstances one should be ready to utilise the slightest opportunity that comes his way to serve others.
Human life should be suffused with idealism, but today’s man is leading the life of a beast. He does not spare a thought even for a moment to enquire what the purpose of life is.
O man, think for a while whether
You have really attained happiness,
Forgetting God and struggling incessantly
From dawn to dusk to eke out a livelihood.
[Telugu Poem] (SSS Vol.32 Part II, p. 91)
The search for truth must become your daily spiritual discipline; every moment must be used for this primary duty. (SSS Vol.5)
People forget that it is their primary duty to safeguard the security and prosperity of the society of which they are the limbs. (SSS Vol.14)
The primary duty of the Guru is to show the path to God-realisation. (SSS Vol.16)
The body should not be regarded as a mere conglomeration of the five elements. Looking at it externally, it may appear as a structure of bones, flesh, blood and nerves. But just as a temple is not a mere edifice consisting of brick and mortar but is the Abode of the Divine, the body should also be regarded as the dwelling of the Divine Spirit. It is, therefore, the primary duty of man to ensure that the body does not indulge in wrongful practices, and fall a prey to falsehood and unrighteousness. He should use the body to promote his higher human qualities and pursue the divine path. It is for this purpose that Yajnas, Yagas and other religious rites have been prescribed. (SSS Vol.16)
Service to society is everyone s primary duty. Businessmen should develop a moral approach, use right means for earning wealth and utilise it for the benefit of society. (SSS Vol.17)
The devotee s primary duty is to seek the nectar of bliss to be got from the contemplation of the beauty of God. The means of experiencing such joy is to cultivate good qualities and get rid of bad traits. (SSS Vol.17)
Man s primary duty is to realise his divinity. (SSS Vol.18)
Contemplate on God till your last breath. That is your primary duty. (SSS Vol.32 Part I, p. 141)
Non-violence is the greatest dharma. Love will be fostered only when non-violence is practiced. When love is fostered, there will be peace in the world. When there is peace in the world, man will naturally take to the path of dharma. When man follows the path of dharma, he will attain Truth. It is, therefore, the primary duty of every man to foster these life principles. (SSS Vol.32 Part I, p. 208)
Modern youth are making every effort to know all that is happening in the world but are not making any effort to understand the fundamental truth of human life. No benefit accrues from acquiring such information, which does not lead you to the goal of life. There are thousands of intellectuals, scholars, and eminent educationists in the world today. But all the worldly knowledge and skills will be a mere waste if one does not know oneself. The primary duty of man is to understand who he really is.
In this world, if money is lost,
one need not be worried about it,
for one can earn it again.
If a friend is lost, one can have another.
If wife is lost, one may get married again.
If one loses one’s piece of land,
one can purchase another.
All these can be acquired again.
But the body once lost is lost forever.
(Sanskrit sloka) (SSS Vol.32 Part II, August 2001, p. 127)
Although the human body is worthless in itself and is impermanent, it has to be carefully looked after, because it enshrines the divine Atma. This is man’s primary duty. Without a healthy and strong body, man will fall an easy victim to numerous ailments. Body is verily the foundation for human life. (SSB 1990, p. 12)