Doctrine Of Karma

Author(s): Abhedananda Swami
Publisher: Ramkrishna Vedanta Math

Page 79

DUTY OR MOTIVE IN KARJA
accomplishment. If we should ask an old man of eighty or ninety, who has fulfilled all his obligations to family, society, and country, if he is happy, will his answer be in the affirmative? No; he will almost surely say: 'Although I have done all that was required of me as father, husband, and citizen, yet am I not happy. Then we stop and put the question each to himself: , 'If I do my whole duty, shall I be any more at peace?' And we are forced to admit: 'Most probably not.' The mere fulfilment of duty in itself cannot be productive of permanently good results. We must know, among the multiplicity of duties that surround us, which is the most important; and finally we must face, the problem: 'What is the highest, the one real duty of life?' Some people say that helping others is the highest duty. But why should we help others? Because some one has said so, or because it is written in some book? Why should we not kill everybody and enrich
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