The Supreme Duty of Mankind: Part 2

A listener expressed his doubt: “I don’t understand why sweet food, rather than truthful speech, should be pleasing to the mouth.”

Several others agreed. “Yes, yes, we too don’t understand. Sir, please explain and clear our doubts.”

Moteram: Does anyone else have any doubt? I will gladly resolve all your difficulties. Gentlemen, you ask why eating and serving good food to others is more beneficial than speaking the truth. My answer is that the first is a direct approach, while the second is indirect. For example, imagine I have committed a crime. If the judge speaks kindly to me and tries to explain that I have done wrong, his efforts to reform me will fail. Gentlemen, I am not a sage; I am an ordinary human being, entangled in the net of this illusory existence. Such “punishment” will have no effect on me; the moment I leave the judge’s sight, I will return to my criminal ways. Do you understand what I am trying to say? Any doubts?

Audience: Sir, you are an ocean of knowledge; you are a jewel among scholars. You are blessed.

Moteram: Well, let’s reconsider the example. Instead of speaking kindly to me, suppose the judge immediately sentences me to imprisonment, where I am subjected to great hardships. When I complete my term, I will remember those hardships for many years, and most probably, I will abandon my criminal activities. You will ask why. Both methods aim to reform the criminal, yet their effects are entirely different. The reason is simple — one is direct, the other indirect. Do you understand?

Audience: O compassionate sir, God has gifted you with vast intelligence.

Moteram: Now, you may be wondering what qualifies as the best food. I will explain. Just as God created different colours to delight the eyes, He created various juices to please the mouth. But which is the best among them? Well, that depends on individual taste. However, the Vedas and the scriptures regard sweets as the finest. The gods enjoy sweets, and even Sachchidanand, the Almighty Himself, loves sweet dishes. Can anyone name a god who loves to eat salty food? Is there anyone who can name such a divine being? No one can. Similarly, the gods do not like tangy, sour, or pungent substances.

Audience: Sir, you have infinite intelligence.

Moteram: So, we have established that sweets are the best of all eatables. Now you will probably ask me: Do all sweets give equal pleasure to the mouth? If I say yes, you will shout at me, “Panditji, you are crazy!” So I will say no — a hundred times no! All sweet things do not give equal pleasure. There is a world of difference between jaggery and sugar. To make the mouth happy, therefore, we must eat and offer to others only the best sweet foods — that is our primary duty. My personal opinion is that the sweets most suitable to be offered to the gods include imarti from Jaunpur, motichoor from Agra, pedha from Mathura, kalakand from Banaras, rasgullas from Lucknow, gulab jamun from Ayodhya, and sohan halwa from Delhi. The gods will be pleased with these offerings. The courageous and valiant people who feed such delicious sweets to Brahmins will surely attain heaven. If you have faith, I urge you to perform your duty; otherwise, do not expect to be called human beings.

Pandit Moteram concluded his speech, and the audience spontaneously broke into applause. Some were so impressed that they showered flowers upon him.

Then, Chintamani stood up to enthrall the audience with his own speech.

Chintamani: Gentlemen, you have heard the excellent lecture delivered by my best friend, Pandit Moteram. There was really no need for me to say anything after such an impressive speech. But while I agree with him on most matters, I differ in a few. In my opinion, if you have only imarti from Jaunpur in your hand, it will be more delightful, tastier, and more wholesome than any five other sweets. I can prove this scientifically.

Moteram (haughtily): This is your imagination — and it is false! Jaunpur’s imarti is nothing compared to Agra’s motichoor or Delhi’s sohan halwa.

Chintamani: Prove it.

Moteram: You want proof of a fact?

Chintamani: You are being stupid.

Moteram: You’ve been eating all your life but still haven’t learned what to eat!

At this, Chintamani flung his cushion at Moteram. Panditji ducked the attack and rushed at Chintamani like a mad elephant. The spectators had a tough time separating the two great souls.

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