三十
本译文由人工智能辅助工具生成，可能存在不准确之处。如需查阅权威文本，请参考英文原文。
AI-translated. May contain errors. For accurate text, refer to the original English.
中文
我们在交谈或任何集体行动——如音乐等——中都表现出令人遗憾的自制力缺乏。每个人都试图把自己推到最前面。在铁路或轮船站台上的推搡拥挤，是这一现象的另一个例证。斯瓦米吉的一位朋友有一天在道场就此话题与他交谈。斯瓦米吉说道："你看，我们有一句古老的谚语：'若你的儿子不好读书，就把他送去达尔巴（Sabha，议会）吧。'这里的'Sabha'并不是指偶尔在人们家中举行的那种社交聚会——它指的是王室朝廷。在孟加拉独立君王的时代，他们每天早晚都举行朝会。朝会中，早上商议国家的一切事务——因为当时没有报纸，国王便与都城的各界名士交谈，从他们那里获取关于百姓与国家的种种信息。这些名士不得不参加这些朝会，因为若他们缺席，国王便会询问原因。这样的朝廷是每一个国家文化的中心，不独是我们这里如此。在当今时代，印度西部，尤其是拉贾斯坦邦，在这方面比孟加拉好得多，因为那里仍保留着某种与古代朝廷相近的风俗。"
问：那么，摩诃拉吉，我们的人民是因为失去了自己的君王，才丧失了良好的风度礼仪吗？
斯瓦米吉：这一切都是堕落，其根源在于自私。在登轮船时遵循"叔叔，先保住自己的宝贵皮囊"这句庸俗格言，在音乐和消遣时刻人人争相自我表现，这是我们心灵状态的典型写照。只需稍加自我牺牲的训练，便能消除这一切。这是父母的过失，因为他们不教导孩子养成良好的礼仪。确实，自我牺牲才是一切文明的根基。
另一方面，由于父母的过度支配，我们的孩子得不到自由成长的空间。父母认为唱歌是不正经的事。但儿子一听到美妙的音乐，便立刻将全部心思放在如何学习上，他自然就要去寻找聚集之所。再者，"抽烟是罪孽！"那么这个年轻人还能怎么办，除了与家里的仆人混在一起，偷偷地培养这个习惯？每个人心中都有无限的倾向，需要适当的空间来满足。但在我们这个国家，这是不被允许的；要改变这种秩序，就需要对父母进行全新的教育。现状就是如此！多么可悲！我们尚未发展出高水准的文明；尽管如此，我们那些受过教育的巴布们却要英国人将国家政权交给他们来管理！这让我既想笑又想哭。好吧，那武士精神在哪里？那种在一开始便要求人知道如何服务、如何服从、如何自我克制的精神！武士精神不是自我主张，而是自我牺牲。一个人必须随时准备挺身而出，在命令一声时献出生命，然后才能指挥他人的心灵和生命。他必须首先牺牲自己。
室利·罗摩克里希纳的一位信徒曾在他写的一本书中，对不信奉室利·罗摩克里希纳为神的化身的人发出严厉的批评。斯瓦米吉将那位作者召到他面前，以激昂的语气向他说道：
你有何权利这样写作，辱骂他人？若他们不信奉你的上主又有何关系？难道我们建立了一个宗派？难道我们是"罗摩克里希纳派"，要把不崇拜他的人视为我们的敌人？你的狭隘偏执只是贬低了他，使他变得渺小。若你的上主是神明本身，那么你应该知道，无论以何种名号呼唤他，那都只是对他的崇拜——而你算什么人，竟敢辱骂他人？难道你以为他们会听你的辱骂？多么愚蠢！只有当你为他人献出了自己，才能赢得他人的心，否则他们为何要听你的？
短暂平静之后，斯瓦米吉以哀伤的语气说道：
亲爱的朋友，一个人若非自身是英雄，又怎能对神怀有信心或将自己交托于神？除非一个人成为英雄，心中的仇恨与恶意永远无法消散；除非摆脱了这些，又如何能真正文明？在这片土地上，那刚健的男子汉气概在哪里，那英雄主义的精神在哪里？唉，无处可寻。我曾多次寻觅，只找到一个例子，仅仅一个。
问：您在谁身上发现了它，斯瓦米吉？
斯瓦米吉：唯在G·C·*身上，我见到了那真正的皈依——那真正的神之仆人的精神。正是因为他随时准备牺牲自己，室利·罗摩克里希纳才担当起他全部的责任。多么独特的归顺于神的精神！我未曾见过与他相当的人。从他身上，我学到了自我交托的功课。
说完这些，斯瓦米吉将合拢的双手高举至额前，以表达对他的敬意。
English
We evince a sad lack of restraint in conversation or any conjoint action such as music and so on. Everyone tries to put himself foremost. The jostling at railway or steamer station is another illustration of this. A friend of Swamiji had a talk with him one day at the Math on this subject. Swamiji remarked, "You see, we have an old adage: `If your son is not inclined to study, put him in the Durbars (Sabha).' The word Sabha here does not mean social meetings, such as take place occasionally at people's houses -- it means royal Durbars. In the days of the independent kings of Bengal, they used to hold their courts mornings and evenings. There all the affairs of the State were discussed in the morning -- and as there were no newspapers at that time, the king used to converse with the leading gentry of the capital and gather from them all information regarding the people and the State. These gentlemen had to attend these meetings, for if they did not do so, the king would inquire into the reason of their non - attendance. Such Durbars were the centres of culture in every country and not merely in ours. In the present day, the western parts of India, especially Rajputana, are much better off in this respect than Bengal, as something similar to these old Durbars still obtains there."
Q.-- then, Maharaj, have our people lost their own good manners because we have no kings of our own?
Swamiji: It is all a degeneration which has its root in selfishness. That in boarding a steamer one follows the vulgar maxim, "Uncle, save thy own precious skin", and in music and moments of recreation everyone tries to make a display of himself, is a typical picture of our mental state. Only a little training in self - sacrifice would take it away. It is the fault of the parents who do not teach their children good manners. Self - sacrifice, indeed, is the basis of all civilisation.
On the other hand, owing to the undue domination exercised by the parents, our boys do not get free scope for growth. The parents consider singing as improper. But the son, when he hears a fine piece of music, at once sets his whole mind on how to learn it, and naturally he must look out for an Adda. Then again, "It is a sin to smoke!" So what else can the young man do than mix with the servants of the house, to indulge in this habit in secret? In everyone there are infinite tendencies, which require proper scope for satisfaction. But in our country that is not allowed; and to bring about a different order of things would require a fresh training of the parents. Such is the condition! What a pity! We have not yet developed a high grade of civilisation; and in spite of this, our educated Babus want the British to hand over the government to them to manage! It makes me laugh and cry as well. Well, where is that martial spirit which, at the very outset, requires one to know how to serve and obey and to practise self - restraint! The martial spirit is not self - assertion but self - sacrifice. One must be ready to advance and lay down one's life at the word of command, before he can command the hearts and lives of others. One must sacrifice himself first.
A devotee of Shri Ramakrishna once passed some severe remarks, in a book written by him, against those who did not believe in Shri Ramakrishna as an Incarnation of God. Swamiji summoned the writer to his presence and addressed him thus in a spirited manner:
What right had you to write like that, abusing others? What matters it if they do not believe in your Lord? Have we created a sect? Are we Ramakrishnites, that we should look upon anyone who will not worship him, as our enemy? By your bigotry you have only lowered him, and made him small. If your Lord is God Himself, then you ought to know that in whatsoever name one is calling upon him, it is his worship only -- and who are you to abuse others? Do you think they will hear you if you inveigh against them? How foolish! You can only win others' hearts when you have sacrificed yourself to them, otherwise why should they hear you?
Regaining his natural composure after a short while, Swamiji spoke in a sorrowful tone:
Can anyone, my dear friend, have faith or resignation in the Lord, unless he himself is a hero? Never can hatred and malice vanish from one's heart unless one becomes a hero, and unless one is free from these, how can one become truly civilised? Where in this country is that sturdy manliness, that spirit of heroism? Alas, nowhere. Often have I looked for that, and I found only one instance of it, and only one.
Q.-- in whom have you found it, Swamiji?
Swamiji: In G. C.* alone I have seen that true resignation -- that true spirit of a servant of the Lord. And was it not because he was ever ready to sacrifice himself that Shri Ramakrishna took upon himself all his responsibility? What a unique spirit of resignation to the Lord! I have not met his parallel. From him have I learnt the lesson of self - surrender.
So saying, Swamiji raised his folded hands to his head out of respect to him.
## References
文本来自Wikisource公共领域。原版由阿德瓦伊塔修道院出版。