ature, for an act to
repeat itself; the Karma acquired in the last preceding birth is always
trying to forge fresh links in the chain, and thereby lead to continued
material existence;--and this tendency can only be counteracted by
unselfishly performing all the duties appertaining to the sphere in
which a person is born; such a course alone can produce chitta suddhi,
(purification of the mind), without which the capacity of perceiving
spiritual truths can never be acquired.

A few words must here be said about the physical inactivity of the Yogi
or the Mahatma. Inactivity of the physical body (sthula sarira) does
not indicate a condition of inactivity either on the astral or the
spiritual plane of action. The human spirit is in its highest state of
activity in samadhi, (highest trance) and not, as is generally supposed,
in a dormant, quiescent condition. And, moreover, it will be easily
seen, by any one who examines the nature of occult dynamics, that a
given amount of energy expended on the spiritual or astral plane is
productive of far greater results than the same amount expended on the
physical objective plane of existence. When an Adept has placed himself
en rapport with the universal mind he becomes a real power in Nature.
Even on the objective plane of existence the difference between brain
and muscular energy, in their capacity of producing widespread and
far-reaching results, can he very easily perceived. The amount of
physical energy expended by the discoverer of the steam-engine might not
have been more than that expended by a hardworking day-labourer. But
the practical results of the labourer's work can never be compared with
the results achieved by the discovery of the steam-engine. Similarly,
the ultimate effects of spiritual energy are infinitely greater than
those of intellectual energy.

From the above considerations it is abundantly clear that the initiatory
training of a true Vedantin Raj Yogi must be the nourishing of a
sleepless and ardent desire of doing all in his power for the good of
mankind on the ordinary physical plane, his activity being transferred,
however, to the higher astral and spiritual planes as his development
proceeds. In course of time, as the Truth becomes realized, the
situation is rendered quite clear to the Yogi, and he is placed beyond
the criticism of any ordinary man. The Mahanirvan Tantra says:--

Charanti trigunatite ko vidhir ko ishedhava.

"For one, w