Knowing your purpose in life is essential to all; lose that purpose and you lose not only your direction in life, but also hope, and the value of life itself. A tamasic-depression results in a loss of purpose, or not caring about what you know should be important. On the other hand, a rajasic-dynamic life may have so many aspirations that there is no real sense for what is important or essential—it is one massive ball of entangled ideas and energy. Satwic-calm purpose has clarity, and it keeps the soul grounded in practical actions that are tied to life’s greater purpose.
As a soul, you come into a lifetime with goals for what you want to learn and achieve. A goal may or may not rise to the elevation of purpose—purpose speaks to the reason for taking an incarnation. But purpose comes with a burden; if you do not accomplish your purpose in life it is a terrible let down to the deepest part of who you are. Buying the latest phone may be a goal, but it does not speak to your purpose. Completing a degree, establishing a business, raising children, moving the world forward in some great endeavor, attaining a high state of realization may be the kinds of things that speak to your purpose, for why you were born.
Purpose is not something that can be handed to you, it is something you must discover for yourself. My Grandfather started a fruit and produce and trucking business. My father always saw himself going into business with his father, which he returned to when he was discharged from the Coast Guard. My mother said she had thought I would go into business with my father, along with my eldest brother. Although this would have fulfilled her expectations (my father never voiced his thoughts on the topic), it was clear to me that my direction and future were elsewhere.
In my case, from my late teens onward the only thing that spoke to me about my purpose was Self-realization; everything else in life only made sense to me under that one umbrella. I was willing to do things in the world, as long as it fit in with realizing God. Knowing God was the first thing in my life to which I fully committed myself. While growing up I played sports, was a student and a boy scout, I worked many hours for my father’s business, I played and caroused, but nothing I did was wholehearted. I take no pride in that fact, I think I did not get the greatest advantage from any of those activities by not giving it my all. I did not understand it myself; only when I met Mother did I commit myself to anything fully.
I know that is not everyone’s story, and you have had your own way to wend to fulfillment. What is essential is that you know why you have come—that as long as you are drawing breath there is yet purpose for you to fulfill. It is important that you not enter a sinkhole of a tamasic mood in which you are uninspired. One of my great objections to the drug marijuana is that it robs the individual of motivation and purpose—complacency being one of its primary side-effects. That fits hand in glove into a tamasic mood, even though it initially brings a kind of euphoria. To be alive to your purpose brings life-energy, enthusiasm, creativity—all life-affirming attributes.
The other side of that guna-coin is rajasic overstimulation in which you are busy, busy, busy; with never a minute. In all likelihood if you ask a driven person about purpose, a rajasic would give a laundry list of things on the agenda. This is not purpose, they are goals. Purpose is the guiding star that makes you aspire to something greater, keeps you pointed in the right direction, and helps simplify your life from being loaded down with over-activity. The classic office sign of rajasic mode says, “The hurrier I go, the behinder I get.” In that case the thing to do is to slow down, get off the gerbil-wheel long enough to become quiet and orient yourself to knowing your purpose, not just goals. Why have you taken incarnation? While achieving goals is necessary, why are you here? You may find there are a lot of activities you are doing that have nothing to do with why you are here; in fact this busyness actually keeps you from accomplishing essential things in your life.
The satwic way moves you toward the mark. The body and mind slows down; alert calmness allows you to tune-in to your soul’s purpose, coming from a very deep part of you. When you tap into this you simply know that it has been true for you from before you were born. Purpose is inspiring, life-giving, and in accomplishing it you truly know that you will feel profound satisfaction. There will not be a thousand of such purposes in your life, it will be a comparatively few. It may connect with a profession, family and children, some service to do in life, the perfection of some art or creative endeavor, it can relate to physical achievement such as a sport or perfect health, it can relate to any topic at all, but it must rise to the standard of being connected with the real reason you were born.
Purpose uplifts any activity you are engaged in, when it is aligned with why you are here. For instance, if being in service to God is your purpose, then going to a work in which you see yourself serving God in your customer, or the useful role that your product plays in people’s lives, elevates any beneficial work that is dharmic into seva, loving service to others. All activities, sweeping the floor, washing dishes, driving somewhere, educating yourself, any and all activities in alignment with purpose makes it worthy and fulfilling.
Please take some time here. Focus on the purpose you do know. How are you doing staying on track with that purpose? Also, check in with your deeper Self—is there any unacknowledged purpose you do not yet know or you have been pushing into the background? The first thing to do is to discover that true purpose in life—first things first! Every life has purpose, even if your body does not cooperate in any other way, your purpose can be as a prayer warrior for God. As such, you see every person, every situation in life filled with God’s light and life, working its way towards His perfection. Your light can extend out all over this whole world, and even beyond. That is a mighty purpose!
I know that my purpose is to fulfill what God and Gurus have asked me to do; to love and serve Him and Him in you—writing this posting is in keeping with that purpose. Another purpose is to publish Mother’s words in books and formats that are fitting to her work. That is a work in progress and we are making good headway on that front. Another purpose is to be in perfect harmony with the body through eating the right foods in the correct amounts; to have no impediments to the flow of life-energy through this body; and for the intelligence of God to manifest through this brain; everyday this is an exciting exploration. An overarching purpose is to be a perfect instrument for God in thought, word and action, to be in keeping with His will every moment of every day. This, you might say, is my meta-purpose in life. I find all of these stated purposes absolutely true for me; they are all inspiring and are polestars that keep me tremendously enthusiastic about life and in forward motion, rising to higher levels every day—it does not get better than that.
Your challenge is to be clear on your purpose, and to be exactly on track with achieving it. So that when it comes time to draw your last breath you may say, along with the Christ, Father into thy hands I commend my spirit (Luke 24:36), and then, it is finished.(John 19:30) You know that you have completed the purpose for which you have taken incarnation; you feel in perfect accord with Divine Will and can in all good conscience commend yourself to the highest light of your Being; that is what the Infinite has desired for you from the foundation of time.