Purpose of Life: To be Rendered Prasad
Swami Vidyatmananda

Swami Vidyatmananda (1913-2000), a monk of the Ramakrishna Order, was of American origin.
For many years he was attached to the Vedanta Centre in Hollywood, California.
Since 1966 he was associated with the Centre Vedantique Ramakrishna, Gretz, France.
He has written a number of thoughtful articles in The Vedanta Kesari and Prabuddha Bharata,
and the book What Religion is in the Words of Swami Vivekananda.


A question each of us has asked himself again and again is: What is the purpose of life? Or more precisely, what is the purpose of my life? For what we had once thought was its purpose — the attainment of peace, the gaining of happiness and enjoyment — didn't seem to materialize. These were replaced in large measure by anxieties and disappointments. What went wrong?

But suppose that the answer to the question, 'What is the purpose of life?' were just the opposite? The purpose of my life is to give my life away, not to enjoy it — indeed to bring or to try to bring peace, happiness, and enjoyment for others instead of myself. If that were the definition of the purpose of life, perhaps existence would come up to our expectations. And if one could manage to conceive of life as a rite, a 'puja', and the purpose of life to make oneself a sacrifice to God — an oblation, so to say — offered upon His altar, that would be the soundest definition of all.

It has long been understood that the offering, which is the most pleasing to God, is the offering of oneself. My goods or even my child, in the case of Abraham's proposed sacrifice of his only son Isaac — may be acceptable to the Lord, but I myself am the most pleasing present I can proffer. Jesus made himself the lamb of God both in his life and at his death. Offering myself represents the greatest gift to the Almighty, since it demonstrates perfect love, perfect trust, and perfect resignation.

But we will not do it. We prefer to remain our own master; hence our anxieties and disappointments.
When one uses the word 'sacrifice', one tends to think that making a sacrifice is a one-sided gesture. I give something away to the unilateral benefit of him to whom I give it. But this is a mistaken view. Reference to the dictionary will show how far it is an erroneous view. The word sacrifice comes from the Latin sacrificare — which means 'to make holy', 'to render sacred'. What is sacrificed becomes, by the act of sacrifice, divinised. A lamb, or a coconut, offered on the altar, is taken back sanctified — it has become spiritualised by the two-way intervention of my offer and God's acceptance. It is said that it has been transformed into prasad.

When I offer myself, thus, I do nothing particular for God. He possesses everything already. It is only I who benefit. Just possibly the sacrifice of myself pleases Him, because He likes to see us take actions which make us holy. For in that act it is I who have become 'prasaded'; my action in offering myself has sanctified me; I am the beneficiary. Seen from this point of view, sacrifice loses its negative aspect and becomes a positive, creative, and divinising act.

One of the most touching references to sacrifice I have ever read is to be found in a letter from Swami Vivekananda. It was written in January of 1900. His days of being a fiery preacher out to reform the world were over; he now reckoned himself only as a child at the disposal of the Divine Mother. Listen: 'I am afraid that the rest and peace I seek will never come. But Mother does good to others through me, at least some in my native land, and it is easier to be reconciled to one's fate as a sacrifice. We are all sacrifices — each in his own way. The great worship is going on — no one can see its meaning except that it is a great sacrifice. Those who are willing escape a lot of pain. Those who resist are broken into submission and suffer more. I am now determined to be a willing one.'

RE: A question each of us has asked himself again and again is:
What is the purpose of life?

Comment: I believe that the purpose of life, is the realization of God,
dwelling in ourselves and other entities.....

Sri Ramakrishna said:

"Through selfless work, love of God grows in the heart.
Then, through His grace, one realizes Him in course of time.
God can be seen. One can talk to Him as I am talking to you. "

RE: When I offer myself, thus, I do nothing particular for God.
He possesses everything already. It is only I who benefit.

Comment: So very true. Sri Thakurji said:

"Man cannot really help the world. God alone does that -
He who has created the sun and the moon, who has put love
for their children in parents' hearts, endowed noble souls
with compassion, and holy men and devotees with divine love.
The man who works for others, without any selfish motive,
really does good to himself."