Question: How do we know whether we are shunning our duties to society or doing the right thing?

Sri Chinmoy: There is only one thing that is right in life; there is only one thing that is correct, necessary and indispensable and that is to love God. If you love God, then you are doing the right thing. Right now you are a tiny seed or a tiny plant in the spiritual life, and until you become strong, the forces in society have the ability to destroy you. Today you are a tiny plant but tomorrow you will grow into a huge banyan tree. At that time, people can do anything to the tree and the tree will survive. They can tie twenty cows to it with a rope, but the tree is not going to fall down.

When you become inwardly strong, if it is the Will of God for you to throw light onto your friends, neighbours and other members of society, then you can do so. But before that, you have to do first things first, and the first thing is to have one-pointed love for God. While you are loving God, He will give you the inspiration, energy and capacity to distribute your love in a pure way, in a divine way, amongst your fellow travellers in the spiritual life, and you will do it. So by loving God you will know what is best for you — what to say, how to behave, how to act, whether to enter into society. All answers will come if you feel the divine in yourself and try to become as close as possible to the divinity within you.