Kathamrita Volume II - Swami Vivekananda

the women of carpenter families sell flattenedrice. Let me tell you how alert they are whenthey attend to their work. The pestle of thehusking-machine falls constantly into themortar. With one hand, the woman pushespaddy into the mortar and with the other,suckles a baby in her lap. In the meantime, acustomer arrives and she attends to the salewhile the pestle goes on pounding the paddy inthe mortar. She says to the customer, ‘Look,you owe me so much money. Pay me and youcan take your stuff.’“Just see, she attends to all these things at thesame time: suckling the child, pushing thepaddy into the mortar while the pestle ispounding it, separating flattened rice from thepowdered husk and taking it out of the mortar –and then talking to the buyer. This is what isknown as the yoga of practice. Fifteen annas [5]of her mind are tied to the falling pestle of thehusking-machine lest it should pound her hand.With one anna of her mind she suckles thebaby and attends to the buyer. Similarly, thosewho lead a family life, a householder’s life,must give fifteen annas of the mind to God.Otherwise, they will face complete ruinationand fall into the hands of Death. One mustattend to worldly duties with one anna of themind.“One can lead a family life after attainingknowledge. But one must first attain it. If you