Shilaidaha, June 16, 1892
The more you spend time on your own on a river or in an open space in a village, the clearer it becomes that nothing could be grander or more beautiful than to simply do your daily work with ease. From the grass in the field to the star in the sky, all elements are doing only that. Because nothing is making a desperate attempt to cross its limits, there’s such immense peace and beauty in nature; and yet, whatever each thing does isn’t all that valueless — the grass has to use all its energy to remain grass; it must engage the very end of its root to the ground to soak in the nectar. The earth is so resplendently lush only because the grass doesn’t try to overstep its boundary or ignore its routine work with the ambition of becoming a banyan tree.
In reality, it is through fulfilling daily small tasks and duties, not through grandiose initiatives or overstatements that the human society maintains its grace and harmony. Whether it is art or valour — nothing is complete in itself. On the other hand, even a small act of duty contains contentment and wholeness. To sit and continuously gripe, contemplate, consider every situation to be unworthy of oneself — all the while letting time and small and big obligations slip one by — nothing could be worse than that.
When one resolves to and believes in one’s ability to carry out all tasks up to one’s capacity with truth, strength and a full heart amid all pleasure and pain, one’s entire life is filled with happiness and all petty sorrows disappear.
Calcutta
June 17, 1892.
Bhaswati Ghosh 
There is this story by Chuang Tzu on the lock on a bag serving the robber as it helps him make a clean getaway. The lock alludes to culture & talk of virtue: the antagonist at the time being Confucian righteousness, and the thief is of course the ruler. As much as I love Tagore, the sentiment in this otherwise sweet letter to his niece comes very close to Chuang Tzu’s parable. It takes no stretch of imagination to put these words in the mouths of the high priest & the mandarin at the behest of Chuang Tzu’s thief.
I want to read the Chuang Tzu story now. 🙂
Here is one version of the story: https://ctext.org/zhuangzi/cutting-open-satchels. Enjoy 🙂
Wow — thanks!