I am a bibliophile and collect books more than I get the time to read them. It is quite a confession for me. I often hoard books in the hope that one day I will get around them all. I read over 5 books at one time. I read no fiction, only nonfiction and that is because I have a deep urge to know the unknown. For me knowledge is freedom and I have “mumuksutva“, as Swami Aparajitananda, from Chinmaya Mission explained, the burning desire for Liberation and to realise the Self within.
While reading and understanding Kathopanishad – A Dialogue With Death and attending a beautiful class with Swami ji I learned about the curious and daring kid Nachiketa who is having a dialogue with the Lord of Death and he wants to know about what is death. Despite Yama (God of Death) dodging his query and trying to tempt him with worldly boons he is undeterred and focussed, he says what can Yama give him in the world which will not perish. He wants to know if we still exist after death, are we this limited existence or are we part of the beyond, Nachiketa is determined to get his answer and Lord Yama examines him before he gives him the answer. The book comes to a point where he tests the soul in Nachiketa, if he is ready to absorb the knowledge. The age of the body has nothing to do with the soul realisation. The vessel has to be prepared with virtues to be able to contain the knowledge that is so vast and deep. It will stir you until you’re not the same. It will push you, press you and clean you until you shine and you get the right understanding of the knowledge that is being poured.
I wanted to check myself for how many of these virtues I have developed in my life and to be honest dear readers I realized I haven’t even started.
So I am sharing here a list of qualifications that we need to be able to receive and absorb higher knowledge. The higher the learning, the more prepared the mind should be.
The first qualification therefor is to have “Viveka” – which is the capacity to discriminate between the Real and the unreal. To be able to understand the higher knowledge in its essence without distorting it with limited perception.
The second qualification is to have “Vairagya” – the spirit of detachment from the enjoyment of fruits of action here and hereafter; When we were discussing this one of my friends, Nidhi, reminded us about the 47th verse of Bhagavad Gita in Chapter 2, (interestingly it is written as 2.47 and isn’t this to be with us, 24/7 ?)
कर्मण्यवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन | मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोSस्त्वकर्मणि || ४७ ||
Here Krishna advises humanity to rise up from the constant inertia. Move beyond the desire-prompted, selfish action and dedicate the action to to the higher purpose. Do not get beaten up by waiting for the fruits of your action, just focus on the action. And everything else will be taken care of.
The third qualification is Sat Sampatti or the six ethical perfections which need to be cultivated and nurtured until they become natural virtues of your pure mind.
- Sama– It is the peaceful state of mind freed from agitations created by desire for sense objects. The ability to quieten the mind. Sama is the restraint of the internal organ, which is the mind. Quoting from the scriptures, “The internal organ, or the psyche proper, is called the antahkarana chatushtaya. Mano buddhi ahankara chitta: the mind that thinks, the buddhi or intellect that decides and determines, the ahankara that identifies everything with itself, and the chitta or memory that remembers past things; these are, broadly speaking, the functional aspects of the psyche. Because they are four, they are called chatushtaya; and because it is an internal faculty, it is called antahkarana, not external.
- Dama– Dama is the restraint of the sense organs. It is the ability to control the senses. The capacity to steer away from the sense objects and maintain the discipline of the sense organs outside. There are five senses of knowledge and five organs of action. Passion is an uncontrollable desire. A desire that has overcome you and flooded you is called passion. Dama is creating a distraction free environment, if passion and longing is too much use the quarantine method says Swami Krishnananda ji in his article on The Six Treasures. He explains, “You should not completely sever the connection of the senses from their objects. Then they will revolt.You must give up the sense objects little by little and even substitute it gradually with healthy and less toxic habit, until you are ready to let go of all the sticky habits.”
- Uparati– The ability to withdraw, in other words, developing that condition of thoughts in which they are free from the external objects. It is cessation of longing Desire cannot be quenched by the fulfilment of desire. Desire increases by its fulfilment, as when clarified butter is poured over fire it increases the ferocity of the flame; it does not make it cease. Knowing this, be calm. This is uparati. Withdraw.
- Titiksha– The ability to endure. It is the capacity of the mind to endure all sorrows and sufferings like heat and cold, pleasures and pain and so on, without grudging, without struggling for redress and without feeling helpless or lamenting.There is an old saying, “Give me the power to change what I can, the will to bear what I cannot, and the wisdom to know the difference.” This is to be kept in mind always to free yourself from the ebb and flow of emotions.
- Sraddha – It is to have faith in your Self, your practices, on God and have positive regard for the scriptures and the Guru, the source through which the higher knowledge is coming your way. It is okay to be a spiritual scientist and experiment with what you learn but it is another think to doubt everything and stunt your own personal and spiritual growth.
- Samadhana – It is the ability to concentrate single-pointedly on what you want, with constant contemplation and meditation. Like the focus of a bowman who shoots an arrow at his target, your attention is constantly focused on that you aspire.
The fourth qualification as I mentioned earlier is Mumuksutva- the longing for liberation, freedom from the cycle of birth and death, way out from the karmic loop. Our entire journey with all its attachments, explorations and experiences are for this one craving to merge with the light of which we are the specks.
Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you”
Matthew 17:20-21
In the popular Hindu devotional poem in Sanskrit,” Bhaja Govindam ” composed by Adi Shankaracharya this verse talks about how we are going on and on in a cycle of birth and death and it is only until the benevolent grace of God helps us to redeem our soul from the endless saga. When you attain the highest knowledge, devotion for our supreme father rises within us. So go on love and learn with no restriction. Direct your love to the highest and free yourself.
पुनरपि जननं पुनरपि मरणं
पुनरपि जननी जठरे शयनम् |
इह संसारे बहु दुस्तारे
कृपयाऽपारे पाहि मुरारे ‖ 22 ‖
punarapi jananaṃ punarapi maraṇaṃ
Bhaja Govindam, Adi Shankaracharya
punarapi jananī jaṭhare śayanam |
iha saṃsāre bahu dustāre
kṛpayā’pāre pāhi murāre ‖ 22 ‖
Birth again, death again, again resting in the mother’s womb! It is indeed hard to cross this boundless ocean of saṁsāra (cycle of repeated birth and death). O Murāri! by your causeless mercy please protect me (from this transmigratory process). (Stanza attributed to Nityanātha.)
As I sit here and integrate the tree of beautiful virtues I realise how fruitful it is to have the urge to learn. It is okay to have a library full of books than remain in the abyss waiting for the next meaningless desire to cloud our judgement and hack our lives. It is okay to dive in and swim in the pond of knowledge before we learn to float in the spiritual ocean for Real.
Life Change Work 