A lame man was sitting on the road to Badrinath and was lamenting, “People are on the pilgrimage to Badrinath. If I had legs, I would have gone to have darshan of Lord Badrinath.” Sitting beside him, was a blind man. As he heard the lame one’s laments, he said, “Friend, I also wanted to have a glimpse of Lord Badrinath. But I am blind. Nevertheless, I have a keen desire to visit the sacred temple, but how can I travel without eyes?”
A seer passed that way he suggested, “One has the power to see, while the other can walk. If both help each other, you will be able to reach Badrinath Dham”.
Similarly, the Knowledge of the essential truth of life is your eye. But if that Knowledge is not translated into action, it remains lame. And you have the power to act but if it is not guided by Knowledge, then such blind powers are misused and life is ruined. The explains why the energy of those who are not blessed with japa, austerity, meditation, Knowledge and the guidance of sri Gurudev, is spent in breeding attachment, hatred vanity, aggression and violence. Vigorousness without Self-knowledge, japa and tapasyā drives man towards corruption, exploitation, thus a happy blend of the power to act and the power to know is of utmost importance.
Till date, no man, no creature has been born who can live without action or karma. So, act you must, but your actions should be guided by Knowledge. Scriptures say that even Self-realized men, well aware of the futility and the transience of the world, engage themselves in actions so that others to should do the same following the course set by them. You embellish the art of Karma such sublimated actions take you to God-realization. It is true that actions can be nullified by actions but only Knowledge driven actions erase the effect of Karmas. Ego-driven actions will develop into wrong actions and wicked actions. There should be a synthesis of action and Knowledge in life. Actions should be associated with Lord Rama and king Janaka had been engaged in actions but their actions were associated with knowledge.
‘The Lord of Raghus would get up early in the morning, and bow his head to his parents and preceptor.’
A seer passed that way he suggested, “One has the power to see, while the other can walk. If both help each other, you will be able to reach Badrinath Dham”.
Similarly, the Knowledge of the essential truth of life is your eye. But if that Knowledge is not translated into action, it remains lame. And you have the power to act but if it is not guided by Knowledge, then such blind powers are misused and life is ruined. The explains why the energy of those who are not blessed with japa, austerity, meditation, Knowledge and the guidance of sri Gurudev, is spent in breeding attachment, hatred vanity, aggression and violence. Vigorousness without Self-knowledge, japa and tapasyā drives man towards corruption, exploitation, thus a happy blend of the power to act and the power to know is of utmost importance.
Till date, no man, no creature has been born who can live without action or karma. So, act you must, but your actions should be guided by Knowledge. Scriptures say that even Self-realized men, well aware of the futility and the transience of the world, engage themselves in actions so that others to should do the same following the course set by them. You embellish the art of Karma such sublimated actions take you to God-realization. It is true that actions can be nullified by actions but only Knowledge driven actions erase the effect of Karmas. Ego-driven actions will develop into wrong actions and wicked actions. There should be a synthesis of action and Knowledge in life. Actions should be associated with Lord Rama and king Janaka had been engaged in actions but their actions were associated with knowledge.
‘The Lord of Raghus would get up early in the morning, and bow his head to his parents and preceptor.’
(Ram Charit Manas Baal Kanda: 204.4)
This is the fruit of Knowledge.
‘The Lord of the universe, the all-wise
Sri Rama, also woke before the guru.’
‘The Lord of the universe, the all-wise
Sri Rama, also woke before the guru.’
Ram Charit Manas Baal Kanda: 226)
Lord Rama used to get up early in the morning before Rishi Vishwamitra. Lord Rama used to show reverence and respect to the Gurus for they give Knowledge to the world. So Knowledge is essential in life.
Knowledge gives both bliss and understanding. Say, if a piece of sweetmeat is placed on my tongue when I am fast asleep, I shall not enjoy its sweetness. But as I wake up, my mental mode will get connected to my tongue, I will know and will be able to enjoy the sweetness. Continence is very good; it develops our body, mind and intellect and makes cheerfulness long-lasting. This knowledge one may have but when one becomes covetous of carnal pleasure, continence is broken and one falls for sensual pleasures, even if to repent later. So happiness too is needed along with knowledge.
It is true and you agree also that it is not good to tell lies; that we don’t gain anything by harming anysbody. We all know that we should speak the truth. We do speak the truth but when some misery befalls, we give a go by to truth and speak untruth. Why? To get happiness. Why do we tell lies? to get happiness. Why do we break continence? Because we want happiness. So happiness is your essential requirement. The holy Ganga started its voyage from Gangotri. Singing and waving, it is running towards the Gangasagar (the mouth of holy Ganga). The water of Ganga is heading towards the place from where it had emanated. In the same way, your life aspires to attain your Real Being. You have emanated from the abode of absolute bliss, from God, which is Existence, Bliss and Knowledge Absolute (Sat-Chit-Anand). And that what you call ‘I’ has arisen from God, the abode of Absolute Bliss. That ‘I’ does whatever it does to reach the Absolute Bliss exactly in the same way as all efforts of the holy Ganga are towards reaching the sea, her original source. Out of selfishness, we arrest her flow and make it into a pond. Then it’s sacred water will not reach Gangasagar. Similarly, when we divert the mind to any wrong notion out of ignorance, our life is stunted. Though we make effort to get happiness, our life is obstructed in the pond of desires because we do not know that our own Self is Bliss personified. Thus our life is wasted and we are subjected to various births by the momentum of desires.
We are instructed by the scriptures and accept the rules and moral codes ordained thereby; but we break those rules when we are overcome by fear or tempted by desire for pleasures. And we have a downslide. What should we do in such a situation?
In order to overcome the lure of pleasure and the fear of pain, we need knowledge, whether that knowledge is the knowledge of Self or yogic method t attain Self-bliss. When these methods and Knowledge begin to provide Self-bliss within, we will become fearless. Then our life will be guided by Knowledge and wisdom and we will not stray from the path.
Whatever action one may do, without attaining that Knowledge, it results into problems and miseries. The same actions, when guided by Knowledge take your mind to the state of non-doership i. e. the state where actions don’t produce any bondage of any kind. The knowledge of Vedas and Upanishands is such an art that infuses such skill in actions that one experiences the eternal Brahman even while living in this transient world.
‘Yoga is skill in action’. (Gita: 2.50)
he finds his immortal Self while living in the mortal body. In earthly relationships, he discerns the everlasting relationship. The relationship among co-disciples is impermanent; that even between the Guru and disciples will end one day but if the sādhaka is blessed with Self-knowledge, he will certainly be able to establish relationship with Eternal Brahman at the core of all transient entities. And devoid of Self-knowledge, one will be entrapped in attachment to perishable relationships and will wander from one birth to another for ages to come.
Knowledge gives both bliss and understanding. Say, if a piece of sweetmeat is placed on my tongue when I am fast asleep, I shall not enjoy its sweetness. But as I wake up, my mental mode will get connected to my tongue, I will know and will be able to enjoy the sweetness. Continence is very good; it develops our body, mind and intellect and makes cheerfulness long-lasting. This knowledge one may have but when one becomes covetous of carnal pleasure, continence is broken and one falls for sensual pleasures, even if to repent later. So happiness too is needed along with knowledge.
It is true and you agree also that it is not good to tell lies; that we don’t gain anything by harming anysbody. We all know that we should speak the truth. We do speak the truth but when some misery befalls, we give a go by to truth and speak untruth. Why? To get happiness. Why do we tell lies? to get happiness. Why do we break continence? Because we want happiness. So happiness is your essential requirement. The holy Ganga started its voyage from Gangotri. Singing and waving, it is running towards the Gangasagar (the mouth of holy Ganga). The water of Ganga is heading towards the place from where it had emanated. In the same way, your life aspires to attain your Real Being. You have emanated from the abode of absolute bliss, from God, which is Existence, Bliss and Knowledge Absolute (Sat-Chit-Anand). And that what you call ‘I’ has arisen from God, the abode of Absolute Bliss. That ‘I’ does whatever it does to reach the Absolute Bliss exactly in the same way as all efforts of the holy Ganga are towards reaching the sea, her original source. Out of selfishness, we arrest her flow and make it into a pond. Then it’s sacred water will not reach Gangasagar. Similarly, when we divert the mind to any wrong notion out of ignorance, our life is stunted. Though we make effort to get happiness, our life is obstructed in the pond of desires because we do not know that our own Self is Bliss personified. Thus our life is wasted and we are subjected to various births by the momentum of desires.
We are instructed by the scriptures and accept the rules and moral codes ordained thereby; but we break those rules when we are overcome by fear or tempted by desire for pleasures. And we have a downslide. What should we do in such a situation?
In order to overcome the lure of pleasure and the fear of pain, we need knowledge, whether that knowledge is the knowledge of Self or yogic method t attain Self-bliss. When these methods and Knowledge begin to provide Self-bliss within, we will become fearless. Then our life will be guided by Knowledge and wisdom and we will not stray from the path.
Whatever action one may do, without attaining that Knowledge, it results into problems and miseries. The same actions, when guided by Knowledge take your mind to the state of non-doership i. e. the state where actions don’t produce any bondage of any kind. The knowledge of Vedas and Upanishands is such an art that infuses such skill in actions that one experiences the eternal Brahman even while living in this transient world.
‘Yoga is skill in action’. (Gita: 2.50)
he finds his immortal Self while living in the mortal body. In earthly relationships, he discerns the everlasting relationship. The relationship among co-disciples is impermanent; that even between the Guru and disciples will end one day but if the sādhaka is blessed with Self-knowledge, he will certainly be able to establish relationship with Eternal Brahman at the core of all transient entities. And devoid of Self-knowledge, one will be entrapped in attachment to perishable relationships and will wander from one birth to another for ages to come.
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