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Source: The Hindu (http://www.the-hindu.com)

 

Self-knowledge liberates man from bondage

 

CHENNAI, MAY. 3. The central theme of the scriptures and all the

texts written by way of explaining their import, either as

commentaries or as independent works by the preceptors of the

different philosophical systems, is the goal that all those who

have been privileged to be born as human beings must aspire for

in this birth - liberation from bondage which will put an end to

rebirths. Adi Sankara discusses this topic in a systematic manner

in one of his works to show that the Self (Atman) has to be

realised by rejecting everything that is not the Self.

 

Man generally identifies himself with his body-mind-intellect

personality in all his experiences in which there is the

underlying ``I'' consciousness. This mistaken identity arises due

to ignorance and the aim of all spiritual endeavour is to remove

this ignorance by which one can gain insight into one's true

spiritual nature which is blissful and eternal.

 

Human sorrows arise due to man's identity with his body-mind-

intellect personality which is ephemeral in nature. All the

afflictions that pertain to the body, mind and the intellect are

transposed on the ``I'' (the Self) and hence the person suffers

because of this ignorance. So with discrimination a spiritual

aspirant must first learn to distinguish between the Self and the

non-Self.

 

In his discourse, Swami Omkarananda said that even knowledge of

the Self was only relative because all knowledge of our

experiences get objectified by the mind. Realisation of the Self

is a matter of experience and hence when it is expressed it

becomes objectified when the mind comes into play. The mind is

the seat of all our attachments. In fact, a spiritual aspirant

has to guard himself against being bogged down by scriptural

knowledge by making it an intellectual baggage. This attachment

will only boost one's ego instead of enabling one to get

liberated from this association. After loosening his association

with his body, mind and intellect if a spiritual aspirant makes

the mistake of getting attached to a subtler form of knowledge

which he believes will liberate him it is indeed an irony.

 

This is a pitfall which every seeker of liberation must be wary

of while pursuing the spiritual path. While the attachment to

one's body, mind and intellect is natural as one is born with

them, scriptural knowledge is gained and hence its utility must

be clear - that it is acquired for the purpose of Self-

realisation and not for getting entrapped in it. Realisation of

the Self which liberates man from bondage thus is an experience.

 

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