Hindu article-Knowledge of the Self

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Knowledge of the Self

 

 

CHENNAI, APRIL 24 . Adi Sankara was hailed as

Bhagavadpada by his disciple because he appeared in

human form with the purpose of expounding the

knowledge of the Self for the redemption of humanity.

Even though his contribution to the cause of Sanatana

Dharma (Hinduism) is immense, it was his concern for

application of the philosophy of Advaita in practice

that has ensured a vibrant, living spiritual tradition

through a succession of preceptors to this day. He has

made it clear at the outset in many of his

commentaries that the philosophy he was enunciating

has been in vogue in tradition and his indebtedness to

his predecessors.

 

In his discourse, Sri N. Veezhinathan said Sankara had

highlighted the importance of the Upanishads by

stating that these spiritual texts were equivalent to

a thousand mothers. One can thus understand the

concern with which these texts teach the spiritual

path, which will be beneficial to humanity. The term

"Upanishad" connotes spiritual knowledge, which cuts

asunder bondage and it literally means "sitting near"

the preceptor to study and grasp the truth. The

subject matter dealt with in them is the Self (Atman).

 

 

The Self is of the nature of consciousness and man

forgets his true nature due to ignorance. This is

evident if we consider the waking state in which the

feeling of "I" permeates all thoughts and actions. An

individual's identity and his interactions with the

world begin with this feeling of "I" and its

consequence "mine". The Self is thus identified with

the mind due to ignorance, which is the reason for

human bondage and suffering. The Upanishads present

the subject matter they deal with, the Self, as that

which has to be experienced by the seeker by enquiry

and not as just a speculative philosophical concept.

 

There is no discrimination as to who can pursue

spiritual knowledge and it is for this reason that it

is often said that immortality, which this knowledge

confers, is the birthright of every individual.

Yajnavalkya, who figures in the Brihadaranyaka

Upanishad as the philosopher sage and preceptor of

Janaka, the enlightened king, was a householder. The

teaching in this Upanishad as in many others is in the

form of dialogue. A famous one is that between this

sage and his wife Maitreyi when he expressed his wish

to renounce family life after distributing his

material assets. She did not want it and instead

sought spiritual knowledge from him.

copy right: The Hindu-daily

 

 

 

 

 

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