Hindu Article-Truth cannot be taught

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Truth cannot be taught

CHENNAI, APRIL 5. Scriptural texts like the Upanishads are in the

form of dialogue between the Guru (preceptor) and the disciple as

Self-knowledge has to be grasped by the student and cannot be

imparted like other objective sciences. Generally a person will not

appreciate the value of anything obtained without any effort on his

part and it is all the more so in the case of knowledge because it

cannot be forced on an indifferent student. The disciple must be

eager to learn and must approach the Guru with sincerity and persist

in his quest till he learns the truth. The Kenopanishad, which occurs

in the Sama Veda, begins Self-enquiry with a question raised by the

disciple, "By whom urged does the mind alight on its objects? By whom

directed does the first breath go forth? By whom urged do men utter

the speech? The eye and the ear, which God indeed directs?"

In his discourse, Sri Goda Venketeswara Sastri said the Kenopanishad

was a text of divine grace akin to the Sundara Kanda of the Ramayana

and its importance could be gleaned from the fact that Sankara had

written two commentaries on it. The Upanishad at the outset draws

attention to the nature of the human mind, which is the faculty with

which man acquires all knowledge. It is obvious when one observes the

mind that some other force impels it. For instance, when one tries

with difficulty to forget some unpleasant experience the mind refuses

to obey and keeps on dwelling on it. It is necessary then to

understand why it behaves in this fashion.

The answer to this is given by the Guru, which underscores the fact

that it is because of the Self (Atman) that all human faculties

function, "It is that which is the ear of the ear, the mind of the

mind, the speech, indeed of the speech, the breath of the breath, the

eye of the eye. Having abandoned (the sense of self in these) and

departing from this world, the wise become immortal."

It is the Self, which gives the power to each sense organ to function

similar to different electrical gadgets functioning because of

electricity. The sense faculties are able to perceive only the

objects outside, as they are outward bound and not the Self. Just as

fire will burn all objects but not itself, so also Self-knowledge has

to be intuited and it cannot be taught. Thus the Upanishad points out

right at the outset that the spiritual aspirant has to learn the

scriptures from the Guru and must grasp the truth by meditating on it

alone.

 

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