Kanchi Maha-Swamigal's Discourses on Advaita Saadhanaa (KDAS-8)

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You may see a Table of Contents, under the Introduction, in

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KDAS – 8

 

10. APEX OF SAADHANAA – ONLY FOR SANNYASI ! (Continued)

 

The point is not about ‘young’ or ‘old’. The point is about

the attainment of spiritual maturity. Generally that

maturity comes only to one who has gone through the ups and

downs of life and who has observed faultless karma yoga

all through. That is why the Acharya prescribed, as a

general rule, that the teaching of the mahavakya is to be

done at the time one is initiated into Sannyasa. In worldly

parlance, they set a minimum age, like fourteen or fifteen,

for graduation from school; but however, there are some

‘prodigies’ who are considered brighter than even a B.A. or

M.A. even when they are seven or eight. On this account

does it mean that the general rule is wrong? Every rule has

its exception. Even the general rule of minimum age for

high school graduation is exempted for very bright

students. So also the rule that only a Sannyasi is eligible

for Brahma-Vidya has been exempted for that Samaveda boy,

Shvetaketu. First he studied under his own father, then

went over for twelve years of study under other gurus and

then came back with his collar high up! When such proud

individuals get the shock of a setback of their pride they

go to the other extreme of total modesty and are prepared

to do the full SharaNAgati! Nothing can beat the

circumstance of a good and scholarly man when he reaches a

stage of defeat where he realises that all his intelligence

and scholarship are of no value in the face of real

experience. And that is when he dedicates himself totally.

That is what happened to that Samaveda boy before his

father who put to nought his high opinion of his

scholarship and sparked him to spiritual heights of

intuition. That is when he was given the upadesha of the

mahavakya. This should not be shown as a precedent for the

claim that the upadesha of the mahavakya should apply to

all.

 

The Brahmasutra (III – 4 – 17) gives a rule for the study

of Atma-VidyA: Eligibility is only for ‘Urdva-retasis’. Who

are they? They are the ones who have not wasted their

energy in sensual-experience but have conserved all of it

for the uplift of their spirituality. The one who has thus

destroyed his lust will become a Sannyasi. Even as a boy

one may be as pure as fire to such an extent that later the

thought of kAma never arises in him; such a person can be

given Sannyasa-Diksha and the knowledge of non-difference

between Jiva and Brahman may certainly be formally given to

him. Our Acharya himself belonged to this category. And

that tradition of giving Sannyasa to young Brahmacharis has

also been established by him for some of his mutts.

 

At a town called Shribali, a father brought to him a boy

who was totally inert to everything and prayed that the

Acharya should relieve him of his ‘disease’of inertness.

But the Acharya was able to see the maturity behind that

inert silence of the ‘patient’!. He gave Sannyasa to the

boy and kept him with himself. This is the famous

Hastamalaka, one of his four prime disciples. Again,

younger and much smarter than our Sama Veda child, there

was a seven-year old who dared argue with the Acharya

himself. How can some one win our Acharya in argument? But

the point is not about who won or who lost. The fact was

the newcomer was so full of modesty after the event and

actually surrendered to the Acharya. The Acharya gladly

accepted him as disciple, gave him the Sannyasa-Diksha, and

also gave the name ‘SarvajnAtman’. I am saying all this in

order to point out that the Acharya who was very regulatory

did loosen his regulations in the case of extraordinary

individuals. The Sama Veda boy we were talking about,

though he was just twenty-four and full of youth, did have

the maturity to deserve the teaching of the mahavakya and

that was why the Rishi gave the Upadesha to him.

 

Citing cases of exceptions and asking for withdrawal of

regulations in all cases is not right. Vidhura, of the

Mahabharata, when looked at from the way he was born, would

not be eligible to receive jnAnopadesha; but he was a

jnAni. Dharma-vyAdha was running a butcher shop; still he

had jnAna alright. The Acharya himself cites these cases in

his Sutra-bhashya (I – 3 – 38) and says these are cases

that happened because of the Samskara in earlier lives. In

the previous lives one gets good spiritual maturiy, but is

born again because of some tiny fault; however the maturity

of the previous life sticks on to him and very soon he

reaches an advanced stage in the spiritual ladder. Such

persons are very rare. They cannot form our model for

making the general rule.

 

The general run of people whose Samskara is rather dubious

are to do Karma yoga only. This is the rule. Even to carry

on the karma yoga properly they will find it difficult. To

burden them with an impossible sense-control, and control

of the mind that are needed for jnAna yoga is of no use.

 

That is why the third stage

 

[Note by VK: The Saadhana-chatushhTayaM is the second

stage].

 

in the Advaita-sAdhanA is prescribed only for those of the

fourth Ashrama (Sannyasa) who has already thrown off all

his obligations of karma and has totally dedicated himself

to the enquiry of jnAna. Only if one throws off the

burdens that make one run around for the family

establishment, the responsibility of feeding oneself or

the household and also the bondage of relatives as well as

of money and position and sit whole time as a Sannyasi for

the purpose of Atma-Vichara, -- only then can one eradicate

the inner burden of thoughts and also wash off the

long-lasting dirt and moss of the mind. Upto a certain

stage the composites of right action, svadharma and

obligatory duties do help to wash off this old dirt; but

after a stage they themselves become a potential for

further dirt and moss of the mind. They stick to one’s mind

and prevent the mind from losing itself in eternal peace.

When we wash sticky and dirty vessels don’t we apply

tamarind and earth on them and even allow them to stay

there for some time? But even they are ultimately rinsed

off and only then the vessels become bright and pure. In

the same way, the karma that helps to purify should

themselves be eradicated in full in order for the inner

organ (antahkaraNaM) to become pure and crystal clear. That

is exactly what Sannyasa means. After one becomes a

Sannyasi, the inner activities have also to stop and give

relief. Activity means peacelessness. Total peace is an

ocean of bliss; one should dissolve in it and be Brahman.

That is immutable peace. If it is possible to reach that

state from our present state of perturbation and

restlessness, then is it not our duty to put in the

maximum possible effort for it? If we don’t, then we are

only duds, whatever position or status we hold in whichever

field it may be.

 

(To be Continued)

PraNAms to all students of advaita.

PraNAms to the Maha-Swamigal.

profvk

 

 

 

 

 

Prof. V. Krishnamurthy

 

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