Fwd: Hindu Article-Truth cannot be taught

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advaitin , " B VAIDYANATHAN "

<vaidyanathiyer> wrote:

>

> 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.

>

> copy right: the Hindu-daily

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