=========================================================================
6 Chapters (64 Mantras)
Chapter-1.
Section-2 : A CLOSE LOOK AT RITUALS : (Mantras 10-22, 13 no.)
=========================================================================
Thursday, February 23, 2023. 07:00.
Post - 21.
=========================================================================
21. Mantram - 2.12: Guru Upasadana – Approaching the Guru
With Translation :
1.
pareekshya lokaan = After thoroughly examining the worlds
karma-chitaan braahmanah, = gained by Karma, let a Brahmana (a seeker)
2.
nirvedam aayaan = free himself from all desires by reflecting that
na asti akritah kritena; = things Eternal cannot be had by (temporal) actions,
3.
tad vijnaanaartham = In order to obtain the knowledge of the Eternal,
sah gurum eva abhigacchhet, = let him approach that spiritual preceptor,
4
samitpaanih = in the precribed manner with fuel in hand,
shrotriyam = who is well-versed in the scriptures,
brahma-nishtham. = and who is firmly established in the Truth.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bhashyam (Vyakyanam) :
Now we come to the third group of seekers who are ready for the Para Vidya.
Examination of the Hollowness of Karma and Upasana :
1 These people come to a point in life where they start examining the worlds
(Parikshya Lokaan) acquired through the path of Karma alone or through Karma and
Upasana combined. They come to realize that the highest achieved through those methods
is still in the world of unreality and temporary. No matter how perfectly they perform their
activities or sacrifices, the final result is still in the realm of birth and death, of decay and old
age, of change and destruction. There can never be permanent happiness through these
methods.
A deep dispassion overcomes them. It is time to move higher up.
The Dawn of Dispassion and Discrimination :
2 The fruitsof all such Karmas and Upasanas are temporary. They do not give one
liberation from the cycle of Samsara, from births and deaths. These people come to realize :
“There is nothing here that is really worthwhile. Any number of actions cannot give
immortality. I have to get knowledge of the Self.” They come to the turning point in their
lives, they become more discerning, and their intellect becomes pure enough for them to
realize the hollowness of the lower knowledge.
Thus begins the first glimmer of yearning towards the higher knowledge. These
people learn to discriminate between what is permanent and what is temporary. They also
develop some dispassion towards the material pleasures offered by the world. They begin to
understand the limitations of these pleasures and how utterly dependent it makes them on
outer objects. In short, these seekers want something that is more lasting and gives deeper
satisfaction that is not dependent on external things.
Guru Upasadana :
3 At the feet of one’s Guru, the knowledge of the Self is obtained. This is studied,
pondered over and practised through deep contemplation. The Final goal of this knowledge
is for one to experience the identity of oneself with the Supreme Brahman Himself as being
the all-pervading Reality. The eligible seeker is here advised to seek the guidance of a Guru
who can lead him further along this very difficult path of spiritual perfection.
4 The proper protocol to approach such a Guru is given. Samitpaanih refers to a
customary gift taken for the Guru, something which he can utilize in his hermitage. Some
firewood is the most common item used in the hermitage. It is also an item which any
student can afford to bring, whether rich or poor.
The disciple is symbolically saying, “O Guruji! Just as this firewood will be burnt to
ashes, I come to you to have all my impurities and Vasanas or latent tendencies burnt away
so that I am liberated from this endless, meaningless round of birth and death.”
The Qualifications of a Guru :
We are given here the twofold qualifications of a true Guru :
i) He has to be a Shrotriya, one who is learned in the scriptures;
ii) He also has to be a Brahma-Nishtha, one who is established in Brahman.
The disciple goes to such a Guru and serves him with devotion. In due course, when
the Guru is satisfied with the disciple’s readiness, this is what happens…..
*****
Next
22 Mantram - 2.13: The Role of the Guru
To be continued
========================================================================
.jpg)
Comments
Post a Comment