Reader's Comments & Author's Response - 01 June 2017

Reader's Comments

On Jun 01, Deviprasad commented on Introduction To Vedas And Vedanta Part 19:

The Guru - Sishya posts is being contemplated. 

If at all anything can be expressed as "Unconditional Divine Love", then it will perfectly suit for Guru-sishya relationship, which is the highest of the higher relation which, ever can be expressed. 

A True Guru only can know the depth of avidya in which a jiva is. Guru is the one who can elevate a sadhaka (jiva) to HIS level / as Him. In the first place, Guru does not see a jiva as a jiva at all, as He has no difference of any kind, what so ever, as He sees only Himself everywhere and in everything. It is only we jiva's see Guru as separate from himself. 

Even to reach the stage to accept one as a Guru, one needs prarabdha, time should come, when a jiva recognizes his Guru and reaches Him, to fall on His feet and surrender cent percent.

Guru does not demand anything other than one's complete surrender unto Him. This surrender is very crucial in Guru-Sishya Parampara, as the jiva has to immerse in Guru's Aura in order to bath in the divine knowledge imparted by the Guru.

A true Guru exists as Truth, lives as Truth, moves as Truth and is Truth eternal. He is the best who can give (the knowledge) and also guide a disciple into transcending and retracing one's True Self's existence. 

Hari Aum Tatsat.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Author's Response

Few years before, a question was raised by a person to the author.

Qn: In our treatise, the role of a Guru has been emphasized to a very great extent. It is asserted that for Brahma Jnana, approaching a Guru and surrendering to Him and taking the instructions from Him and practicing the same - all these are absolutely necessary.

It is understandable that in those times, where there was no written instructions / commentary on our srutis , it was necessary for a preceptor / Guru who could give the knowledge to the disciple.

In this present modern age, with click of a button, all commentaries of all treatises are available in our own laptops - in audio / video / written format, then why do we need a Guru at all?

Author spoke and answered thus:-

·	If laptops were to replace a Guru, then at least few lacs of realized masters should be seen on earth, gaining Brahma Jnana through material available in laptops.
·	We don’t get to see so many realized souls in this present age. Why?
·	It is correct that commentaries of Brahma sutra, Upanishads, Bhagwad Gita, Sankara’s treatise and almost treatise of all scholars of all 6 schools are easily available in our computers / books ordered through amazon.
·	How about the qualification of the reader who reads / listens to those materials?
·	The reader, filled with Ego (at various level, at least surely with subtler ego), reads all these material with the back drop of his own ego and thus, even the Brahma Jnana given by masters are colored by the reader’s own ego and thus, he interprets the same in his own way, gives importance in his own way, decided to practice them / ignore them as per his own convenience. The results he gets depend upon all these factors.
·	Whereas, when a disciple surrenders to his chosen master, he keeps his mind at the doorstep of his master’s kutir and just allows the master to work through him, to take him in master’s custody totally and this single factor “surrender” melts his ego completely and thus he prepares himself to take / absorb the spiritual instructions of his master exactly in the manner given by his master, without any coloring/ without any modifications!!!!
·	Also, in the process of his learning, he allows his master to monitor him strictly, where, the strictness of the master is nothing but his ceaseless compassion to see through the disciple in attaining the self-realization, which is the mission of the master!!!!

Hope the question and its answer enters the reader’s heart as they read the same today, without any coloring/ without any modification!!!!

Love.

Introduction to Vedas and Vedanta - Part 20

VIVEKA

We read on the 4 qualifications or the sadhana chatushtaya in the previous post.

Let us know about the 1st Qualification- Viveka (Discrimination) in today's post.

Viveka is the intellectual ability to discriminate between real and unreal or what is described as Nitya and Anitya.

This viveka is a slow process. We live our life… we begin with many desires and ambitions. We fulfill each of them. Yet we find an emptiness inside – that emptiness inside is the feeling of being wanting… (remember the tanpura example) which leads us to imagine that by doing something else we will become fulfilled.

Slowly we begin to understand that no matter what I do, no matter how many ambitions I fulfill, the emptiness inside does not seem to go.

Then what is the solution? This is where all the paper-back knowledge comes in handy… you read a book, or you go for a satsang. There you hear that the TREASURE you have been looking for all your life is within you… is you.

It is not out there in the changing world – the changing world cannot give you what you are looking for … you are looking for PERMANENCE – permanent happiness and permanent security…… that is God … who is your True Self. So turn your attention now to God, who is your True Self…. who never deserts you. God is permanent happiness and God is permanent security.

So Nitya vastu is GOD who is your TRUE SELF. Now there is a longing to get one's TRUE SELF. So far one was happy with the crumbs of happiness given out by life.

Now, one understands it is anitya - temporary…. and the interest in gaining anitya happiness and security etc simply drops.

Discrimination or Viveka is the 100 percent conviction that the Self alone is real and that objects are apparently real.

Discrimination is the sense of right judgement and understanding to differentiate between the permanent and the impermanent.

The Anitya or impermanence comes in the form of various situations, opportunities and pleasures while the permanence is the VERY SELF, the TRUE nature of One's SELF.

While one may be very intelligent at surface level, it is the subtlety of the intellect to delve into things / events / happenings / relationships etc. and to clearly discriminate between what is TRUE and what is FALSE, or rather, what is FACT in the context of present time and phase and what is TRUE always, irrespective of the time, irrespective of situations.

That Eternal Truth is our true nature - Divine SELF.

Love.

Rajneesh