Verse 39
Shraddhaavaan labhate jnaanam
Shaantim
The man who is full of faith, who is devoted to it, and who has subdued all the senses, obtains (this) knowledge; and, having obtained the knowledge, he goes at once to the Supreme Peace.
In this verse, Sri Krishna describes the
attributes we need to cultivate in order to attain knowledge of
self-realization. He points out three attributes: faith, devotion and sense
control.
Shraddha
The most important qualification that we
should have is shraddha, or faith.
The word Sraddhavan means a person who has faith.
Faith is firmly believing. Believing is something that must have a source from
where it believed in.
But what specifically should we have faith
in? It is four things: faith in scriptures, in our teacher, in ourselves and in
the truth of the eternal essence.
Furthermore, this faith has to come out of
utter conviction that the material world is not the be-all and end-all.
There is a changeless eternal reality behind
this ever-changing material world. Unless we are convinced that there is
something beyond the material world, we will never develop true faith.
Faith is beyond fact. Fact is seeing / having
evidence about something and believing in the same. Beyond this fact is
faith.
Fact says seeing in believing. Faith is
Believing (in truth), pursuing in the same and Seeing (experiencing the truth)
ultimately.
Actually, faith is only a translation to a
limited sense for Sraddha. Sraddha is actually much more than “faith”,
which a true disciple can only experience fully.
Devotion
In addition to faith, Shri Krishna mentions
two more attributes. First is Tatparah, which is the keen intent
and focus of the seeker to do what it takes to pursue the path chosen.
In areas of ignorance you must surrender. Atman
is unknown hence devotion is necessary. Consider the Self as supreme.
Whatever you do, anchor one aspect of your mind on God. Then the mind is calm
and available for intake of knowledge.
There must also be sincere devotion towards
the spiritual master while studying the Vedic scriptures under His tutelage.
Actually total Sraddha translates /
culminates into total devotion, which only a true disciple / Bhakta
can know.
Control of Senses
Second attribute required is Samyatindriyah,
which is restraint and control over the senses. If sense restraint is absent,
then our attention would quickly stray away from the spiritual path into the
material world.
A person may acquire knowledge by themselves
but here are presented all the qualities that are essential for such a person
to succeed.
But there is more, one must also avoid the
association of those who are not following the Vedic injunctions, as
association with them may cause one to deviate from the path of knowledge, in
spite of having faith and be captivated once again by maya or illusion
neglecting to study the Vedic scriptures and omitting to serve the spiritual
master.
So only one who is self-controlled attains
spiritual knowledge and acquiring such knowledge one neutralizes all extraneous
activities and perceives the Brahman or the spiritual substratum pervading all
existence and from there achieves atma tattva or soul realization and from that
platform attains moksha or liberation from material existence.
Now, if we develop these qualities and follow
the path of knowledge, then we will know that we have gained knowledge through attainment
of everlasting peace.
As long as the ego is present, it generates
noise or chatter in the form of selfish thoughts.
Knowledge of self-realization annihilates the
ego, which eliminates the ego’s noise, giving us everlasting peace.
Love.
