Verse 25
शास्त्रस्य गुरुवाक्यस्य सत्यबुद्ध्यवधारणम् ।
सा श्रद्धा कथिता सद्भिर्यया वस्तूपलभ्यते ॥ २५ ॥
śāstrasya guruvākyasya satyabuddhyavadhāraṇam |
sā śraddhā kathitā sadbhiryayā vastūpalabhyate || 25 ||
(That by which one understands the
exact import of the scriptures as well as the pregnant words of advice of
the preceptor is called 'sraddha ' by the wise, by this alone does Reality
become manifestly clear.)
Sraddha is the fifth of the
qualifications found necessary in an aspirant. Perhaps no other spiritual
term has been so badly mauled by the priest class and so profitably
polluted by the laity in Hinduism.
Shraddha is the faith in that which you
are asking for. You should not go to God with a doubt whether He is, or He is
not. “O God, if you are there, please come”. He is certainly there. “God is
certainly there.
It is certain that I am going to attain
it. It is certain that the method I am adopting is correct. It is certain that
I am progressing every day. I have symptoms and experiences which tell me that
I am progressing every day”.
Shraddha is faith in your own self
first, faith in the method of practice which you are adopting, faith in your
Guru who has initiated you, and faith in the existence of God.
Faith in God/SELF is the first step to
God/Self-realization. Not an iota of progress is ever possible in the path of
spirituality without faith. The faith must be a living faith. It must be
unwavering faith. Lack of faith is a stumbling block in the path of
realization.
Faith is one of the important items in
the Shad Sampat or six fold virtues of the four means of salvation or Sadhana
Chatushtaya in the path of Jnana.
Even Patanjali Maharshi, the exponent
of Raja Yoga philosophy lays much stress on faith. He says:
"Shraddha veerya
smriti samadhi prajna - purvaka itaresham"
To others (this Samadhi) comes through
faith, energy, memory, concentration and discrimination of the real.)
He has placed Shraddha (faith) in the
very beginning of this Sutra. He has given prominence to this. If a man has
faith, then energy, memory etc, come by themselves.
Faith can work miracles. Faith can work
wonders. Faith can move mountains. Faith can reach a realm where reason dare
not enter. There is nothing impossible under the sun for the man of faith to
accomplish.
How a disciple/spiritual seeker expresses
his Shraddha to Guru, Srutis and God?
Towards the Scriptures: “O Mother
Sruti! How many people you have liberated by your blessed words! By your pure
wisdom, how many saints have crossed the ocean of Samsara!
As my Guru remains yours, won’t you
help me? Aren’t you my Mother? You protect those who follow you. Help me follow
you implicitly. There are many things what you say that I don’t understand, but
I know that a mother cooks food and gives it to her child, and the child takes
that food without a doubt, feeling, “Yes, what my mother has given is good for
me.”
In the same way, let me take your
words, relish them in my heart, live my life according to your dictates, and
let me be blessed like how the saints of yore have been blessed.”
Towards Easwara: “O Lord, the Master of
the whole Universe! O Lord, the Governor of the whole Cosmos, whom I do not
see, but, Lord, who in every instant of my life comes forward and guides me,
helps me and takes me forward!
Indeed, this is an essential requisite
for anyone trying to master the truths of the scriptures. The scriptures
give us, through a technique of suggestions, as clear a description of the
infinite Truth as is possible through finite sounds and words.
As such, the pure Consciousness
which is the core of Reality cannot be defined or expressed in words and
this supreme point of human evolution can only be indicated by the
scriptures.
So, an honest and sincere effort
on the part of the readers and students is absolutely necessary if the
words indicating the Truth are to be correctly interpreted, understood and
efficiently made use of. This capacity through effort to realize the words
of the scriptures in all their suggestiveness is termed as
'sraddha'.
Love.