The Hindu : Miscellaneous / Religion : The guide within

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Sep 20, 2004

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous - Religion

The guide within

CHENNAI, SEPT. 20. Man is governed by his surface tensions which determine his actions. A `mad' person often gets deluged by such emotional turbulence, but sometimes even the sane get influenced by them. Only by consciously moving away from instinctive behavioural patterns could a person experience the full force of his inner consciousness, and align his mind, body and life as an integrated whole. In His infinite benignity the Supreme has made available holy texts helping a seeker gain true insights and experience God. The Omniscient manifested as a cowherd, far away (not attainable to some) and delivered the Bhagavad Gita so that human beings could comprehend and attain salvation; for what is one if not an enemy of the Lord if one lacks true wisdom?

In his discourse, Sri R. Narasimhachari said that assimilation of knowledge through reading scriptures (sastras) is very difficult for most people since the mind is given to wandering on many wavelengths. The Gita leads a seeker steeped in the ocean of ignorance to the realisation of God even when performing his duties. The guidelines stated with regard to the meaning and import of existence, the perennial values and moral firmament leading up to intuitive knowledge form the basis for amalgam of spirit and mind. Many questions then arise. Scholars point out that what is not prevalent in common practice will not be stipulated in the sastras (instructions) and vice versa. An aspirant may also wonder as the number of commentaries available to pursue. These commentaries on the Gita available to us are all a result of avowal of the writers, men steeped in higher knowledge, particular brand of traditions which may repudiate those of others. Thus there are three requisites for producing anything in this world. Just as how the pot comes from the mud, knowing which everything of mud is known, likewise the Supreme evolves in this world, as He states in the Gita, ``Though unborn and immortal and also the Lord of all beings, I manifest myself through my own divine potency... whenever there is decline of righteousness.'' God as the supporting, controlling principle of the soul is the inner guide, the in-dweller (antaryami). Often He who is present in the inner layers of a soul is unrecognised, since the requisite knowledge is yet to fructify. Till such a state is reached a seeker would do well to do his duty without attachment, or expect returns, but move in the ways delineated by God.

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