The Hindu : Miscellaneous / Religion : Strive for liberation

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Monday, Jun 20, 2005

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous - Religion

Strive for liberation

CHENNAI: : The spiritual tradition asserts that the scriptures are the ultimate authority for gaining spiritual knowledge and so scriptural study has to be undertaken by every seeker. But, the Upanishads also emphasise that the Self has to be experienced, and Self-knowledge cannot be taught and learnt like other disciplines. Such contradictory statements are bound to confuse the beginner. In rationalisation the intellect develops the argument based on secondary sources but the Self has to be perceived directly.

To reach this level one has to study the scriptures and proceed step by step. It is only reiterated that the Ultimate Reality is to be known from one's own experience. Therein lies the beauty of Vedanta, which vests every seeker with the choice to realise God for himself. It is to remove doubts that one must turn to God-realised saints who will clarify from their experience. When Vivekananda approached Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and asked him if he had seen God, he replied that he had and that he could also realise Him.

In his discourse, Swami Atmashraddhananda said every spiritual aspirant had to undergo self-discipline to realise God. There is a well-known dictum in spiritual lore, which states, "God comes to you when you are ready." This adage emphasises at once the necessity of self-effort and divine grace for attaining spiritual knowledge. Divine grace cannot be explained rationally but it can be seen practically from the lives of the God-realised that it is not possible to experience God by self-effort alone. This is another paradox which one can appreciate only if when one "lives" the spiritual life. A child's psychology is best illustrative of this paradox. When one asks it to part with its toy it will not and it will give only when it feels like. Similarly, no one can do anything about the ambiguity in the operation of divine grace. Man can only strive for liberation and pray.

This is bound to raise the question, "Why should I pursue the spiritual path if there is no certainty that I will realise God?" Without adopting the spiritual path man cannot find peace because engagement of the senses and the mind in the world is fraught with moments of sorrow. Man cannot find eternal bliss until he disciplines his mind and the senses, and directs his search within.

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