Miscellaneous - Religion   

The journey within

CHENNAI : All systems of Indian philosophy excepting the materialists (Charvaka) accept liberation from bondage (Mukti, Moksha) as the goal of human birth. Vedantic traditions describe this as an eternal blissful state attaining which there is no more sorrow. In the Mahabharata, there is an interesting aside to the main storyline in the form of Vidura's instruction to Dhritarashtra on ethics, the Viduraniti, which enjoys the status of an independent treatise. Even after listening to it the king did not get peace of mind. Vidura then meditated on Sage Sanatsujata and when he appeared before them requested him to expound on the Self (Atman) as only Self-realisation bestows lasting bliss.

In his discourse, Sri N.Veezhinathan said Jivanmukti (liberation while living) was unique to Advaita tradition. Many insightful dialogues that elaborate on the realisation of the Self as the end to be pursued occur in the Upanishads. The Chandogya Upanishad relates that Narada approached Sanatkumara to learn the truth as he was not satisfied even after mastering all the arts and sciences thereby highlighting that unless man increases in wisdom all his knowledge will be of no avail in rooting out his sorrows. The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad portrays Maitreyi spurning wealth to learn spiritual knowledge from her husband Yajnavalkya after he stated clearly that wealth could only ensure material welfare but would not lead to immortality.

The Mahabharata states categorically that man has only one enemy — ignorance. Man's existential predicament is due to ignorance of his spiritual nature. By identifying with his body-mind-intellect personality instead of with the Self, man attributes its limitations to himself and thereby plunges into sorrow. Sankara in the introduction to his commentary on the Brahmasutras underscores that man must realise the Self to overcome worldly sorrows.

It is often said in the spiritual tradition that the journey to the Self is the longest one in the world and it is the innermost. A spiritual seeker must direct his search within by restraining his senses. Lord Krishna has reiterated in the Bhagavad Gita, "At the end of many births of striving, the knowing one makes Me his refuge, realising that Vasudeva is all. A great soul of that type is rare to find."

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