Miscellaneous - Religion   

Overcome delusion

CHENNAI : The Self (Atman, Brahman), which is of the nature of consciousness and bliss, is eternal and self-evident but in common parlance it is spoken of as the ultimate goal to be attained in human life. It is necessary to begin with such a presupposition because man in his ignorance mistakenly identifies with his body-mind-intellect personality and attributes its nature (impermanence) to himself and wallows in the resulting sorrows; whereas it is due to the underlying Self that all his other faculties function. This delusion is the cause of his sorrows and it is possible to overcome it by spiritual knowledge.

In his discourse on the Yoga Vasishta, Sri Mani Dravid Sastri said Sage Vasishta taught Lord Rama that as a result of holy company (Satsangh) and contemplation on the scriptural teachings it was possible to surmount delusion. He further clarified: "When the knowledge of the Self arises, then the senses are brought under control and the universe (plurality) vanishes." It is through the sensory organs that a person receives all knowledge of the world and hence they are responsible for creating the illusion of diversity that is experienced. While the scriptures prescribe control of the senses and the mind as the basic requisites for pursuing scriptural study, ultimately all these practices are meant to grasp Self- knowledge. So effort must be made by the seeker to restrain his senses and mind. But, only discrimination between the eternal (Atman) and the transient (universe of experience) will lead to wisdom.

The importance of cultivating holy company is stressed in the spiritual tradition because only a Self-realised man of wisdom (Jnani) can guide the seeker. How does one recognise a Jnani? One must accept the guidance of others who are well versed in spiritual knowledge in this matter. A doubt may arise as to why penance and austerities cannot result in Self-knowledge. These practices are prescribed for overcoming negative traits like anger, hatred and jealousy, which act as deterrents. These are preparatory to the path of selfless action (Nishkamya Karma) and will lead to purification of mind. Besides, they will also restrain the spiritual seeker from indulgence in sensory gratification and thereby enable him to overcome desires.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

CARTOONSCAPE
The Hindu Crossword 8681
Solution to Puzzle 8680
Overcome delusion
dated August 14, 1956: President's appeal
dated August 14, 1956: Egypt rejects invitation
Weather

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu