Miscellaneous - Religion   

Basis of belief

CHENNAI: The term Vedanta in the literal sense means the end of the Vedas, but it actually signifies the zenith of all knowledge. Those who have attained this ultimate knowledge are said to be realised and enlightened souls, and Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita that such people are not born again into this world of bondage. In other words this knowledge liberates one from the fetters of birth.

In a lecture, Srimati Sunanda drew attention to the process of realisation of this knowledge that can happen at any point in an individual’s search for it, provided the search is undertaken with faith and belief.

The starting point of the search rests on faith, which is after all a belief in a thing that is not sure in one’s perception initially. But one recognises the destination of the search when what one believed in is understood as truth. This is the only way to progress in this quest that is as difficult as trying to identify an object in a dimly lit room when only guesses are possible based on assumptions of its identity. Because of the lack of clarity, the following options are likely to emerge — you know the truth, or misunderstand it or you don’t understand it.

As a useful aid to this quest for the eternal truth, this sacred text holds a mirror to the essential qualities or tendencies that constitute human nature, cutting across the external sheaths of an individual’s being. Basically human nature comprises the three Gunas , viz, Satwa, Rajas and Tamas. The three modes are present in all human beings but in varying degrees, and one or the other predominates.

Though there exists a hierarchical positioning in their status, all these Gunas are the bonds that bind the immortal soul living in each being and lead it through the cycle of birth. Satwa Guna can reveal the soul by its own brilliance, but this quality impels one to seek happiness and knowledge; Rajas drives one to seek pleasure and possessions, and Tamas binds with the bond of delusion.

When the soul identifies with the modes of nature, it forgets its eternity and uses the mind, life and body for worldly accomplishments. The effort of every Jivatma is to transcend the influence of the Gunas and recognise the soul’s true nature.

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