Miscellaneous - Religion   

Distilled wisdom

CHENNAI: The preceptor (Guru) who dispels ignorance by imparting spiritual knowledge has no parallel in this world because he removes the root cause of bondage and thereby liberates his disciple from the vicious cycle of transmigration. The relationship between a Guru and his disciple is not just in this life alone but one that spans over the spiritual quest performed in several lives. The Satasloki of Sankara, which is an independent work in verse form, begins with acclaim for the Guru to drive home that it is only by his grace that one can pursue the spiritual path and realise the goal.

After stating that the Guru is without equal, Sankara tries to compare the preceptor to the legendary philosopher’s stone which is said to convert a base metal like iron into gold. Similarly, a Guru can transform a layperson into an enlightened person. But he says this comparison does not hold fully because the philosopher’s stone can only convert iron into gold and not into another philosopher’s stone while the Guru makes his disciple Self-realised, who can in turn enlighten another disciple.

In his discourse, Sri S.N.Sastri said Sankara had distilled the wisdom of the Upanishads in the Satasloki. To reinforce that the objective of human life is liberation, he elaborates how man identifies totally with his body, his kith and kin and material possessions that he fritters away his entire lifespan to protecting them. When there is such a total obsession to preserve worldly things, where then will he find the time to devote to spiritual pursuits or even think of the Self (Atman), which is the basis of all his worldly engagements and fortune?

The example of the silkworm is cited in this context to show how obsession with nurturing the body is self-defeating. The silkworm thinks that it can protect itself by building a cocoon with the thread that comes out of its mouth little realising that it becomes the reason for its destruction as it is killed by one who wants the silk threads. Similarly, man has acquired the physical body as a result of the Karma he had accumulated from previous lives, and if he becomes attached to that body and its protection, his actions will only perpetuate his bondage resulting in rebirth.

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

Stories in this Section

Cartoonscape
The Hindu Crossword No. 9401
Solution No. 9400
Distilled wisdom
dated December 11, 1958: Human Rights
dated December 11, 1958: Growing democracies
dated December 11, 1958: Bangalore Central College
Weather

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu