Know thyself, the True knowledge.

       
               

 Know thyself, the True knowledge. 

In earlier article we saw some vagueness in the definition of 'knowledge'. We will try to go through the concepts and definitions of 'knowledge' based on the views of some eastern sages, thinkers. Here one comes across the definition of the world ‘knowledge’ and also explanation of what can’t be termed as true knowledge.

Ref. Dasbodha (दासबोध) of Samarth Ramdas Swami, with commentary by Prof. K.V.Belsare, chapter 5, verse 5.

Universe  constitutes in two parts : 1. Soul (आत्मा, स्थूल , स्वयंप्रकाशी ) which is Non - Matter
                                                and  2. Non-soul (अनात्मा )  which is Matter (स्थूल , परप्रकाशी )
               In turn Matter is considered of two parts : 1. Visible Matter ( दृश्य स्थूल ), and 2. Invisible             Matter        (अदृश्य स्थूल ).

1. Whatever can be sensed by sense organs is visible matter. Mountains, oceans, trees, animals, men, women, houses etc. are covered in this type. Invisible matter includes anything which is not visible to sense organs but perceived by instruments, mind, intellect etc. Rules of nature, inner composition of atom, ambitions, virtues, values, passions, emotions etc. are covered in this class. The knowledge acquired through the study and research of the visible and invisible matters is termed as Science. This is considered as the highest knowledge but this is not a correct notion.

2.  आदी करुनी चौसष्टी कला I  याही वेगळ्या नाना कला I  चौदा विद्या सिद्धी सकला I   हे ज्ञान नव्हे II         असो सकल कला प्रविण I  विद्या मात्र परिपूर्ण I  तरी ते कौशल्यता, परि ज्ञान I  म्हणोचि  नये II                              हे ज्ञान होयेसे भासे I परंतु मुख्य ते अनारिसे I जेथे प्रकृतिचे पिसे I समूळ वाव II 

Any person, expert not only in 14 vidya, 64 kala (१४ विद्या६४ कला), but also having abilities to perform in several faculties may be considered as very intelligent, savvy and competent person. We can consider him to have lot of skills, arts and proficiency but it cannot be termed as having real knowledge. The real knowledge has the ability to eliminate all the illusion and deception (माया) from its roots.

After clarifying what cannot be considered as knowledge, now we shall see the explanation of ‘true knowledge’.  Here one finds “knowledge” clearly defined.

3.       ऐका ज्ञानाचे लक्षण I ज्ञान म्हणजे आत्मज्ञान I पहावे आपणासी आपण I या नाव ज्ञान I I 

          मुख्य देवास ओळखावे I सत्य स्वरूप ओळखावे I नित्या नित्य विचारावे I या नाव ज्ञान I I

          जेथे दृश्य प्रकृती सरे I पंच भूतीक ओसरे I समूळ द्वैत निवारे I  या नाव ज्ञान I I

         मन बुध्दी अगोचर I न चले तर्काचा विचार I उल्लेख परेहुनी पर I  या नाव ज्ञान I I

         जेथे नाही दृष्य्भान I जेथे जाणिव हे अज्ञान I विमल शुध्द स्वरूप ज्ञान त्यासी बोलिजे I I 

To know entirely the own self, to know the ultimate truth, to visualize the everlasting reality, is considered as true knowledge. At this stage of realization the awareness takes the person beyond the duality (अद्वैत), minutest form of the matter.  Such true knowledge is beyond the reach of mind, logic and intelligence and the origin of sound vibrations (परा). At the stage of complete realization the sense of vision is subdued and the awareness gets melted. To reach such a state is acquiring the true Knowledge as delineated in Dasbodha.

4.  A person on the pilgrimage of Truth endeavors to find answer to the fundamental query: ‘Who am I?  (कोहम?).’  A person is the unity of the body and a mind. Mind is nothing but the combination of the samskaras (संस्कार) of the past several lives. A conscious action, whether cognitive, affective or conative, assumes a potential and hidden (सूक्ष्म आणि अव्यक्त) form just below the threshold of consciousness. This is termed a samskara (संस्कार). The soul is the purest form of the mind and free from samskaras. Soul (आत्मा) is a very small fraction of the Supreme Soul (परमात्मा). The whole universe is the creation of Paramatma, who also occupies the contents of the universe in the form of Atma.

5. The concept of real knowledge is also explicitly explained in chapter 13 of the Holy Gita (भगवत गीता) 

           क्षेत्राणि हि शरीराणि I बीजम चापि शुभाशुभे I तानी वेत्ती स योगात्मा I  ततः क्षेत्रज्ञ उच्चते I I 

The body is termed as Farm (क्षेत्र), the owner of the farm is the Soul. God has the full knowledge of all bodies and minds and souls. The God is termed as the Farmer (क्षेत्रज्ञ), who knows about the farm. Real knowledge (ज्ञान) as per Holy Vedas is to fully comprehend the concepts of body, mind, and soul. One, who possesses Dnyana (ज्ञान), is called as Dnyani (ज्ञानी).  Holy Gita chapter 13 describes in details both the concepts viz. Dnyani (ज्ञानी) and Adnyani (अज्ञानी).

While commenting on the Gita chapter 13, Rev. Vinobaji says: During the journey to know the self, one can’t totally rely on intelligence. This is because the soul and intelligence are separated by the layered partition of the samskaras accumulated during the past incarnations (पूर्वजन्म). The shell of the past samskaras has to be removed by the purification of the mind by practicing the penance. To acquire such a state of purified mind, is reaching the destination of Knowledge. Continuous efforts to shed the ego and efforts for qualitative progress of desires and karma from Tama (तम ) to Raja (रज ), Raja to Satwa (सत्व )and ultimately beyond Satwa (गुणातीत), is the mode for the mind purification.

6. Now, we have clearly understood the definitions of day-to-day knowledge, science and real knowledge. Step-by-step guidance to achieve the status of Dnyani; is also available from Rev. Vinobaji commentary on Chapter 13 of Holy Gita.

1. To discriminate between self and others with the motive that ‘My gain is the goal and others are just means’. This is the stage of ignorance.
2. To limit the sphere to ‘Me and my family and others’. My family is really the mean for my gain but I do some sacrifice from my family, and utilize others as means.
3. As above. Here, I consider me and my family together for our gain and consider others say society as means for our gain.
4. In the next step with some advance in attitude, person considers society as extension of own family and starts serving society along with self and family. This is termed as Karma Yoga.
5. The attitude considering self as a servant and society as a master, matures to a stage where self turns into a devotee, the society turns into deity and all the available means of service as the offerings to the deity. Here the Karma yoga advances to the stage of Bhakti yoga.
6. The highest stage of penance is reached which creates the feeling of ‘Self in the form of God, through all the available Godly means serving the society which also is in the form of the God’. At this stage the duality is entirely dissolved. The Bhakti Yoga gets transformed to Dnyana Yoga.
7. This is the stage at which real Knowledge i.e. Truth is realised.                                                                                                                                                                                                                Every person has to identify and follow his/ her own path to reach the destination of Truth.“Objective reality, subjectively known, told with detached mind is truth”, says Swami Vijnananand while describing Truth in his book "God Reconsidered".

Vijay R. Joshi.