ENLIGHTENMENT -IN THE LIGHT OF UPANISHADS (13)

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ENLIGHTENMENT -IN THE LIGHT OF UPANISHADS (13)

KATTOPANISHAD : (SELECTIONS)(3)

- - Sri Ma Sadhviji

- Nayamatma pravacsanena labhyo

na medhaya na bahuna srutena l

Yamevaisa vrunute tena labhyah

- - tTasyaisa atma vivrunute tanum swam ll

i.e.

“The Self is neither attainable through study and discourse nor by the capacity of intelligence, nor through much hearing. He who seeks after one’s own true self, to him That is attainable; to him the Self reveals Its “Body”.

This is a beautiful verse from Kattopanishad. In few words it encompasses the meaning of earnest yearning as well as of the revelation, the knowing.

It is initially that the human mind prefers to see enlightenment as something to be – a) attained by doing something specific, such as listening to a guru or taking up some act that goes by the name of sadhana or study etc. b) attained by which life becomes problem free. It is precisely because of these two attitudes that enlightenment is never had! – though it is ready at hand.

Let’s understand.

The mind, is like a storehouse wherein every thought, feeling, experience, opinion get stored. It is a repetitive cycle in which the previous collection of thought, feeling, experience, opinion affect and influence the present process of willing. This in turn forms an attitudinal framework. As this framework deepens, the openness to accept and see things as they are, diminishes since this framework would have already projected itself forward to cover any thing that happens/comes before.

Merely listening to the words of a guru or taking up any specific act for sadhana or, taking up study of scriptural texts is simply an addition to the aforesaid pattern. There again the stored up collection of thought, feeling, experience, opinion, their influence upon the process of willing, the resultant attitudinal framework – these affect the new attempt with equal and the same force with which they affect any other ordinary routine situation. You must understand – mind loves to keep its rut and rerun the same patterns again and again. It is because, that is its very existence – i.e, of the egoic mind. So any attempt at getting to enlightenment becomes paltry before this existential pattern of the mind.

Next, the tendency to view enlightenment as something which would make life free of problems. This is, both - right and wrong. It is right – in the sense that, with an enlightened outlook life indeed becomes problem free because the problem-creating mind now no longer exists. The above attitude is wrong, since, so long as the body lives, ‘problems’ can come anyway. Generally the expectation of freedom from problem is in the naïve belief that there will be ‘no problems coming’. This belief and expectation create a huge barrier to enlightenment. Every time anything ‘goes wrong’, agitation ensues. What enlightenment does is, it “enlightens” you, lights up your vision so that you now see reality without the ongoing patterns of your egoic mind covering it up. This is why the Upanishad is telling – “the Self is not attainable through study and discourse nor by the capacity of intelligence, nor through much hearing”. It means to say that unless you cross your egoic mind you will not attain to the Self.

In saying that the Self is attainable by one who seeks after one’s own true Self ,and to him the Self reveals its “Body” , the verse is pointing to true quest and the attainment that follows.

Quest is like thirst and hunger of the soul. When you are thirsty or hungry, you cannot be acquiesced until you get a drink or food; once you get it you instantly know the feeling of satisfaction that follows. Similarly true quest imminently recognizes the intermittent Quiet amidst the noise of the mind and seeks after it. Here, the study, sadhana, intelligence, hearing – all become directives to retain that Quiet within; all these then become helpful and fall of without creating any pattern. Even without any of these aids, quest itself is sufficient to create the gap – void/silence between the regular patterns. It is in this silence that the Self is revealed, its Power is felt. You may err, fall off – thousands of times may be; yet the yearning to stay rooted, the thirst of the soul, does not become abated. That is the nature of quest. It just never leaves you. To such seeker the Self reveals it’s “Body” – the fullness of Power-Strength-And-Peace that is within you. You simply know it without needing to be graphic. A deep satiation – that is attainment.

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