The qualities that are necessary for an individual to be assured of the Knowledge-Divine are being enumerated here as vividly as from the leaf of a Science text-book. Three great qualities have been indicated and to understand them is to understand why the so-called seekers, in spite of their claims to sincere self-application, do not actually reach anywhere near the ladder of development. Faith, devotion, and self-control are the three imperative necessities to be acquired ere we can hope to evolve to the diviner stature from our present mortal encumbrances. But these three words are more often misunderstood than rightly evaluated.
FAITH (Shraddha) — Exploiters of religions have been making capital out of repeating this word as their safest excuse for all problems spiritual, to clear which devotees may approach these men who pose themselves as guides in religion. Invariably, we find that the ordinary devotees are completely rendered, sometimes fanatical and often poorer, in their intellectual and mental growth, because of the unintelligent insistence of Shraddha translated as “blind faith and unquestioned acceptance of any declaration said to be divine.”Shankara tolls the death-knell of this misunderstanding when he explains Shraddha as “that by which an individual readily understands the exact import of the scriptural text as well as the pregnant words of advice of the preceptor.”
DEVOTED TO IT (Tatparah) — Whatever be the ‘path’ of divine self-development that he may be following, it is an unavoidable necessity that the seeker must give his undivided attention to it, and must, on all occasions, maintain in his mind a continuous consciousness of the Divine. A mere intellectual study of the scriptures will not help us in purifying and shaping our “within’ to the glorious Beauty of the Divine. It is necessary that we must pour out our mind and intellect into the scheme of living that the Upanishads advise.
WHO HAS SUBDUED THE SENSES — The Shraddha and Jnana explained above will not sustain themselves, and no seeker can consistently hope to entertain them unless he is constantly striving his best to live in a spirit of self-control. It is the sense-organs that seduce us away into the life of excessive sensuousness, and when one has entered into the troubled waters of a sensuous life, one has no chances of maintaining oneself quietly in the higher values of life. To walk the Path-Divine is to get out of the gutters-of-sensuousness. Excessive sense-life and Absolute God-life are antitheses to each other; where the one is, the other cannot be. Where the light of inward serenity and deeper peace have come, the darkness created by sense passions and animal appetites must depart. It is imperative, therefore, that a seeker should learn to live in steady and constant sense-control.
Why should we live renouncing sense enjoyments, and employing our mind in remembering constantly the Divine goal of life, with faith both in ourselves and in the science of religion? Ordinarily, an intellect can enquire only as to the cause-and-effect of things. The ego is ever employed in its own motive-hunting. A seeker in the initial stages of his self-development remains constantly in his intellect. Naturally, he will enquire what the result of such a conspicuous sacrifice would be. To convince him, the second line is given.
That a seeker who lives the above-mentioned triple-programme of Divine life, reaches the State-of-‘Knowledge’ is the promise and guarantee of the Rishis, who are the authors of the immortal scriptures. A doubt again arises as to why we should, after all, acquire the ‘Knowledge-Divine.’ Krishna explains here that, having gained the right-knowledge, the individual “SOON REACHES THE SUPREME PEACE.” The promise of reaching the great Goal-of-life is not guaranteed to take effect in a definite period of time. Just as, in the previous stanza, it was said, “In good time” (Kalena), so too, here it is said, “Ere long” (Achirena). In short, after gaining this ‘Knowledge,’ one would “soon” reach the Goal-of-life.
SUPREME PEACE (Param Shantim) — The Goal-of-life is labelled here as the “Great Peace” that knows no diminution. In these days of peace-mongers getting ready for war in the name of peace, one is apt to become honestly sceptical about the goal indicated in this stanza. The term ‘peace’ here is not that undefined vague concept, that is often repeated in politics, whenever it is convenient for a set of politicians to do so, but the term Shanti has a wealth of psychological suggestiveness.
It is very well-known that every living creature is, at all moments, trying to gain a better happiness, through all its activities in life. From breathing and eating, to the organised endeavour in capturing the world-market through war and destruction, all activities are attempts by the frail individuals to discover a greater and a better joy or happiness. This is true not only in man but in the animal kingdom, and even in the vegetable world. In short, no action is possible unless the actor is motivated by an inner urge in him to seek a greater sense of fulfilment or joy unto himself.
If thus, the whole world is striving to win the highest joy that it possibly can, and having gained it, to invest all energy and intelligence to retain the same, then the goal of life should be ABSOLUTE-HAPPINESS, where all strife ends, all desires are fulfilled, all thoughts and agitations are finally exhausted. Desires for joy give rise to thought disturbances, which, trying to fulfil themselves in the outer world, become the visible actions in everyday life. The restlessness of the mind and the weary fatigue of the body shall both end, when Absolute Joy is attained. Therefore, Absolute Joy is Absolute Peace.
Here, in this stanza the Goal-of-life is indicated as the Supreme Peace, which may be, in other words, explained as the Supreme Joy.
THOU SHALT NOT DOUBT THIS, FOR DOUBT IS MOST SINFUL. HOW?… LISTEN:
