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Pawaka Nah Saraswati —RigVeda
1-3-10
Purport: You will achieve purification through the study of Holy Science
given through Vedas and others.
Commentary:
Swa is Self: Adhyaya is study. Swadhyaya is Self study. You say, “My leg is
hurt; my finger is cut”. This clearly implies that you are not the leg; you
are not the finger. Continuing the search further you will notice that you
are not the body. Who is this “I” which says “my leg, my finger”? Who am I?
Search him. This is Swadhyaya.
Someone hurled abuses at you. Someone played a dirty trick on you. Someone
picked up the prize you aimed at getting. Someone stole a march over you.
How are you going to react? Is it anger, hatred, envy, jealousy, greed? Or
is it love, forgiveness, kindness? Intensify the search. Follow the Fivefold
Path. Then you will establish yourself in the attitude of doing actions in
unison with the Spirit that resides within. This is Yoga. This is Swadhyaya.
You cannot remain without action even for a moment. The action may be
physical or mental. The law of Karma states “Reap as you sow”. With every
action you forge a fetter around you. The chain may be golden or iron but it
is a chain. This ties you down to the cycle of birth and death. By
non-attachment to the fruit of your action, you can transcend this law and
cleave through the mountain load of past Karma. This is liberation. This is
Swadhyaya.
The all-pervading Spirit could be cognized only through TAPA (self-discipline,
austerity, purification). Tapa is the third aspect of the Fivefold Path.
When the desires dry up soul vision dawns.
“When you wish to hear, IT assumes the function of the ear; when you wish to
see, IT assumes the function of the eye.”
TAPA intensifies your conductance for the voltage of Grace to manifest.
“The Spirit, the size of a thumb, resides in the hearts of men. He is
deathless.
Even as you take out the blades of a reed separate Him from the
bodily sheath.”
—Kathopanishad 617 |
The Supreme Spirit is designated in the Vedas as THAT. Words cannot limit IT
and hence IT could only be described as “not this, not this”. THAT is
perceived when the mind conditioning is blasted. THAT is perceived when the
trinity of knower, knowledge and known is no more.
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“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” —Matthew 5:8
“No man hath seen God at any time.” —John 1:18 |
These apparently contradictory statements are really not so. They connote
the same thing. How? Study of Vedas will illumine us on the subject. This is
Swadhyaya. Vedas are the first revelation given at the time of creation. All
the Divine Messengers that came later reiterated the same message in the
language suited to the conditions in which they graced our planet by their
manifestation. Vedas were revealed in Sanskrit. Sanskrit was nobody’s mother
tongue at any time. All the languages of the world contain words that could
be traced to Sanskrit. Sanskrit contains no words from any other language.
European scholars call Sanskrit the mother of European languages. The word
Vedas comes from the Sanskrit root VID, to know. Hence, Vedas means
knowledge. Vedas contain knowledge from amoeba to Almighty. But again, even
if you know all the Vedas it is not enough. That which is to be achieved is
beyond Vedas, beyond all scriptures, beyond words. Vedas serve as the total
guide.
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“Intellect is beyond the senses or the mind but THAT is beyond intellect.”
—Bhagavat Geeta 3-42
“Self realization is established neither through intellect nor through
sermons or discourses.”—Mundakopanishad 4-3 |
Mundakopanishad states that Vedas are high knowledge but again it is lower
knowledge. For higher knowledge you have to go to a qualified GURU who is
not only versed in Vedas but has experienced the state of eternal bliss.
This is Swadhyaya.
We may intellectually understand by reading all the scriptures that Almighty
power is ever present but our intellect will never be able to lay its grasp
on it. These are the intrinsic limitations of the intellect. This is
Swadhyaya. This is Grace.
A mere intellectual may be able to dish out discourses on Almighty, soul and
Karma while his own life may be a negation of his proclaimed principles. A
saintly person, a man of wisdom, lives his life according to his tenets
knowing fully well that bad Karma will bring forth evil results. He
therefore avoids evil Karma as anyone would avoid poison. To know the
difference is Swadhyaya.
A study of problems involved in the adherence to Yoga way of life, the
solutions offered by Vedas and all Divine Messengers like Krishna, Jesus,
Buddha, Muhammad, Moses and others is Swadhyaya. Swadhyaya unlocks the door
to the treasure of higher knowledge that is within us. Tapa and Swadhyaya
give us the ability to draw on this source of knowledge whenever we wish.
Then, we begin to do the right thing automatically. This step enables us to
notice the subtle effects of our actions.
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“The Truth shall make you free.” —John 8:32 |
Through freedom you achieve tranquility, happiness and realize the Supreme
Self. Swadhyaya is the intellectual understanding of the Truth that makes us
free. The Truth is GRACE ALONE. Tapa prepares us for the unfoldment of Grace
within us. This is the “Kingdom of Heaven within you”
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“In the beginning was the Word.” —John 1:1 |
Vedas call it SHABDA in Sanskrit. It is sometimes described as NADA. How
could this vast universe with tangible objects be based on an integrated
vibration? Discoveries in pure physics are a pointer in this direction. Can
we establish communion with this WORD? Vedic discipline explains all this.
This is Swadhyaya. The unstruck music of the universe could be heard with
unfoldment of Grace. This helps your concentration. OM, the initial
vibration, is meditated upon. The word OM does not belong to any language,
not even Sanskrit.
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“Before Abraham was I AM.”—John 8:58 |
What does this mean? The words Abraham, Ebrahim and BRAHMA come from the
same Sanskrit root BRIH meaning to expand. This leads us to the Divine
principle that pervades all creation. This is Swadhyaya.
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“Be thou perfect as thy Father in Heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48) |
This is
the ideal to be realized. Fivefold Path is the means. What is perfection?
How do I cognize that I am perfect and made “in the image of my Father”?
This is Swadhyaya.
Unwittingly, we have handed ourselves over on a silver platter of technology
into the jaws of death. Begin AGNIHOTRA, the first aspect of the Fivefold
Path. This is the Divine blueprint for human survival given through Vedas.
YAJNYA is purification through the agency of fire. AGNIHOTRA is the smallest
form of YAJNYA. Practice of this purification will culminate in surrender to
His will. All your load of anxiety and tension is reduced. A new substance
is formed in the atmosphere which undoes pollution, cleanses the water
resources on earth and nourishes plant life. With added doses of pollution
we are adding to tension on the mind. We are in the grip of deadly bacteria
on land, air and water. Agnihotra is an antidote to all this and it puts us
harmoniously into the energy cycle of the universe. All this is stated in
the Vedas. Atmospheric purification leads to pranic purification and thus to
mind purification. This is Swadhyaya.
What is Karma (action), what is Akarma (evil action), what is Vikarma (specific
allotted task of a person)? Swadhyaya throws light on all this.
What is bliss? A child is engrossed in playing with his toys and is happy.
An adolescent is happy but the toy changes. The mind gets attached to a
thing and a person becomes happy. The consequences of this attachment push
us into the unending dualities of pleasure and pain. Why not train the mind
to get attached to something which will deliver us from this duality? What
is the best method for this? This is Swadhyaya. Sugar is sweet. But what is
“sweet”? You will not know until the tastebuds come into contact with the
object. What is bliss? You will not know until you meet a genuine Master. He
grants you the state of soul vision and this is bliss.
What is destiny? What is free will? Destiny is a cheque drawn on the bank of
accumulated Karma. By exerting free will you can override the pangs of
destiny. Free will is the biggest boon granted to humankind. By judicious
use of free will you can get over the cycle of birth and death. Maybe you do
not swear by rebirth. It does not matter. By proper use of free will you
will get rid of the cycle of a few pleasurable sensations followed by many
moments of unpleasurable ones. This is Swadhyaya.
Learn to control PRANA (Life Force). PRANA conquered is mind conquered. This
is Swadhyaya.
Buddha said in his last days to Ananda, “Be ye lamp unto yourself. Be ye
refuge unto yourself. Hold fast to Dharma as a lamp”. Buddha stated at
Benaras, “He who strives after holiness must avoid the two extremes. Which
two? A life addicted to pleasure for it is enervating, worthless, and mean.
Also the life given to self mortification, for it is painful, vain and
profitless ....
“By avoiding both these extremes has the THATAGATA arrived at the Middle
Path”. Pondering over this is Swadhyaya.
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“It is the promise of God
But most men understand not
They know but the outer (things)
In the life of this world.
But of the End of things
They are heedless.” -Quran XXX-6, 7 |
Pondering over this is Swadhyaya.
Occult sciences bring home the fact that there are subtler regions beyond
the electron microscope, telescope or the scalpel of the surgeon. It is
merely probing into another subtler world with which the average person is
not familiar. Spiritual seances deal with departed people and disembodied
spirits. This is not the Holy science of the soul. Spirituality is beyond
this. This is Swadhyaya.
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“Love thy neighbor as thyself.”
Matthew 22:39 |
Only in the company of holy persons do we realize the main significance of
this sentence. We blurt out equality, liberty, fraternity. Sermons are
poured out en masse on this subject. Reflect deeply and you will realize
that all this is skin deep. We have to grasp that the same Spirit pervades
all and further that we have the freedom to be free. Then alone will we be
able to implement “Love thy neighbor”. Again, we should not forget the
latter half of the command which says, “as thyself”. To perceive a subject
correctly the intellectual faculty has to be unclouded. Non-attachment,
practice of Tapa, brings this about. This is Swadhyaya.
We go through vicissitudes of life as the pattern of destiny fructifies in
time. We may have to witness the marriage of a dear one day and his funeral
some other day. It is not given unto you what to see. However, it is given
unto you how to see by proper use of free will. This is Swadhyaya.
After what you have read above, you may think Swadhyaya is a very difficult
thing and maybe it is only for the intellectuals. If you do think thus you
are not thinking in the right direction. You start practicing Agnihotra,
Tapa and the other aspects of the Fivefold Path and automatically the
clouding of the intellect will disappear and you will be enabled to perceive
things the right way. This is unfoldment of GRACE. In due course your
intellect and your volition will be given proper bent and you will be thrown
into the company of holy persons. Circumstances shall be so arranged that
you will be given a link with a liberated soul, Master. If you choose to
exert your free will and be devoted to him your progress will be quick. If
the Master is an AVATAR mere concentration on his physical form brings back
gift waves to you. Our purification is thus aided.
If you talk to your auto for three hours and tell it, “Listen, do not leave
the highway and dash against a tree,” it is of no use. If the steering wheel
is turned it is bound to leave the highway and dash against a tree. Even so
is our mind. It works in grooves of habits and conditioning. A thrust in
some other direction is required. Devotion to the Master gives this thrust
and our journey is made easy.
Almighty is the Guru of all Gurus. It is the Divine plan that the chain of
Sadgurus continues. Every Master has an allotted period to do his work. When
the period is over he departs from this world. It is important to respect
this Guru tradition. Even the great AVATARS respect it. John the Baptist
said,
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“I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance; but he that cometh after
me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear; he shall baptize
you with the Holy Ghost and with FIRE.”-- Matthew 3:11 “Then cometh Jesus
unto John to be baptized of him. But John forbade him saying, ‘I have need
to be baptized of thee and comest thou to me?’ “--Matthew 3:13, 14 |
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“And Jesus answering, said unto him, ‘Suffer it to be so now; for thus it
becometh us to fulfill all righteousness.”--Matthew 3:15 |
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“And Jesus, when he was baptized went up straightaway out of the water; and
lo, the heavens were opened unto him and he saw the Spirit of God descending
like a dove and lighting upon him.”--Matthew 3:16 |
Like all Avatars, Jesus respected the Guru tradition and was baptized by
John. The words of John, “whose shoes I am not worthy to bear,” represent
the ancient Eastern tradition which Jesus fulfilled.
It is not given unto you what so see; however, it is given unto you how to
see. This is Swadhyaya.
Without a living Master we can progress thus far but not further. By loving
thy neighbor the Master will pick you up. This is Divine will. Swadhyaya
knows no vacation. Purify yourself and be at your Swadhyaya all the time
until Reality dawns. “THAT, knowing which everything is known” is Swadhyaya.
Der
komplette Fünffältige Pfad ist in diesem Sonderheft ausführlich beschrieben
und zeigt darüber hinaus die Nähe zum Christentum auf.
Mehr zum Sonderheft
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