WHAT IS THE MEANING OF YOUR KNOWLEDGE?

 

              * SHLOKA (MUNDAKA UPANISHAD, SECTION 1)

                       SAUNAKO HA VAI MAHASALO ANGIRASAM VIDHIVAD

                       UPASANNAH PAPRACCHA, KASMIN NU BHAGAVO VIJNATE

                       SARVAM IDAM VIJNATAM BHAVATI ITI

                   SAUNAKA, THE GREAT HOUSEHOLDER DULY APPROACHED SAGE ANGIRAS AND ASKED, THROUGH WHAT BEING KNOWN, VENERABLE SIR, DOES ALL THIS BECOME KNOWN? ANGIRAS SAYS:

                  SHLOKA 4

                  TASAMI SA HO VACA, DVE VIDYE VEDITANYE ITI HA SMA YAD

                   BRAHMAVIDO VADANTI,

                   PARA CAIVAPARA CA

                   TWO KINDS OF KNOWLEDGE ARE TO BE KNOWN AS INDEED THE KNOWERS OF BRAHMAN DECLARE - THE HIGHER AS WELL AS THE LOWER.

                SHLOKA 5

               TATRAPARA RIG-VEDO YAJUR-VEDAH SAMA-VEDA ATHARVA-

               VEDAH SIKSA KALPO VYAKARANAM NIRUKTAIN CHANDO

                JYOTISAM - ITI

               ATHA PARA YAYA TAD AKSARAM ADHIGAMYATE

                     OF THESE, THE LOWER IS THE RIG VEDA, THE YAJUR VEDA AND THE SAMA VEDA, THE ATHARVA VEDA, PHONETICS, RITUAL, GRAMMER, AND ETYMOLOGY, METRICS AND ASTROLOGY. AND THE HIGHER IS THAT BY WHICH THE UNECAYING IS APPREHENDED.

                       THIS IS NOT A CALL TO ABANDON THE VEDAS. SAGE ANGIRAS DECLARES THAT THE KNOWLEDGE OF VEDA, EVEN IF IT DOES NOT LEAD TO THE HIGHER TRUTH, IS STILL CONSIDERED LOWER KNOWLEDGE. BY UNDERSTANDING THE VEDAS WITH CLARITY - UPANISHAD BEING PART OF THE VEDAS- ONE UNDERSTANDS THAT THE ACCUMULATION OF MERE THEORETICAL KNOWLEDGE IS OF NO USE, BUT MAY ACTUALLY ACT AS A BARRIER TO UNDERSTANDING THE TRUTH. IT THIS IS NOT GRASPED, EVEN THE VEDAS BECOME LOWER KNOWLEDGE.

                   NOW, KNOWLEDGE AND MEMORY, WHICH PATANJALI SAYS ARE THE LAST OBSTRUCTIONS OR COVERINGS THAT VEIL THE EXPERIENCE OF SAVIKALPA SAMADHI, WHERE THE PURUSHA SHINES FORTH IN BLISSFUL SOLITUDE, ARE DISCUSSED IN ANOTHER UPANISHAD. IT WOULD BE WORTHWHILE LOOKING INTO IT BEFORE MOVING INTO THE NEXT SECTION OF THE YOGA SUTRAS CALLED THE SADHANA PADA OR SECTION ON PRACTICE. IN THE ISHWASYA UPANISHAD, SHLOKA 9 MAKES A RATHER  CONFUSING STATEMENT WHICH HAS OFTEN LEFT THE SCHOLARLY CONFOUNDED.

                    

                    ANDHAM TAMAH PRAVISANTI YE VIDYAMUPASATE

                   TATO BHUYA IVA TE TAMYO YA U VIDYAYAM RATAH

                       INTO BLINDIN DARKNESS ENTER WHO WORSHIP IGNORANCE AND THOSE WHO DELIGHT IN KNOWLEDGE ENTER INTO STILL GREATER KNEES AS IT WERE.

                        THE FIRST PART : "INTO BLINDING DARKNESS ENTER THOSE WHO WORSHIP IGNORANCE WOULD BE WELCOME BY ALL THOSE WHO LIKE TO THINK THEY ARE NOT IGNORANT BUT ARE FULL OF KNOWLEDGE. BUT THE SECOND PART, AND THOSE WHO DELIGHT IN KNOWLEDGE ENTER INTO STILL GREATER "DARKNESS", WOULD SHOCK THE VOTARIES OF KNOWLEDGE AND SCHOLARSHIP, WHO ARE ACCORDING TO THE MUNDAKA UPANISHAD, STILL PURSUING LOWER KNOWLEDGE.

                   THE FIRST PART OF THE SHLOKA  ALSO MEANS THAT THE IGNORANT GO ABOUT UNDER THE ILLUSION THAT THEY ARE KNOWLEDGEABLE AS FAR AS THE ULTIMATE TRUTH IS CONCERNED. THIS IS AGAIN REFERED TO IN THE PART OF THE SHLOKA WHICH DISCUSSES HIGHER AND LOWER KNOWLEDGE.

                  AMONG THE OTHER REASON IS THE FACT THAT THOSE WHO MERELY POSSESS BOOKISH KNOWLEDGE OFTEN SWELL WITH PRIDE, WHICH MAKES THEM BLIND TO THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE ULTIMATE TRUTH.

                  ONE OF THE LAST IMPURITIES THAT STICK TO THE  MIND AND WHICH NEES TO BE SCRUPULOUSLY WASHED AWAY BEFORE THE MIND ATTAINS SAMADHI AND RESTS  IN THE PURUSHA, AS THE YOGA DARSHANA NAMES THE TRUTH, IS PRIDE IN NAME AND FAME. THOSE WHO WORSHIP KNOWLEDGE AND ARE PUFFED UP IN PRIDE END UP WORSHIPPING THEMSELVES.

                   THE SECOND PART OF THE SHLOKA WAS EXPLAINED TO ME BY SRI MAHESHWARNATH BABAJI, MY GURU.

                 BABAJI : WHEN YOU WANT TO UNDERSTAND SOMETHING,

                WHAT DO YOU DO?

                 DISCIPLE : I LOOK AT IT, FEEL IT AND READ ABOUT  IT AND SAY, " I NOW HAVE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT IT".

                  BABAJI : SO, YOU STORE YOUR KNOWLEDGE IN YOUR MEMORY AND WHEN YOU SAY YOU HAVE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT IT, IT SIMPLY MEANS THAT YOU CA AT ANY TIME RECOVER THE MEMORY OF IT AND SAY, "YES, I KNOW IT",

                DISCIPLE : YES, BABAJI.

                BABAJI : SO YOUR KNOWLEDGE IS ACTUALLY SOMETHING STORED 

                 IN YOUR MEMORY.

               DISCIPLE : YES.

               BABAJI : SO ALL KNOWLEDGE IS MEMORY. ALL MEMORY IS IN THE PAST. THE VERY WORD, 'MEMORY' MEANS REMEMBRANCE AND REMEMBERANCE IS FROM THE PAST. SO IF ALL KNOWLEDGE IS MEMORY, ALL KNOWLEDGE IN THE PAST.

                 DISICIPLE : COME TO THINK OF IT, YES.

                   BABAJI : BUT, TRUTH, MY DEAR BOY, CANNOT BE IN THE PAST. IT IS ALWAYS THE PRESENT, RIGHT NOW, NOT SOMETHING STORED IN THE MEMORY AND RECALLED. THE ISHVARYA UPANISHAD DECLARES, 'ISHAVASYAM IDAM SARVA'. NOTE THE WORD 'IDAM, HERE AND NOW'.

                   IF YOU WORSHIP KNOWLEDGE, MY BOY, YOU ARE EXPERIENCING THE PAST AND ENTERING BLINDING DARKNESS. THE TRUTH IS NOW. SEE IT?

                   DISCIPLE : I SEE IT . CLEARLY. MAY I TOUCH YOUR FEET?

                     BABAJI : YOU MAY.