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Author Topic: THE SCIENCE OF RELIGION By : Swami Chinmayananda  (Read 22370 times)

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THE SCIENCE OF RELIGION By : Swami Chinmayananda
« on: April 04, 2007, 10:03:51 AM »
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  • NE PATH --- TWO NAMES

    A time was why, it is still with some of us, I feel, when with fanatical faith the pursuers of wisdom through meditation (Sankhya), and those who performed actions without anxiety to enjoy the fruits thereof (Yoga), quarrel with each other; The two clash in their approach to the path and here Krishna laughs at the hollow controversy and shows that they are, in fact, integral, that they are not incompatible contradictory paths, but Sannyasa and Yoga are complementary to each other.

    With sharp satire and suppressed indignation the Lord dec¬lares, (V-4) Children, not the wise will speak of knowledge (Sankhya) and performance of action (Yoga) as distinct. He who truly lives pursuing one, gains the rewards of both.  A matured wise man who has read and reflected upon what the scriptures say cannot draw any distinction between the renunciation-of-ego (Sannyasa) and the renunciation-of-desire (Yoga).  A true pandit  learned scholar of subtle reflections and independent right judgements will not see any contra¬riness or even any distinction between these two approaches.  In fact, they are integral they constitute one path with two names.  Only those with immature understanding in their thought¬lessness will see any difference between these two royal paths for self-rediscovery (sankhyayogo prathakbalah pravadanti na pandithah).

    Renunciation of doer-ship is the Sankhyan-way, and renunciation of enjoyer-ship is the Yoga-way. Now Krishna stuns Arjuna with his declaration, He who truly lives in one, gains the rewards of both, (ekamapyasthithah samyagubhyorvin-(dathe phalam). This cannot be such a conundrum after all, to those who have followed so far, psychological implications of these two paths.

    By renouncing the vanity of enjoyership (bhokthruthabhava), Yoga leads a seeker to exhaust his sensual Vasanas for pursuing happiness in the world-of-objects.  And when Vasanas are reduced the mind becomes more and more steady, when the mind is steady it focusses its attention at the spring of all Awareness and thus realises the Self.  When all by itself the sense of doer-ship ends, Sannyasa is achieved.

    Thus Yoga is the means and Sankhya is the Goal.  Through renunciation of enjoyership we arrive at the renuncia¬tion of doer-ship.  The limited ego ends, the experience of the effulgent Self fills the bosom with its enlightenment and its peace that passeth all understaning.   Yoga leads to Sankhya both are to be pursued serially : the royal path to Self rediscovery starts as Yoga and fulfills as Sankhya.   It is one path with two different names.   Pursuing even one of them the seeker will come to gain the final reward - - - which is the one reward of both, self-liberation from the ego.

    To elucidate this pointed assertion, Lord Krishna explains.  “The plane of experience reached by the Gyana-Yogins is also gained by the Karma-Yogms.  He who sees ‘Knowledge’ (Sankhya) and ‘performancee of action’ (Yoga), as one, he alone sees these two are to be pursued as complementary to each other. Their pursuance ends in the liquidation of the ego.  When the ego ends, desire to enjoy wanes.  Where there is no ‘enjoyer-ship’, truly there is no trace of ‘doer-ship.’  High school classes are different from college classes; yet, one who realises that by pursuing school he reaches college and becomes a degree-holder; he alone becomes educated.

    There are no other theoretical proofs by which we can con¬vince a seeker  of truth   of   this   statement.
    When  the  seeker diligently practises Yoga and comes to curb a little his sense of-enjoyer-ship, his ego-centric vanity of ‘doer-ship’ also weakens the seeker experiences then a certain amount of joyous expan¬sion in his Consciousness  and to him the significance of this statement becomes self-evident (yah pasyathi sa pasyathi ).  Follow and reach the goal of both where Sanbhyans reach there Yogins arrive in time (yathsankhyi prapyathe sthanam tathyogi-rabi gamyathe)

    If thus the two are integral, each complementary to the other, why then did the Lord earlier insist so eloquently upon Karma Yoga - upon actions undertaken to fulfill one’s obliga¬tory duties, purely in the Yagna-spirit ? Why not we take to the path of Sankhya directly ? Such doubts are cleared by the Geethacharya himself.

    Krishna explains, (V-6) ‘Renunciation-of-action’ is hard to achieve without perfor mance-of- action Purified by his devotion to Yoga, the man of meditation ere long reaches Brahman.  This is the reason why the Geeta advises the youth to make a stand in life and holding on to an ideal, in a full spirit of dedication, act to fulfill their duties in life.  Without this discipline, the inhibitions essentially in us cannot be emptied. So long as Vasanas exist in the personality, these powerful repressions and suppressions must burst forth muddying the clear waters of thoughts in us.  In the resulting chaos within, even the existing wisdom can easily get clouded and totally veilded from us.  Karma Yoga, service to society, in the right mental attitude of devotion and dedication to the ideal is an essential discipline in purifying the heart, in cultivating true culture and effective self-education.  Thus Yoga-discipline in life’s activities makes any individual a fully integrated personality (yuktha).

    Therefore, ‘renunciation of doer-ship.’ (Sannyasa), is hard to obtain for one who has not undergone the discipline of ‘renunciation of enjoyer-ship’(Yoga) (sannyasasthu mahabaho dukhama-(pnumayogatha : ). Once an individual practises sincerely the path of Karma Yoga, through his unselfish acts of dedicated love to his fellow-men and to his duties, he becomes fit to enter the path of meditation and such a meditator (yogayuktho muni), ere long gains the infinite awakening of the Supreme Brahman (yogayuktho munibrahma nachirenadhigachathi ).

    If the Karma Yoga discipline is not lived by an individual for sufficiently long (ayogatha), for him O mighty-armed soldier, please understand, Sannyasa (renunciation~of-the-ego), is hard to achieve (sannyasth mahabaho dukhmapnumayogatha).  To live in a spirit of dedication and to act in a loving Yagna-spirit is the privilege of a fully grown man; an animal man will live but a selfish life on sense pleasures and aggrandisement.  A fully blos¬somed man alone can seek to discover his divine stature and live its glory.  Without Yoga, Sannyas is indeed hard to gain.  Serve man before you become fit to serve God.

    ( Courtesy : Geeta Office, Powai )
    सबका मालिक एक - Sabka Malik Ek

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