Abstract
Throughout history, man’s search for inner quest and self-realization is a legendary and remarkable event. But all the individuals who seek the path do not succeed in the process of self-realization. However, some seek it early and some took time to taste the fruit of self-realization within themselves. What matters is the source of guidance and the difference in the path chosen to realize the self, irrespective of their yearning to see the divine self. For if a person wishes to reach Delhi the first task is to set the map for Delhi not for Bengaluru or Kolkata. Similarly, if a person wishes to realize the Brahman, the first task is to get the primary necessities to realize Brahman fulfilled. Throughout history, we have seen that those who have realized their self has undergone a lot of hardships. Also, those who have realized themselves successfully and without much loss or hardships are the ones who have followed the instructions and directions given by the self-realized souls and perfect masters of the time. So, if anyone wants to gain true knowledge and wants the vision of the divine must shun the ignorant self within and must get rid of the materialistic illusion spread all around us like a cob-web. This alone will open the portals of self-realization and self-knowledge.
Article
Knowledge is ever free and pure but to attain it requires a source of guidance and a real effort. Any lacking out of the two will not reveal the knowledge to an individual. The misguided one will be led to ignorance of knowledge. And if one does not even try one out of the two will result in an illusion of knowledge. That is why Saint Kabir said –
Reading books everyone died, none became any wise.
One who reads the word of Love only becomes wise.
Understandings
Understanding this couplet in its true perspective is important. As we all read and now with tremendous media exposure, we are seemingly more informed. Everyone seems to know everything. Yet, the truth is that despite all this information, there is no awareness. We are not at peace. Our minds are not quiet and relaxed. We talk of love but have no compassion.
Tendencies like selfishness, greed, fear, hatred seem to grip us all the time.
Kabir shows the way through this couplet, in his simple but dynamic style. He says that despite all our readings, despite all our knowledge, we cannot become wise. When we ‘read’ Love, become loving and loveable, only then wisdom will dawn on us and life will be worth living.
People who think they know something but they don’t. They can cause a lot of trouble by relaying incorrect information that they perceive as facts because other people might believe them. Ignorance is possibly not knowing; whereas an illusion is falsely pretending about the knowledge. Because a person who is ignorant or who lacks knowledge, but is willing to gain it, will someday by his efforts acquire the knowledge. However, someone who believes that he/she has the knowledge and becomes blind to the actual knowledge available everywhere around him/her never learns it unless he makes his cup empty. In other words, you cannot pour water into a cup that is already full of its ideas. To learn something, empty your cup first. For, an ignorant person can be given an education. He can be taught. As, we were all ignorant as one-year-old babies, but we’ve been educated, so now we’re a bit wiser. But, an illusionist cannot be educated. He refuses to be given knowledge, he refuses to question his beliefs because he thinks that he is right all the time.
This illusion of knowledge comes with several problems too, if we think we know it all, there is lesser motivation to push the boundaries of research in our fields, keeping humanity in a stagnant state.
For example, you go to an alcoholic person who has an illusion of false knowledge
You: Hey man, alcohol is bad for you.
He: No no… damn those science books. They try to trick everybody. Listen, man, if alcohol was bad for us, Jesus would have told us in the New Testament.
You: Wow… I did not know that. Thank you.
He: Yeah yeah.. you wanna have some?
You: Sure.
You’re an alcoholic now!
Supporting the above example, in 1861 the second volume of the “History of Civilization in England” by the prominent historian Henry Thomas Buckle was released. The geological formation of the Earth was discussed, and Buckle noted that multiple flawed and conflicting theories had been developed. Yet, he welcomed these theories because he believed that intellectual ferment was required for progress. Buckle composed a thematically related adage:
“For, the great enemy of knowledge is not an error, but inertness. All that we want is discussion, and then we are sure to do well, no matter what our blunders may be. One error conflicts with another; each destroys its opponent, and the truth is evolved.”
Similarly, in 1983 the popular book “The Discoverers” by Daniel J. Boorstin was published, and the author included an instance of the saying that was particularized to geographical knowledge:
“The great obstacle to discovering the shape of the earth, the continents, and the ocean was not ignorance but the illusion of knowledge. Imagination drew in bold strokes, instantly serving hopes and fears, while knowledge advanced by slow increments and contradictory witnesses.”
Similarly, Saint Confucius says that to know what you know and what you do not know, that is true knowledge and Lao – Tzu says that, to pretend to know when you do not know is a disease.
Let us understand it by an example – a story of a seed under the ground. When a seed is under the ground – undeveloped it is under the ignorance from the fact that it can grow into a tree. But when the light of sun rays falls into it, proper guidance of food and water is provided to it, it grows into a huge tree providing shelter to thousands. But, if it remains under the ground unguided by others and no sunlight falls on it and it dreamt that it can grow into a tree, then it is an illusion. So, with the illusion, there is no growth instead it is a barrier on the growth path. In other words, with ignorance, one can find knowledge by removing the veil of ignorance, but without removing the veil of illusion one cannot attain knowledge. Illusion makes one attached to the fact of the fantasy world, it never seeks the truth and never seeks its way to the truth. Whereas, ignorance always seeks for the truth and at last finds its way to the truth.
The remedy to this illusion of knowledge is mentioned in the sacred text Shrimad Bhagwat Gita in the verse 4.35 as –
Having obtained real knowledge from a self–realized soul, you will never fall again into such illusion, for by this knowledge you will see that all living beings are but part of the Supreme, or, in other words, they are Mine.
References
- Verse 4.35, Srimad Bhagvad Gita.
References
- Verse 4.35, Srimad Bhagvad Gita.
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