Swami Brahmaviharidas
Every time we introduce ourselves to someone, are we really as good as we make ourselves out to be? We mask our mistakes, fudge our failures, shroud our shortcomings, veil our weaknesses and camouflage our character by showcasing only our successes and glorifying our gifts. People reveal part truths and post truths. Real truth is lost somewhere between the two and their many shades.
Who suffers? We do. At our cost and our cause, a web of lies eclipses reality. While we seek sympathy as helpless sufferers, we forget that we, perhaps, may be the greatest contributors to this chaos of conceit.
Greatest fool
These days, to find fools is not difficult, and to find people who fool others, is even easier. But who is the greatest fool of all? Us, of course! Bhagwan Swaminarayan has clarified this in the holy Vachanamritam, “Who is the greatest fool of all fools? The person who knows everything external, and nothing internal.
The jiva who sees and observes the attractive and the unattractive, witnesses childhood, youth and old age, as well as countless other things of the material world – but fails to see, observe and know one’s spiritual Self, so he is the greatest fool of all fools … the most ignorant of the ignorant” (Gadahada 1:20).
Missing person
To know everything and everyone, but to not know yourself is farcical. The story of the ten fools, often recounted by Pramukh Swami Maharaj, vividly captures the message. Ten friends embarked upon an adventure. Crossing rivers, scaling mountains, traversing forests, they arrived into open fields. Suddenly, one screamed, “O my God, one of us is missing. We started off with ten and now there’s only nine.” They hurriedly sat in a circle, began counting and cried for the missing tenth.
Once again, the first counted each one and wailed loudly as he reached the ninth. Number one was on his left and number nine was on his right. Where was the tenth? The second did the same and so did the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth … The tenth was nowhere to be seen. They all kept crying till a wise man pointed out that each one counted everyone, except himself.
Know thyself
The missing tenth person is us. Of what use is knowing the ends of the universe, if we cannot understand the secrets of our own soul? Of what use is forecasting the weather of the week, if we cannot predict the moods of our own mind? It is as foolish as the monitor of the class calling out every name, except remembering his own.
Without knowing ourselves, we will get nowhere. To show us a way, even Google Maps first asks us our location. Without knowing where we are, or who we are, we will go nowhere.
In life, despite our public success, we often suffer private failures. Within ourselves, we may remain lost always, in all ways like the missing tenth.
No wonder ‘Know thyself’ has remained a timeless secret that echoes along the corridors of universal spirituality. But is anyone listening?
DISCLAIMER
The views expressed in the Article above are Author’s personal views and kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it. Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing."
Courtesy: Times of India: The Speaking Tree: Feb19, 2019
Swami Brahmaviharidas
Every time we introduce ourselves to someone, are we really as good as we make ourselves out to be? We mask our mistakes, fudge our failures, shroud our shortcomings, veil our weaknesses and camouflage our character by showcasing only our successes and glorifying our gifts. People reveal part truths and post truths. Real truth is lost somewhere between the two and their many shades.
Who suffers? We do. At our cost and our cause, a web of lies eclipses reality. While we seek sympathy as helpless sufferers, we forget that we, perhaps, may be the greatest contributors to this chaos of conceit.
Greatest fool
These days, to find fools is not difficult, and to find people who fool others, is even easier. But who is the greatest fool of all? Us, of course! Bhagwan Swaminarayan has clarified this in the holy Vachanamritam, “Who is the greatest fool of all fools? The person who knows everything external, and nothing internal.
The jiva who sees and observes the attractive and the unattractive, witnesses childhood, youth and old age, as well as countless other things of the material world – but fails to see, observe and know one’s spiritual Self, so he is the greatest fool of all fools … the most ignorant of the ignorant” (Gadahada 1:20).
Missing person
To know everything and everyone, but to not know yourself is farcical. The story of the ten fools, often recounted by Pramukh Swami Maharaj, vividly captures the message. Ten friends embarked upon an adventure. Crossing rivers, scaling mountains, traversing forests, they arrived into open fields. Suddenly, one screamed, “O my God, one of us is missing. We started off with ten and now there’s only nine.” They hurriedly sat in a circle, began counting and cried for the missing tenth.
Once again, the first counted each one and wailed loudly as he reached the ninth. Number one was on his left and number nine was on his right. Where was the tenth? The second did the same and so did the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth … The tenth was nowhere to be seen. They all kept crying till a wise man pointed out that each one counted everyone, except himself.
Know thyself
The missing tenth person is us. Of what use is knowing the ends of the universe, if we cannot understand the secrets of our own soul? Of what use is forecasting the weather of the week, if we cannot predict the moods of our own mind? It is as foolish as the monitor of the class calling out every name, except remembering his own.
Without knowing ourselves, we will get nowhere. To show us a way, even Google Maps first asks us our location. Without knowing where we are, or who we are, we will go nowhere.
In life, despite our public success, we often suffer private failures. Within ourselves, we may remain lost always, in all ways like the missing tenth.
No wonder ‘Know thyself’ has remained a timeless secret that echoes along the corridors of universal spirituality. But is anyone listening?
DISCLAIMER
The views expressed in the Article above are Author’s personal views and kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it. Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing."
Courtesy: Times of India: The Speaking Tree: Feb19, 2019