A request and a disclaimer: Before you begin to read this blog, request you to first read the 3 parts of ‘Stroke in the canvas called ‘The Value of Values’. You may also choose to read the blogs on the values of amAnitvam, adambhitvam, ahimsA (the value of ahimsA is in three parts) kshAntiH, Arjavam, AchAryopAsanam, Saucam, Sthairyam, AtmavinigrahaH, indriyArthesu vairAgyam, anahankAraH, janma-mrtyu-jarA-vyAdhi-duHkha-dosAnudarsanam, asaktiH, anabhisvangaH putra-dArA-grhAdisu, nityam samacittatvam istAnistopapattisu, mayi ananya-yogena bhaktiH avyabhicArinI, vivikta-desa-sevitvam, aratiH jana-samsadi and tattva-jnAnArtha-nityatvam though they are not a prerequisite to reading this value. The language and explanations used by pUjya swAmiji is so profound, that I wish I do justice by aligning my understanding to his explanation, as I parallelly try to relate it to day to day living.. Any error in the way I have blogged upon these values, is due to an error in my understanding alone.

adhyAtma means centered on self

jnAna means knowledge

adhyAtma jnAna knowledge of the self

nityatva means constancy

AdhyAtma-jnAna-nityatvam means constancy in the knowledge centered on self

This actually is the 19th value but to understand it and for logically presenting it, tattva-jnAna-darsana has been presented as the 19th value and this one as the 20th. Both these values complement each other.

This blog is presented as a dialogue between me and a learned person who I am meeting. This learned person has the knowledge of scriptures, and also can put in in a way that a layperson like I can understand. Personally, I am indeed looking forward to this discussion between this learned person and me.

Me: Sir, Namaste. When I had called to ask you a couple of days back to ask if you are free for a few hours to meet me, I was NOT sure of what your answer would be. I am indeed honoured and blessed to have this discussion with you.

Sir: When someone asks to meet me, I don’t say no. As I keep talking to them, I also get to know how serious they are in what they want from me. Tell me..

Me: Though I want to deep dive into spiritual study thru the study of the scriptures and vedAnta, I am also a bit overwhelmed because I always think that it is tough to understand. I read the book ‘The Value of Values’ and I also blogged on each of the values so that I understand it in my own way. It was as though they gave me an indication for the way I need to lead my life.

Sir: True, that is a book that is beautifully written. It does need more than a couple of reads to understand. as it is profound; and we may miss some points that pUjya swAmiji is saying, because our mind is is preoccupied with what we have read.  We may though have the book in our hands but not have read a single line also 🙂

Me (thinking “How does he know that this happens often to me?): You are right, Sir. I had to read every value a few times before I actually blogged on it.  I had another book that he had written, which also had these values detailed. So it was reading up on both, then thinking about what was understandable for me, what I can apply to day-to-day life, how to do it etc. Then came the blogging.

Sir: Excellent to know. I would like to read it sometime. It will give me something to learn or it will tell me if what I have learnt is correct or not, isn’t it?

Me (thinking, “How do I answer this humble question? I decided to let it pass out of sheer ignorance to answer): Sir, when I was blogging on the 19th value of tattva-jnAna-darsanam, I could feel a structure telling me how to understand myself, in terms of where the purpose of life is – is it dharma, artha, kAma or moksha. I have always thought that scriptural study is really difficult and one needs to be a great person to do it. The first three I could understand but not moksha. As I was reading these values and blogging on them too, I understood that what I ad to do was to gain freedom from my desires and that is it. I need to ONLY look at how I need to lead this life and NOT what I would get in another life. When I wrote that blog, I felt that scriptural study is NOT difficult as I thought it was. Since I am now blogging on the last value, I wanted to understand this value on how to gain self knowledge constantly.

Sir: Malathy, what I am going to tell you is going to take sometime. I want you to write down the questions that occurs in your mind. If they are not answered by the end of my talking, then you can ask me those questions which are not answered, and I will answer.

This is not like your study of physics or chemistry or math, which you study to write an exam. After studying those subjects, you may or may not use the knowledge learnt. The spiritual study or rather the scriptural study as I would prefer to call it, is different. There is no exam for which you are studying this. You are studying it to know yourself. There is no pass and no fail. You either understand it or you try to understand it. The upanishads or vedAnta comes at the end of the vedAs. This focuses on you, the creation (which is the world which includes you) and the creator (God,  which includes the world that includes you).

There is no time frame to study the scriptures. You study till you understand it. And with all the other things that you need to do in the roles that you play in life, this is a life-long study 🙂

So how does this study happen? This study happens in three ways:

Sravanam: This means gathering of knowledge which could be through listening to the scriptures, reading the scriptures, attending discourses, talking to people who have learnt or are also learning the scriptures. Isn’t this what you do when you are learning something new in the field of Special Education? Go to the net and explore, read up, talk to peers and experts. It is the same in scriptural study too. OK, so you gather knowledge, then what do you do with that knowledge?

Mananam: This means reflection or also intellectually reasoning out the knowledge that you have gained. You will have more than one school of thought, in many things that you seek to learn. You should carefully weigh them and analyse them for what they are. Both these are important and most importantly you should have shraddhA. Shraddha is a beautiful sanskrit word that means suspension of judgment pending discovery. Which means that one needs to understand and analyse what you have collected of knowledge, and see which is appropriate. Then you take it for the next step. You don’t judge anything till you understand it.

Supposing you gather knowledge about something in the field you are in, you analyse it it, isn’t it? In terms of what may work and what may not. You don’t blindly implement it. You see its strengths and deficits and then implement what you think is appropriate. It is the same way in scriptural study also. In fact here, you need to be careful to understand the words in the context given. As you analyse, you may find contradictions. This is when you may need to perhaps go back to gathering more knowledge by talking to a few peers who are studying the scriptures and experts also. The same way you would do it, when you analyse something that you have learnt in your field. And then the final step.

NidhidhyAsanam: This means contemplation of what you have learnt. Remember that the most important aspect is sravanam. Both Mananam and NishidhyAsanam are just supporting it. So you have gathered knowledge, you have intellectually reasoned it out but you realise that what comes your way is your thought process.

Let me explain this better by looking at it from your field. You have been working with children with special educational needs and you attend workshops that help you gain knowledge, isn’t it? Then as you think about what you are listening to which also means you are analysing and reasoning it out, you ask questions. After you are back home, do you think about what you have reasoned out and how you should implement what is appropriate? (He sees me nod and he continues). Do you also think about what you need to start undoing, as that practice is not appropriate (I nod again)? Do you also visualise on what you need to do, going further? (I nod once again. He is so spot on right, that there is nothing else I can do :-)). This is contemplation. Thinking about what is a habit that you have formed for yourself, and changing it based on the knowledge of what you need to do. When you let go of these old habits, you have the space to implement new ones. Else, the old habits will chase away what you have contemplated on implementing.

In your own way, you have been doing sravanam, mananam and nidhidhyAsanam for writing these blogs. This is also how vedAnta is. This is also how you assimilate the value of adhyAtma-jnAna-nityatva. Am I coming across clearly?

Me: Yes sir, very clearly.

Sir: These values are a good place to start. Since you have blogged on each of them with day-to-day examples, you will know what you have written. Read them again. Since most of them except the last few are mutually exclusive, you can read them in any order.  An understanding and assimilation of these values will create the space for you to let go of habits that you need to let go, and learn new ones. Understanding of the scriptures then becomes easier. Now let me ask you, how was this journey of blogging on these values?

Me: It has been a beautiful journey, Sir. Reading, pondering upon and analysing what I have read, I also got the opportunity to understand myself in the process.  I initially started off thinking it was easy and as I proceeded, some values were taking a longer time to understand and reflect upon. All of a sudden I understood it faster than I normally would. The pace certainly has been different.

Sir: (smilingly) So you are wondering what you are going to do next!!

Me (Wondering how he knows that this is my thought): Yes sir.

Sir: You can reach out to me, come and meet me whenever you have any doubts on what you are writing upon, especially on the spiritual or scriptural topics.

Me: Yes sir. I certainly will. It was a privilege learning from you.

Sir (with a smile): Not privilege, it is a pleasure.

I left from that place thinking of the words that he just said. What a difference it makes!! And the way he went about explaining this value made it seem so easy to learn and practice. Wish!! Wish!! Wish!!

 

 

 

 

 

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