Hari
OM
Application - that is what 'Workings-days' are about!
The text under study is BHAJA GOVINDAM, song of despair of time-wasting, by Sri Adi Shankaraachaarya.
The
singer of this song now points in desirable direction for the keen student;
sTs¼Tve
in>s¼Tv<
in>s¼Tve
inmaeRhTcm!,
inmaeRhTce
iníltÅv<
iníltÅve
jIvNmui´>.9.
Satsangatve
nissangatvam
Nissangatve
nirmohatvam,
Nirmohatve
nishchalatattvam
Nishchalatattve
jiivanmuktiH ||9||
Through the company of the good, there arises
non-attachment,
Through non-attachment there arises freedom from
delusion;
When there is freedom from delusion, there is the
Immutable Reality -
On experiencing Immutable Reality, there comes the
state of 'Liberated in Life'.
To live in attachment is to bind ourselves woefully. Through
àitpúa _aavna/pratipaksha bhaavnaa - dedicated inner
searching - we learn to withdraw from our bindings and free ourselves in the
grace of Govinda.
When
we read a philosophy, we can nod and agree and understand the logic; it is
quite another matter to adopt it into practice, though. Indeed, it is almost
impossible to all of a sudden to live its recommended way of life. The teachers
must appreciate this logical difficulty n the student and provide various
practical methods by which it can be applied… else the philosophy becomes
nothing more than a 'utopia'.
Here,
the Guru Shankara, gives a simple 'ladder of progress', the steps to success in
Vedantic philosophy.
In
spite of our appreciation of it, though, the fact still is that we are living
our existence amidst temptation and desires. No matter what barrier we attempt
to build within ourselves, the temptations abound and the majority of us are
weak in our resolve. In order to shore up efforts, it is advised that, at
first, seeking the company of the good (satsanga), those who have travelled
further than ourselves, is a worthy step, for we can take heart from their
successes and guidance. This is not such an odd thing to offer - after all, do
we not seek out fellow collectors to improve our knowledge (from stamps to
bird-watching and so on)? Why then should we not form a group with spiritual
travellers?
Gradually,
as we improve our own practice and as non-attachment becomes more real for us,
we can address the issue of understanding the delusion called 'world'. Likewise, as we build our clarity in that, we
begin to glimpse the Actual Reality behind it all… and finally, with endurance
and attentive practice, we have the promise of becoming truly free of all
worldliness and the chance to live without fear.
Become
pure, become clear, become steadfast in Truth, become free. This is the
process. This is the promise.
