Hari
OM
Application - that is what 'Workings-days' are
about!23rd
The text under study is BHAJA GOVINDAM, song of despair of time-wasting, by Sri Adi Shankaraachaarya.
The
previous verse pointed out that simply divesting oneself of the trappings of
life was insufficient to live a truly spiritual life. Now, in a verse
attributed to Sri Hastamalaka it is stated;
kuéte
g¼asagrgmn<
ìtpirpalnmwva
danm!,
}anivhIn>
svRmten
_ajit
n mui´< jNmzten.17.
Kurute
gangaasaagaragamanam
Vrataparipaalanamathavaa
daanam,
jnaanavihiinaH
sarvamatena
Bhajati
na muktim janmashatena ||17||
One may, in pilgrimage, go to where the Ganges meets
the ocean,
Or observe vows, or distribute gifts in charity;
If he is devoid of first-hand-experience of Truth,
According to all schools of thought, he gains no
release, even a hundred lives.
In
this succinct (in Sanskrit at least!) verse, the teacher points out different
'tapas' - methods of austerity for purification - which might be undertaken by
one seeking to live spiritually. They are not specific only to Hinduism; all
faith structures recognise pilgrimage, places of special sacred interest,
commitments such as fasting or vowing to abstain from one thing or another, and
all of them undertake charity in one form or other. It is also true that whilst
those who 'wear the cloth' are disposed in particular to these activities, in
most faiths, householders are also expected to utilise these methods to further
their spiritual 'gain'.
It
has to be said clearly, these are valid and meaningful practices. It is not
intended to criticise the following of any or all of these 'tapas' as such.
What is being pointed out here is that by participating, by doing one's bit, it
is not a given that one will be truly furthering oneself spiritually. The tapas
are not means and end in themselves.
They are tools for those who have the appropriately tuned minds to leverage
themselves on the spiritual ladder. If the mind is not thus tuned, the acts
become merely that; acts.
Whilst
the 'all schools of thought' referred to here, at the time of authorship
several centuries past would have been specific to the subcontinent, this does
not negate the viability of the verse in today's global society. Without
knowledge of the Infinite Reality, liberation from our sense of finitude is
impossible. Regardless of our particular interpretation of that Infinite,
whatever faith structure we subscribe to, the fact is we need to have that goal
in mind when we set out on tapas. Else it benefits us not. In the Sanskrit
tradition, the seeker has an advantage of 'a thousand lives' to get it right -
for some, who believe there is nothing beyond this life, it is still worth
attempting to live that very singular life to the very best standard it can be
and this makes the intention behind actions such as social care and travel all
the more important - does it not?!
Educating
the intellect to hold higher ideals, training the mind to obey the will,
sharpening oneself for improved and value-added actions in the world; these are
all strong and valid 'tapas', even for the atheist, to raise oneself above the ordinary.
