Why would someone
seek spiritual knowledge? What is or are the goals of a person seeking
spiritual knowledge?
To examine this
question, we need to first look closer into the generic goals of human
endeavor. The Manu Smriti offers a comprehensive classification of the goals of
human endeavor, called as Purushaarthaas. These are:
- Artha or Material and physical well-being: This includes all pursuits from acquiring the basic means of survival to wealth and luxury
- Kaama or Emotional and experiential well-being: This includes all pursuits of heart including love, affection, creativity and belongingness
- Dharma or Ethical and Spiritual well-being: This includes all ethical and logical pursuits from the basic performance of one's familial and social responsibilities to more grander and nobler societal contributory efforts.
- Moksha or Liberation from all bindings: This includes everything from the intellectual pursuit to know the purpose of life to achieving the state of total internal freedom.
In some ways, these
categories map to the recent motivational theory of Maslow's hierarchy. (You
can check more about Maslow's hierarchy at http://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html
)
With Artha, Kaama
and Dharma, we operate at two hierarchical levels. The initial level where we
try to meet the basic needs and the next level where we try to flourish. And,
we are in general forced into action by these three drivers and at the
same time in continuous internal conflict engaging in their pursuit. When one
is able to recognize the continuous state of flux that these pursuits puts one
into, the desire to look beyond them and seek liberation from their clutches,
arises. This, in Vedanta terminology, is
called Mumukshutwa. Primarily there are four reasons that trigger this desire.
- Bandhana or Bondage: The compulsive nature of desires associated with these three purushaarthaas that forces one to engage in their pursuit even when one wills not to.
- Dukha or Misery: Suffering from disappointments about unfulfilled desires and experience of undesired events
- Jara or Decay: The temporal nature of the happiness as well as the general decay of bodily functions with age
- Marana or Death: The inevitability of one's own death
Correspondingly four goals emerges from these
for the spiritual seeker:
- How to gain and enjoy absolute internal freedom
- How to end suffering in life
- How to deal with or overcome one's own death
- How to know the truth behind the mystery of the self, life and the world
In the Hindu
philosophy, there is an overarching greater goal that spans these four goals,
which is the quest for perfection. Here, perfection means to live a life that
is:
- free of conflicts and beneficial to the world
- living without the fear of death
- continuously abiding in a state of being that transcends the limits imposed by prakriti (nature)
In the second
chapter of Bhagawad Gita, there is a description of the traits of such a man of
perfection. This short section of 18 verses is known as 'sthithaprajna lakshana' or the 'traits of one who is
established in a stable state of consciousness'. Below are some definitions of
the 'man of perfection' from that text.
'prajahaati yadaa
kaamaan sarvaan paartha manogathaan
Atmanyevaatmana
thushtah stithaprjna thadochyate" (B.G Ch. 2, Verse 55)
"O Paartha, he
who has eliminated all compulsive desires from his mind and abides with
joy only in his own self, such a person
is known as sthithaprajna"
"Dukheshu
anudwigna manah sukheshu vigatha sprihah
Veetha raaga bhaya
krodhah sthithadheer muniruchyate" (B.G Ch. 2, Verse 56)
"He whose mind
is unaffected by misery, not attracted by pleasant experiences, devoid of
attachment, fear and anger; such a person is said to be an ascetic with a
steady mind"
In Ramayana, the
story of Rama is explained to Sage Valmiki by Sage Narada in response to
Valmiki's question if such a perfect human existed. Also another key question
raised, both in the Bhagawad Gita and Ramayana, is whether such a man of
perfection can be a person of this world rather than a recluse who has retired
to a hermitage. The answer in both the texts is a resounding 'yes'. However, it is also not an easy
journey for one to achieve this state.
The best description of the arduousness of this journey is found in the
Kathopanishad where Lord Yama says:
'Uthishtathaa
Jagrataa
Praapya varaan
nibodhadha
Kshurasya dhaara
nisitaa dhurtyaya
Durgam pathastad
kavayo vadante" (Kathopanishad, Book 1, Canto 3, Verse 15)
"Arise! Awake!
Enlighten yourself from the wise. The knowledgeable ones say that this path is
as precarious as traversing the razor's sharp edge, hard to travel and
difficult to cross"
If we take a
metaphorical view of the story of
Ramayana, we can again see a great view of this magnificent journey
beautifully hidden within the epic by Sage Valmiki.
'Rama' in Sankrit
means one who dwells, experiences and enjoys. This is the individual soul
called as 'jivatma'. Rama receives his education from two teachers,
instructional knowledge from Sage Vasishta and experiential knowledge from Sage
Viswamitra. Viswamitra helps Rama to seek physical and mental strength (bala
and atibala) and helps him to overcome fear of unknown (Thaataki). Viswamitra
then unites him with Sita, the purity of heart.
Ready to take charge of own life (crowned an emperor), the freedom to do so is denied to him by
Prakriti (Kaikeyi) and he is banished to explore his own internal world
(forest). He takes up this challenge relying on mental focus (Lakshmana) and
purity of heart (Sita). The compulsive nature of conscious mind (Ravana) throws
the challenge by trying to make the purity of heart subdued to it. Rama seeks
the alliance of strict discipline (Sugriva) and devotion (Hanuman) and
overcomes the distractive nature of mind (Vaali). He takes the battle to the
core of his heart (Lanka) and successfully overcomes the force of subconscious
mind (Kumbakarna), deceptiveness of mind (Meghnath) and finally the compulsive
nature of mind (Ravana). Rama then establishes Conscience (vibheekshana) as the
ruler of heart. Reunited with purity of
heat, Rama now returns to live a life free of conflicts (Rama raajyam). In the
end, for the sake of perfection, he abandons even his attachment to purity of
heart (abandoning Sita) and finally departs from the world, leaving a legacy of
what it means to be a perfect human being.
The story of
Ramayana, Rama's ayana or journey, is available to us as a guidance for
charting our own individual spiritual journey, encouraging us to make a resolve
to seek perfection in our own lives. Emabrk on this journey, if you haven't already!
Happy New Year!
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