Swami Kaivalyananda started classes on the 10th chapter, called ‘Vibhuti Yoga.’ Here, the Lord reveals his divine aspects seen in creation. One important shloka is,
‘tesham satatayuktanam bhajatam pritipurvakam,
dadami buddhiyogam tam yena mam upayanti te.’
Here, the Lord says, ‘for those constantly immersed in remembrance of me, full of love for Me, I give them the Yoga of Knowledge, by which they reach me.’
In this part, Sri Shankaracharya has provided a beautiful illustration, of how the Lord, or Guru, lights the lamp of knowledge within the devotee/disciple. That light destroys the beginningless darkness of ignorance within. There, the light is fueled by the oil of discrimination, which is gained by God’s Grace. The match is the constant bhavana, or identification with the Lord. Since a slight wind is necessary for the light to blaze, there should be the soft wind of wisdom and the samskara from spiritual practices such as brahmacarya.
Because the light needs a support, there is the lamp of a mind detached from sensual pleasures. Then, to avoid a strong and destructive wind, there is the protective covering of the mind’s purity, which is the absence of likes and dislikes, which gives detachment from the sense objects. The effulgence from the Light of Knowledge is experience of the Truth, or ‘samyak darsana,’ which is born of constant one-pointed meditation.
Swami pointed out that it is true that the Guru lights the lamp of knowledge within, but Shankara’s commentary shows there is also a duty on the part of the disciple, pointed out by wrds about sadhana, meditation, etc. The Guru can only enter within the disciple when the necessary suitability is attained within. So, there’s no point in saying, ‘the Guru will illumine me, I’ll just wait!’ That’s not the meaning. The point is that this light of knowledge is not something in one’s own hands. Just don’t have ego in one’s sadhana, because ultimately, the fruit comes from beyond. This knowledge will make the devotee more humble, and receptive to that Grace.
Piyush,
June 23, 2007
