….contd….
Why at all should I
know about ‘self’ called ‘Atman’?
Knowledge of ‘Atman’ is that knowledge
knowing which you know all – Kathopanishad.
(Young Nachiketa at the door of Lord of Death Lord Yama - The Kathopanishad)
“Well I am not
interested in knowing the base of all existence. I am depressed, list-less and
am so confused and hopeless that I don’t know where to go and what to do. I
don’t know what I want and how to get it! This is of paramount importance to me
NOW! Nothing else.”
Listen to 'mann re tu..' which sums up all this.....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRa051pm9hM
“Exactly for these
reasons, we need to know ‘Atman’. We are disillusioned in and with life yet
want ways to enjoy it and celebrate it. We are not yet disillusioned enough to
want to transcend it. Good! Since we want to be ‘bhogi’ (enjoyer of life and
this world) and not be detached with it, it’s imperative that we become a
‘yogi’. Yes, only a ‘yogi’ is a real bhogi of this world and life. And the
journey starts with knowing ‘Atman’. Without knowing ‘who’ I am, how can I know
where I want to go and what I want?
Once, a lioness died
while giving birth to its cub. A she-jackal who had given birth to three of her
cubs saw the cub of lioness and her maternal instinct took the cub under her
care. She raised the lion-cub along with her cubs. The lion grew up feeling he
was one of the jackals. After some years, the children were playing and jackals
were practicing ‘howling’. Lion couldn’t howl and he was being rebuked by his
brothers. He felt dejected and wandered into the jungle. A lion who was seeing
all this from distance understood the problem and took the lion-cub to a river
and showed him his reflection and explained that he was the lion – the king of
the jungle and not one of the jackals. Knowing his self he roared and felt very
happy and rushed to share this news with his mother-jackal. Just looking at him
and his gait, she knew that he knew who he was and she confessed the truth and
asked him to leave them as it was no more possible for them to stay together. Ofcourse
she said it with heavy heart and she had known all along that this day would
come. She was prepared for this right from first day. Lion left ‘his family’
with heavy heart. He lost what was not his but gained himself.
He was trying to be
something much below his potential and felt little and disappointed. When he
knew himself, he knew he was great. He felt great!
Knowing ‘Atman’ is the
ultimate step but the first few steps could certainly help us to overcome these
dejections, disappointments and frustrations in life. And the first step to practice
is ‘balance of mind’.
“Even if this ‘balance
of mind’ is practiced little in this life, they become very dear to me and come
very close to me” – Krishna in Bhagavat Geetha.
….contd…..
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