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DISCOURSE XII
HOW TO ACQUIRE SELF-KNOWLEDGE ?
Gentlemen.
Let us pay our respects to Shri Uttaradhyayanam Sutras when we begin with the discourse; as the very Sutras are profound with spiritual knowledge. The 36th chapter of the same Sutras explain to us the nature of the soul traversing in this world and has further inspired us to reflect about Self. The theme of today's discourse is : "How to arrive at Self-knowledge ?". If this is properly conceived and understood well, we are crowned with glorious success or else, believe me, we are doomed. Self-knowledge is the genuine earning of life and not the silver coins. Self-knowledge will save you from sins, will secure pious merits for you and will lead you to the path of restraint to enable you to achieve highest bliss. How money can help you? Of course, it can secure religious merits for you if you use it righteously and with liberality of heart but that liberality is not possible without self-knowledge.
You go to a vegetable vendor when you want to purchase vegetables and to a grocer for grains and to a cloth merchant for cloth, but you must go to an ideal preceptor when you want to acquire self-knowledge. Such ideal preceptor can be compared with a merchant who grants self-knowledge. You cannot attain self knowledge anywhere else as cloth cannot be had from a vegetable vendor or the grains cannot be had from a jeweller. Thus you must proceed to the right person to acquire the right thing.
Mind, we have utilised the phrase "ideal preceptor". Any Tom, Dick and Harry type of preceptor cannot grant you self-knowledge. If unfortunately you fall a prey to some pseudo-preceptor you will be totally ruined and mentally displaced. Do not be enticed by external form and hypocrisy, otherwise you are bound to be victimised like one fellow who purchased a barren cow.
PURCHASER OF A BARREN COW
There was a person very frank at heart and when he was sick he was advised by the physicians simply to live on cow's milk.
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