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Chapter 1: Background
6
hand in hand, it can also be said that the path consists of knowledge and action. The seers have therefore said: "Jnänakriyäbhyäm Mokshah". It means that liberation can be achieved by the combination of knowledge and action. Knowledge without the follow up action is sterile. It leads nowhere and tends to give rise to vanity. On the other hand, action without knowledge leads to a blind alley. It would be difficult to come out of that.
Most aspirants do not realize the importance of pursuing both those aspects simultaneously and appropriately. Absence of such understanding is the principal cause of drifting within the sea of birth and death. Some aspirants believe that performing auspicious rituals is enough. They expect to earn Punya (good or wholesome Karma), which will lead them to a better life hereafter. They perform the rituals as per tradition without understanding their purpose. Such people are termed as lifeless ritualists.
On the other hand, some happen to read books and scriptures, and conclude that intellectual understanding of the soul and its nature will lead toward the manifestation of its true nature. Such intellectual understanding is not enough for Self-Realization. Mere intellectual understanding actually leads them astray. They are called bare knowledgeable persons. It is the application of the knowledge acquired from religious books into routine activities that translates knowledge into right understanding.
Both these groups are mistaken. Shrimad observes that majority of the religiously oriented people belong to one of the two groups. They insist upon the truthfulness of their own viewpoint only. He feels compassionate that the people are holding such one-sided view. The next two stanzas define in detail the lifeless rituals and sterile knowledge.
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