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circumstances should a man entertain anger or seek gratification. After a short while, the pupil forgot the words taught him by his master, and instead iterated 'mash tush, mash tush'. Contemplating upon these words, he set out for seeking alms. He stood before the residence of a householder. The housewife was washing black grams. The Sanskrit word ‘mash' means black grams, 'tush' means the husks.
The monk asked the housewife, "Sister, what is it that you are doing?" The housewife said—“Muni Sri! I'm separating the beans from the husks." On hearing this, the monk's eyes sparkled. He exclaimed, “I've got it! Just as the beans are different from the husks, similarly, the soul is different from the body!" The understanding of and continued reflection upon this distinction turned the monk introversive. In the state of introversion, he experienced a heightening of consciousness and attained transcendental knowledge. In the holy trinity of reflection, contemplation and absorption alone is this highest realization possible.
Q. What are the starting and the culminating points of - a sadhak's unique pilgrimage in his search for truth?
Ans. The starting point of the search for truth is lis
tening and the ultimate is fulfilment. In between there are eight more stages in the following order :
(i) Listening (ii) Knowledge (iii) Science (iv) Abstinence
(v) Penance (vi) Control
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