Vivek Chudamani

Author(s): Chandrashekhar Bharti Swami, P Sankaranarayan
Publisher: Bharatiya Vidyabhavan

Page 23

INTRODUCTION
xix
of the world or his own body, desires to acquire those things thinking that they will conduce to the happiness of the mind. This, in other words, is the result of confusing the ātman with the things that are not the ātman, and thus a prolongation of the samsāric series is effected. The annulment of this confusion between the ātman and the anātman can be effected only by discrimination between the two. The ātman is nitya and all that are the anātman are anitya. Hence the emphasis on 'nityānityavastuviveka.'
In the Hindu scheme of knowledge, a distinction is made between higher and lower knowledge, parā and aparā vidyā. “dve vidye veditavye parā ca aparā ceti.” The latter includes all the sciences and arts that pertain to the experiential world. It is wrong to say that the Hindu outlook is entirely otherworldly and does not attach importance to things which concern this world. Such knowledge, which is called aparā-vidyā, is obligatory to every individual to enable him to go through the concerns of his life successfully and has an important place in the Hindu scheme of education. But, it is pointed out that over and above this, there is a sphere of knowledge, which is called parā-vidyā. While aparā-vidyā gives knowledge of the perishable, parā-vidyā relates to the imperishable. The mind functions at the point of the Great Divide between the external world facing a man and the inner world within himself. As the Kathopanişad has it, Svayambhūh, the Self-born, that is Brahma directed the sense-organs outside. Therefore, a man looks outward and not within himself. A brave, wise man desiring immortality turned his eyes inward and saw the ātman within. Such vidyā, is known as ātma-vidyā and, in the Hindu tradition, it is extrem important for the attainment of liberation. Listing the super-eminent things of every class with which He identifies Himself, the Bhagavān says in the Gītā, that He is adhyātmavidyā among the vidyās.
According to us, the pursuit of any vidyā, be it secular or spiritual, involves the Guru-sişya relationship with its concomitants of jijñāsā, adhikāra and vinaya (the desire to know, the qualification to know and humility) on the part of the pupil and the possession of the relevant knowledge, compassion and anugraha on the part of the teacher. In addition, the pupil must possess vairāgya or a sense of detachment. The teacher must be a sadguru, one who imparts instruction in the sadvastu, who takes the pupil in hand after ex
6 पराञ्चि खानि व्यतणत्स्वयम्भः तस्मात्पराङ पश्यति नान्तरात्मन् । कश्चिद्धीरः प्रत्यगात्मानमैक्षत आवृत्तचक्षुः अमृतत्व मिच्छन् ।