The Holy Scientist

The fourth part of Namokar mantra Namo Uvajjhayanang salutes the Preceptors and Teachers. They are what can be termed, our friend, philosopher and guide. They are the ones who ignite the spark of wisdom in our darkness of ignorance. The Preceptors or holy scientists (as I like to call them) are those who have not only the information, but knowledge and wisdom; who lead their own life peacefully and are engaged in the study of what the Enlightened Ones have spoken in the form of sutras. Preceptors

Guide us across the uncharted territory of the spiritual world.

It is worth noting that in the West, individuals at their peak of accomplishment are eulogised as ‘brilliant’ persons. In the East they would be called ‘realised’ souls. Paradoxically, in the West they achieved accomplishments with their eyes open, whereas in the East, realisation comes with the eyes closed!

When you are dancing upon the waves of the ocean, you cannot get a view of the ocean itself unless you have a birds-eye view from the air of its vast expanse. Similarly, if you are engrossed in creation, immersed in it, you cannot see anything, but the creation itself and the law of causation working. When you transcend them, with your eyes closed, when you know how to look within, you see neither finite form nor the law that created them. You get a glimpse of the formless, causeless and infinite.

Preceptors are those who have reached that state and can see it all very clearly. The latter will help you realise what you are not: not this breath, not this body, not this mind and not this feeling. You are what lies behind all this. All great Preceptors declare that within this body there is the immortal soul, the spark of which sustains us all.

Since it is difficult to understand the condensed version of Truth as it is encapsulated in the sutras, we trust Preceptors to interpret their meaning, just as a scientist unravels the genetic code (that is why I like to refer to them as Holy Scientists!) A sutra is an extremely condensed form of Truth like the essence of a thousand flowers in a vase. A sutra can be described as a capsule. At one time they were the only way that wisdom of the sages was passed on verbally since in ancient times there was no writing, no printing and because the accumulated knowledge was so vast that it needed to be shared. The following line expresses the dilemma in communicating the Truth, “if the whole earth is paper, the whole ocean is ink and all trees are used as pens, the Truth cannot be explained.”

There are three kinds of mindsets in the journey of travelling within. They are: the religious mind, the philosophical mind and the spiritual mind. A religious mind is more into ritualistic connect rather than a spiritual connect. A philosophical mind is an academic mind, much like a professor. A spiritual mind is one that realises through experience and personal intuition.

My guru, Acharya Mahapragyaji, once said that the power of the mind is a 1000 times more than the physical body; however the power of intuition is 1,00,000 times more than the mind. But, the power of the Soul is infinitely more than even intuition. We cannot even imagine that!

All Preceptors and Teachers considered it their duty to share their findings. They can be credited with superior understanding and clarity of vision. Rabindranath Tagore emphatically summed up their purpose when he said that the teacher who is blessed with knowledge also has the responsibility to impart it to his students. It is akin to one who has more wealth and must bear the responsibility of somehow sharing it with his fellow beings.

In the awakening for Truth, we are reminded of our present situation showcased by these words of T.S. Elliot, “Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information? Where is the life we have lost in living?” Truth has two sides to it: relative truth and absolute truth. Mankind is grossly erroneous in mistaking relative truth for absolute truth. Relative truth is true for a certain context, an age, a civilisation or culture. It might or might not hold true in another circumstance. Absolute truth, on the other hand, is ever-present, timeless. It was the same yesterday as it is today; and will be so tomorrow. Information and knowledge can be shared and communicated. Truth, on the other hand, is a realisation, that has to be acquired by every individual through his own efforts. Preceptors help us in this by showing the way. My guru, Acharya Mahapragyaji, in his biography has recounted how one sutra in the ancient scripture Acharang, changed the path of his life and sadhana: “Sabbe sarar nittanti, takka tattha na vijjayae” It means, ‘Words do not reach there (inner domain). They cannot be comprehended through the mind. They can only be realised.’

A Preceptor is like a Teacher who shows us how to awaken the power within. Lord Mahavir’s discourses are not available to us, but they have been preserved through narrative by his direct disciples, called ganadhar, who kept handing it down from generation to generation. Such scholars do not just add some information to your brain, they help you to awaken. They help you evolve your consciousness to come closer to your own Being; to come closer to a state of Enlightenment.

Wait to read my next blog, where I will share with you why my guru, Acharya Mahapragya ji, recommends chanting this mantra, Namo Uvajjhayanang. Focusing on the Ananda Kendra chakra and the emerald green colour.

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