Vivekachudamani

Self-effort stressed

   On hearing the questions put by the disciple the Guru tells him that by his intense yearning for liberation he has sanctified his lineage. Now the Guru stresses the importance of personal effort by giving several examples. If a father has incurred debts, his sons and others can relieve him by paying off the debts, but liberation can be attained only by one�s own effort and not by anybody else�s help. Even the Guru can only show the way. If a person carrying a heavy load is tired, some other person can take it over, but the suffering caused by hunger can be assuaged only if the person himself eats. A person can get cured of a disease only if he himself takes the medicine. The nature of the Reality can be known only if the person himself acquires the knowledge free from all doubt by his own effort by the practice of hearing, reflection and meditation and not by merely hearing a learned person talk about it. The beauty of the moon can be seen and enjoyed only through one�s own eyes and not by somebody else seeing and describing it. This example shows that one should himself attain the experience of the Reality and mere intellectual knowledge acquired from books and teachers is not enough. Who, other than the person himself, can liberate one from the bondage caused by ignorance, desire and actions even in millions of years? Desire, action, and rebirth form a continuous vicious circle, each being the cause of the next. This circle can be broken only by the realization of the Self. Liberation cannot be attained through the Yoga of Patanjali or the Sankhya of Kapila because they give only dualistic knowledge and not the knowledge of the non-dual Brahman. Nor can liberation be attained by any action including Vedic rituals, as already explained earlier. Knowledge of the upasanas (meditations on Saguna Brahman) described in the Upanishads too cannot give liberation. Only the knowledge of the identity of the individual self with Brahman will give liberation. Even here it is wrong to say that realization of Brahman is an effect of the knowledge of Brahman. If it is an effect it will, like all effects, be subject to destruction at some time. Knowledge of Brahman does not make one Brahman. It only removes nescience or avidya and reveals the fact that he was always Brahman, which was not known earlier. Scholarship in the Sastras and the ability to give brilliant discourses on them can help to earn fame and a comfortable life, but not liberation.

   As long as the supreme Self is not known, mere study of the Sastras is fruitless. Once the supreme Self is known, the study of the Sastras does not serve any further purpose. The idea is that the study of the Sastras is for attaining Self-realization. Until it is attained the purpose of the study is not achieved. After realization the Sastras are no longer necessary. Mere study of the words of the scriptures only confuses the mind. One should, with effort, learn the inner truth of the scriptures from a Guru.

   For a person who has been bitten by the snake of ignorance the only medicine is knowledge of Brahman. How can the Vedas, Sastras, mantras and other medicines help? A person cannot be cured of a disease unless he takes the appropriate medicine. Mere repetition of the name of the medicine cannot cure him. Similarly, release from bondage can be attained only by direct realization and not by merely repeating the word �Brahman�. Without negating the world as unreal and without knowing the truth of one�s nature, how can liberation be attained by mere repetition of words? In order to retrieve a treasure buried under the earth one must first of all know the exact location of the treasure from a knowledgeable person. Then he should dig and remove the earth, stones, etc., that cover the treasure. Merely calling out to the treasure will not make it come out. Similarly, the pure Reality which is covered by the products of ignorance (the body, mind, and senses) can be attained only by hearing the sruti from a competent person who has realized Brahman, and by reflection and meditation and not by perverted logic. Therefore each one should himself strive for liberation with utmost effort, just as a sick man strives hard to get cured.   

   After stressing personal effort and explaining in detail what a seeker should do, the Acharya encourages the disciple by telling him that the questions he has asked are excellent, in accord with the scriptures, brief and full of meaning. The answer to these questions should be known by all seekers of liberation.

   After this the Guru first takes up the fourth question, how can bondage be got rid of, because this is the most important subject.

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