THE TRUE END OF THE LEARNING

Sacred books only point out the way to GocL Once you have known the way, what is the use of books ? Then comes the time for the culture of the soul in solitary communion with God. A person received a letter from his village-home, asking him to send certain things to his kinsmen. When he was going to order for them, he wanted to ascertain from the letter the articles requisitioned. So he searched for the letter, which was then missing. At last, to his great delight, it was found out after a long search. He took it up eagerly, and went through the contents, which ran as follows: " Please send five Seers of sweetmeats, a hundred oranges and eight pieces of cloth. Knowing the contents, he threw the letter aside and set about procuring the articles.

How long then does one care for such a letter ? So long as one does not know the contents. The contents being known once, the next step is to put forth the necessary effort to get the things desired. Similarly the sacred books tell us only the way to God, i.e., of the means for the realisation of God. That being once known, the next step is to work one s way to the goal. Realisation is the goal.

Para-vidya, i.e., higher knowledge, is that by which we know God. All else, mere scriptures, philosophy, logic, or grammar, as such? only burden and puzzle the mind. The Granthas (books) are sometimes Granthis (knots). They are good only when they lead to the higher knowledge.

Many think that knowledge of God cannot be attained except through the study of books. But higher than reading is hearing, and even higher than hearing,is seeing or realising. The hearing of the truth from the lips of the preceptor makes a greater impression on the mind than the mere reading of books; but seeing makes the greatest impression. Better than reading about Benares is Rearing about the place from the lips of one who has actually visited it; but the best is to see Benares with ones own eyes.

Only two kinds of people can attain to self-knowledge : those who are not encumbered at all with learning, that is to say, whose minds are not over-crowded with thoughts borrowed from others; and those who, after studying all the scriptures and sciences, have come to realise that they know nothing.

People talk of errors and superstitions, and feel proud of their book-learning; but the sincere devotee finds the loving Lord ever ready to lend him a helping hand. It matters not if he had been walking along a wrong path for a time. The Lord knows what he wants and in the end fulfils his heart's desires.

Two friends went into an orchard. One of them possessing much worldly wisdom, immediately began to count the mango trees there and the number of mangoes each tree bore, and to estimate what might be the approximate value of the whole orchard. His companion went to the owner, made friendship with him, and then, quietly going to a tree, began, at his host's desire, to pluck the fruits and eat them. Whom do you consider to be the wiser of the two ? Eat mangoes I It will satisfy your hunger. What is the good of counting the trees and leaves and making calculations? The vain man of intellect busies himself uselessly with finding out the ' why' and ' wherefore of creation, while the humble man of wisdom makes friends with the Creator and enjoys His gift of supreme bliss.

One ray of light from my Divine Mother, Who is verily the Goddess of Wisdom, has power to cow down even the most learned of Pandits and make him appear like an insignificant worm crawling upon the earth.

Utter the word Gita, in quick succession, a number of times—Gi-ta-gi-ta-gi-tagi. It is then virtually pronounced as Tagi\ Tagi\ which means one who has renounced the world for the sake of God. Thus, in one word, the Gita teaches, " Renounce, ye world-bound men I Renounce everything, and fix the mind on the Lord.

In the course of his pilgrimage through the southern parts of India, Chaitanya Deva came across a certain devotee who was in tears all the while a Pandit was, reading from the Gita. Now this devotee knew not even the alphabet. He could not follow a single text of the Gita On being asked why he shed tears, he replied, " It is indeed true that I do not know a word of the Gita. But all the while it was being read, I could not help seeing with my inner eye the beautiful form of my Lord Sri Krishna seated before Arjuna in a chariot in the field of Kurukshetra, and giving out all those sublime thoughts embodied in the Gita. This it was that filled my eyes with tears of joy and love.'

This man, who knew not letters, had the highest Knowledge, for he had pure love for God and could realise Him.