04 Sep 2020
[Shri Kishore Ram asked: Just as dressing in a dignified way is important for presenting yourself before people, is language also important in presenting knowledge?]
Swami replied: O Learned and Devoted Servants of God! It depends on the psychology of the set of people before whom you are presenting your personality. If the group of people before you give value to the dress, you have to take care of your dress too. But if there is a larger group before you and, out of them, only a small number of people give importance to the dress, then you should wear a simple dress because you have to satisfy the majority. Several people are afraid of approaching a person in a dignified dress. They have the mentality of easily approaching a person in a simple dress. People who give importance to the dignified dress can also approach a person in a simple dress, but the reverse is not true. People who fear the dignified dress cannot approach the dignified dress. The small cat can go through both the big and small holes of the box to drink the milk, whereas the big cat can only go through the big hole and not through the small hole. Scholars can understand simple language also, whereas, ordinary people cannot understand scholastic language.
Language is just a vehicle for communicating your concept to others. Communication is very important but decorating the vehicle, which is the language, is not. If you go by car to the house of a poor man, he will be embarrassed. But if you go to him on a bicycle, he will receive you very openly. If you go by car to a rich man, he will be very pleased. But the rich man can also receive you and listen to your message even when you go to his house on a bicycle. By keeping yourself at the lowest level, you will be received by the entire humanity. By keeping yourself at a high level, you can only be received by a minority. In order to please the minority, you cannot neglect the majority.
The concept or knowledge that is communicated using the language is more important than the language used for its communication. Further, the practice of that concept or knowledge is far more important than the concept or knowledge itself. God always looks at your concept and not at your language (Bhāvagrāhī janārdanaḥ). Several illiterates were blessed by God for their correct concept of devotion. On the other hand, several scholars were neglected by God for their wrong concepts. The correct concept expressed in a dignified language is always great provided the entire group of receivers is elite. But the majority of humanity is not very elite and most belong to the lower level in terms of linguistic standard. Simple language can cover the entire humanity, even though a minority group might not be completely pleased. Knowledge shows the direction to the goal. Practice is the actual journey to the goal. Knowledge and its practice are equally important and not the language that communicates the knowledge.
Keywords:
| Shri Datta Swami | Simple Language Reaches All | Bhaavagrahii janaardanah
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