02 Nov 2014
Shri Surya asked: “Shall we complete the knowledge (Jnana Yoga) in which we can clarify all the doubts and then only enter into the phase of practical implementation (Karma Yoga) so that all the hurdles, which are the practical forms of the uncleared doubts in knowledge, can be crossed over?”
Swami Replied: You can understand this point well if you take the example of the study of the course of science and engineering. After the completion of the course of engineering, the candidate is going to work in the industry where the work is totally practical. But, while studying the academic course, the classes in laboratory in which the practicals also are done co-exist with the theory classes. You should also note that the practical class is always conducted after the theory class. Even when you go to the practical class, there will be theory class for sometime in the name ‘giving practical instructions’. This clearly shows that without the theory, practical cannot be generated. By doing simultaneous practicals in the college, you have strong impression of the concepts of the theory in your brain. Theory followed by practical leads to complete assimilation of knowledge. If theory alone is taught throughout the course and then the candidate becomes engineer in the industry, the doubts may come again since the clarifications in the academic course were not practically done. Even if the clarifications were given without practicals, those were not well impressed in the brain. Today, even in non-engineering courses like arts, a practical project is introduced in the final semester. Hence, knowledge means both theory and practicals simultaneously so that the theory is strongly impressed in the brain.
Similarly, the sages in the previous million births achieved strong knowledge in the line of the course of science and engineering only. The last birth of the sages as Gopikas is like the employment of engineer in the industry after the academic course. These sages were householders with wives and children passing through the need of relinquishing the family responsibilities with related problems. Hence, their lives were mixtures of theory and practicals only. There are some sages, who were like the students of arts without any practicals. If you studied the academic course in a language, the only practical can be writing poems, songs and stories. They can be employed as teachers only since there is a need for that also. They become preachers of knowledge, poets of prayers and singers of divine songs. However, such practical aspect is very weak and their industry is also theory only. Such sages, who were like the students of Arts, were born as sages only along with Gopikas. In any stage, theory is primary, which means that theory is first. Practical is secondary, which means that practical is after theory only. As far as the fruit of pleasing the goal is concerned, practical is primary and theory is secondary only. The goal is pleased only by total sacrifice of everybody and everything. In the tests, you must practically prove such a total sacrifice. This is possible only when your attraction to the goal is in climax. The attraction towards the goal increases only by knowing more and more details of the goal. When you know certain details of Mumbai, you will certainly plan to go and see Mumbai. But, this plan gets practically implemented only when your attraction to Mumbai increases more and more on hearing further details of Mumbai. Once you hear all the details of the goal, your attraction to the goal (devotion) and your landing in Mumbai are spontaneous as subsequent steps. Hence, Shankara told that if you acquire the complete right knowledge, you are certainly reaching the goal. In such case, there need not be a separate effort to achieve strong devotion (Bhakti Yoga) that is useful in transforming the theory (Jnana Yoga) into practical (Karma Yoga). Therefore, try to know the details of God more and more and clear all your doubts with sharp analysis. Your effort ends here and all the subsequent steps like achieving powerful devotion and implementing the knowledge in practical service blended with total sacrifice are spontaneous.
The total surrender and total sacrifice come only through the sufficient power in your emotional devotion. When this power is inadequate, the theory is not transformed into practical or is partially transformed. The first type Gopikas, who complained to the mother of Lord Krishna, were examples of no transformation. The second type Gopikas, who gave the excess of butter left over after fulfilling the needs of the family, were examples of partial transformation. The third type Gopikas, who sacrificed everything and everybody in the total surrender to the Lord, were the best examples of complete and spontaneous transformation and you will be surprised to know that they jumped into fire sacrificing even their lives in the absence of the Lord. Such Gopikas reached God and were honored with a superior position above the God. The remaining second type Gopikas were carried to Dwaraka by Arjuna and suffered with the absence of the Lord. The first type Gopikas were kidnapped by the hunters during the journey to Dwaraka and were looted by the hunters, who represent these worldly bonds. The first and second type Gopikas are similar to the students, who studied the academic course with no seriousness and partial seriousness passing in third class and second class respectively. The third type Gopikas were the engineering students, who studied the academic course with full concentration in theory and practicals passing in first class and distinction.
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