Knowledge and Meditation : Swami Nikhilananda Saraswati

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Swami Nikhilananda Saraswati

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Saturday, March 19, 2022. 06:00.

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Knowledge :

Sri Krishna talks about knowledge in Gita. As the mind becomes pure and clean through karma yoga and Upasana, one develops jijnyasa – a thirst to know, ‘Who am I’; a thirst to know, ‘Who is God’; and a thirst to know about the essence of this world. To obtain answers to these significant questions, one approaches a teacher and starts studying the scriptures. 

Theoretical knowledge of the Self is grasped through the buddhi – intellect. When the buddhi becomes discriminating and pure through karma yoga and upasana, we gain the vision and understanding that one tattva exists in all the beings. He exists in all and everything exists in Him. It is the knowledge of oneness that the Self in me is the Self in all. 

That Self is essentially God, Ishvara, Brahman. This understanding dawns after contemplation and reflection on the teachings of the scriptures - the Upanishads, Brahmasutra, and the Bhagavad-gita.

At present, I see things from the standpoint of my body: I am different and you are different. But when I understand my essential nature, I will know that I exist in all. God is exists in me and in everything. Bhagavan is everywhere. I will understand that my essential nature is divine, Brahman. This is theoretical understanding; it gives me a perception of oneness. But it will not give me the experience of that oneness.

Meditation :

In order to experience what I have understood, I have to meditate. Meditation in Vedanta follows knowledge. Without knowledge, meditation is not possible. Some people meditate regularly, but if they do not have the theoretical knowledge of the Self, they might be meditating on something else. Have we gained the knowledge of that on which we have to meditate?

Sri Krishna advises us to first gain knowledge and then meditate. When we meditate, we experience ourselves as we are. Once this happens, our vision changes and gets transformed. We actually experience what we have understood theoretically. We experience the presence of God in everything and everyone. We live in the world as a free person. We live in this world as a jivanmukta – liberated while alive.

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