by Sri Bmal Mohanty
VOL No. 22
Aug - Sept . 2002

PREPARATIONS FOR SADHANA -Part 3

"Based on the lectures by Sri Bimal Mohanty"

Perhaps if shraddha were not there in the hearts of men, today there would have been no religion of any kind.

Sri Rabindra Nath Tagore put it very poetically for us to remember. He said "faith is a bird which feels the light and sings when the dawn is still dark." It simply knows subconsciently that dawn shall break.

Shraddha thus governs the very nature of the mind.

Then we have another obstinate element, the ahamkara or the self ego which may not willfully follow. Here again Shraddha comes to our help. It is Shraddha which acts like a binding force or catalyst that urges all these three elements to join hands and act together towards our goal. Once Shraddha makes its presence felt, the entire character of our existence changes. Life takes an entirely new turn. A new direction for which it was originally meant. That is why it is said ;


Yo Yat Shraddhah sa eva ca.

As your Shraddha, so are you and so moves your life.

One may take any methodology of Yoga. Whether Bhakti, Karma or Jnana Yoga; or even those with some deeper understanding who may follow Sri Aurobindo's integral Yoga - no matter what, all Yogas draw their sustenance from Shraddha. Shraddha keeps the sadhana alive - not letting it to die midway. It is the Rasa or the nectar of all Yogas.

Shraddha enhances the achievements of Yoga.

Another interesting characteristic of Shraddha is its power over the very faith that sustains it.. We said that unflinching faith is its basis. However as the intensity of our sadhana grows, shraddha even purifies its own faith. Faith as is commonly understood could be often dogmatic, unreasonable. We often talk of a blind faith. Shraddha is intelligent faith. Shraddha takes all things positively. It does not reject any thought summarily and without reasoning. While faith is the product of a base mind, Shraddha is the product of a higher mind. Shraddha is therefore intelligent faith.

A blind faith does not accept any contradiction or opposite view point. It shuts itself. Whereas if you love something or have shraddha for some one, you listen to all counter arguments and strengthen your conviction. That is why Shraddha is intelligent faith.

Someone described Shraddha in a very beautiful way. He said it is like another indriya or sense organ. As the five bodily sense organs help to establish our contact with the material, Shraddha alone helps to establish our contact with the spiritual.

To put Sri Aurobindo's words slightly differently; " When the doubts of the intellect assails, the heart wavers, the mind sinks with disappointed desire, . Shraddha will remain firm and resist all attempts of defeat."

In another place Sri Aurobindo writes: Intellect can not be our only guide - it is afraid of errors because being attached to circumstantial assumptions. . As we progress the old beliefs look wrong. Doubts are to be discarded. But the fundamental truth can not be discarded. Faith or Shraddha keeps it going.

Therefore Shraddha has the strength which even intellect can not have.

Our seers of the past, who were so perfectionists in the practice of Yoga of all kinds, have acknowledged a basic truth that Yogasadhana and Tapasya have their own places in the life of a Yogi, but nothing undermines the preeminence position of Shraddha when it comes to Bramhan realisation. Consider the following observation: You may recall our earlier discussions as to how the progress of sadhana towards Bramhan realisation progresses stage by stage from Annamay Kosha, or the food sheath to Pranamay Kosha or the vital breath sheath. Then to Manomay Kosha or mental sheath. From there to Vijnanamay Kosha or knowledge sheath and finally reaching Anandamay Kosha or bliss sheath. The first glimpse of bliss or Bramhan

or the beginning of Bramhasakshyatkara happens at the level of Vijnanamay Kosha or the knowledge sheath. The knowledge sheath is paramount because only with knowledge or Bramhajnana, you reach Bramhan. Figuratively speaking, the doorway to the abode of Bramhan lies at the end of knowledge sheath. As Swami Sarvananda put it "Vijnana is really proximate to Bramhan-Atman reality, as there is only a thin veil separating it." Once we have understood the importance of this knowledge and knowledge sheath, let us turn our attention to the second chapter of Taittiriya Upanishad. In this upanishad, there is a graphical description of each sheath or kosha. In each level of sheath we are like a full fledged purusha or psychic being with distinct characteristics, supports and strength. The yogic description of sadhana is to transcend from one sheath to the next higher sheath in our spiritual evolution thereby acquiring a higher set of characteristics with every transcendance. It is described as "kosham kosham upasankramati" i.e it crosses over one sheath to acquire next higher sheath. While talking of vijnanamay kosha, the upanishad gives this beautiful description:

..atma vijnanamayah.. sa va esa purushavidha eva. Tasya shraddheiva shirah. Rtam dakshina pakshyah, satyamuttarah pakshyah. Yoga atma, mahah puccham pratistha.

This Vijanamay purusha or psychic being of knowledge, or our knowledge based personality happens to be the highest level of our personality next only to the self realised personality. It is like the penultimate step before the final summit. The above sloka describes the characteristics of this important stage of achievement of our spiritual life. It says that the foundation or anchor - the pratishtha/puccha of this personality is nothing but the Mahat. Mahat represents the all encompassing supremacy of the Bramhan. The realisation o the truth that Bramhan is the foundation or adhara of everything.

The stabilising or balancing wings of this knowledge personality are rtam and satyam - the righteousness and truth. That is the meaning of "Rtam dakshina pakshyah, satyamuttarah pakshyah" .Without a balanced view of what is right and what is truth, vijnana or special knowledge will not dawn upon us. Then the very soul of this personality is Yoga, as it is as it is yoga that keeps this exalted state alive which is the continuous and undying engagement in one's spiritual endevour or sadhana.

But the crown above all these - the shira, is shraddha. "shraddheiva shirah". See for yourself the importance given in our philosophy to shraddha.

How does shraddha help us in our day to day practical life? Shraddha is put constantly under test in the midst of the trials and tribulations of life and while under test, it not only grows but assists us in our development. Very often in life every one of us, is confronted with mishaps which are totally inexplainable within our limited knowledge. Some things do happen to us and we are at a total loss as to know 'what did we do to deserve this? It comes out of the blue so to say.

Although we explain this as the result of some wrong deeds of our having committed in the past, which we are atoning now, the mind looks at it as an injustice and unfair play. The concept that everything happens - or The Lord makes them happen - for our good only, then comes under the darkest clouds of doubt. Faith in the Lord begins to shake.

The only thing that comes to our rescue in reestablishing our faith is " Shraddha" Stronger the Shraddha sooner we regain our balance. The faith in the Lord is renewed and eventually the reward from The Lord comes. Every problem ends or gets sorted out. Such is the power and strength of Shraddha.We are then back in the fold of The Lord.

In the Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna does some very plain speaking for the benefit of all sadhakas leaving aside the philosophical explanations of shraddha.

He says shraddhavan labhate jnanam. People with shraddha can only imbibe knowledge. Years of satsanga and self culture comes to naught if it has not been pursued with shraddha in heart. He also says very candidly " ashraddadhanah sansayatma vinasyati" If you have no sharddha doubts will always distract you and you will destroy yourself.

But to a direct question from Arjuna He explains, but if he has shraddha but has wavered away from Yoga, there is no destruction for him in this world or in the world hereafter.

In acquiring adhyatma jnana or spiritual knowledge a clear distinction is always made between jnana labha or knowledge gathering and siddha labha or knowledge realisation. All the accepted methods of spiritual study like pathana, smarana, bhajana or chintana i.e study, memorising, singing or contemplating are good enough for jnana labha but not good enough for siddha labha or realisation unless one has shraddha. If you read many books and do research about it you may become a theoritical authority on a simple flower like a rose. But the real beauty of the rose flower unravels only to the person who with tender love raised and cared for the flower. Its beauty, its fragrance its message is revealed only to him who has added shraddha to his study. A theoritician may tell you everything about a raga like meghamalhar which note come after what, how it extends. But only a singer with shraddha can experience the dance of the rain in his or her heart. Shraddha is the key that opens the door to your inner heart -the chitta after transcending the mind.