Dr. A. Ramaswamy Iyengar
IshAvaAsya Upanishad says that those who do not possess self-knowledge are ever doubtful. Doubts, if not cleared, lead to sansayatma – more doubts, and vinashyati – self-destruction. Self-knowledge is knowledge that you create for yourself, through a self-consistent approach. Self-consistency involves several repetitive steps until you get the same results as a solution for a problem. Das Ganu Maharaj was engaged in writing an explanatory book on IshAvaAsya Upanishad. But he faced doubts, and he could not proceed further. When he approached Sai Maharaj, he said a maidservant at Kaka Dixit’s Mumbai residence would clear his doubts. We know that Das Ganu could clear his doubts through that maidservant.
There are various methods to develop self-knowledge. It cannot be developed independently, without the influence of external knowledge. Indeed, external observations lead to self-knowledge. Once you obtain this knowledge, you cannot store it in you forever. You must share it with the external world for testing and consolidation. Only when the external world confirms through reason and experimentation do you become a pathfinder, and the enlightened one!
Nana Saheb Nimonkar followed this example. From the time he came to Shirdi, he was inward-looking. However, he was restless until he observed the external world and disturbing but unavoidable events to Tatya Saheb Noolkar concerning suffering, misery, and termination in death. He decided to surrender to Sai Maharaj abandoning worldly pleasures, pursued the course of ‘Nama Smaran’ and meditation at the feet of Sai Maharaj, and achieved self-knowledge. He realized the absolute Truth. His words came from his realization of truth. There was an acceptance of this truth, and he became the enlightened one, according to IshAvaAsya Upanishad. Thus, self-knowledge is relevant only when the external world accepts it. Even after one hundred years, his service to Sai Maharaj and messages recorded by Baba’s apostles are followed by a large number of people and respected by all, particularly when devotees take ‘darshan’ of holy ‘padukas’ gifted by Sai Maharaj to Nana Saheb Nimonkar.
On the other hand, with IshAvaAsya Upanishad, Mahatma Gandhi acquired self-knowledge when he fought for the abolition of inequality and discrimination prevalent in society. His procedure was based on adherence to truthfulness, non-violence, and zero-yielding to pressure and intimidation. It was not an easy path. His experiments with truth based on IshAvaAsya Upanishad became a formidable weapon against a mighty colonial power.
Self-consistency is a commonplace word in science, particularly when searching for solutions to problems in theoretical physics and chemistry. It is understood in the realms of quantum chemistry and computational physics. In this approach, a problem is handled in terms of a mathematical equation. Then, efforts are made to solve this equation using empirical means or self-consistent methods prescribed by IshAvaAsya Upanishad. Since problems are often complex, scientists resort to approximations and prove their closeness to reality by reiterating solutions until they converge.
Empirical methods depend on external parameters, whereas self-consistent methods lead to solutions gradually built in by the process itself and IshAvaAsya Upanishad reiterates them.
Now, the question comes to mind of whether solutions to problems in life should be studied through self-consistency advocated by IshAvaAsya Upanishad. It could be possible by cultivating self-knowledge. Scriptures and philosophers suggest ways. The realization of self-knowledge is also a gradual process that traverses mistakes and corrections. Repeated applications of this process can lead to reality. When we master the process, we become self-confident and no goal in life appears formidable.
IshAvaAsya Upanishad says that there is no purifier as knowledge. Those who persist in the cultivation of awareness find it leads to self-knowledge. Once achieved, our perception of reality becomes meaningful for the self and society.
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