Gyan and Bhakti

Now we will consider who is a gyani? What is gyan? What is the path of gyan? In brief, worship of the virtueless, featureless, formless brahm is the path of gyan. Who can follow the path of gyan? This is the first question. Who is qualified?   On the path of bhakti, even that person who can’t say 'Ram' is also qualified. But who is qualified for the path of gyan? The Bhagwatam says the person who possesses four qualities is qualified for the path of gyan.  These four qualities are foremost. The first of them is sham – controlling the mind. This means that before attaining this quality, spiritual practice hasn’t even begun!  First control the mind, then you could start practicing on the path of gyan.  Is it possible to control the mind?  Great yogis do great austerities: yam, niyam, aasan, pratyahar, pranayam, dhyan, dharna and samadhi, but they still can’t control their minds. They control their senses. They even control their life breath.  Who could control the mind? Controlling the mind can happen only when one controls maya. Otherwise, it is impossible!

Rishabh Bhagwan was a descension of God. Yogic powers appeared before him in a personal form and he said, “Get away from here! I’m not getting involved with you.” Rishabh Bhagwan said, “Oh humans! Don’t trust your mind. It is a great enemy. It has made you wander for uncountable births in the 8.4 millions life forms. Never be so overconfident that you think, ‘Such a thing would never happen to me. I understand.’ Even great yogis and sages have failed.”

Kripaluji Maharaj states that the Ved says that even a yogi who has controlled his physical senses or even his life breath can't triumph over his mind without surrendering to a true Spiritual Master and purifying his heart. He can’t win. When the heart purifies, then everything is done.  The mind is not something that you can purify outside and then bring it inside. It is purified only through devotion to God. When the heart melts, tears come, one has goose bumps, the body trembles, and the sweet devotional pain of separation is felt, then the heart will purify and it will be under your control.  This means you may be able to attach your mind to God.  You can do this.  But purifying your mind first – how can this happen?  Even after reaching the final stage of practical gyan, Sage Manu says that a gyani falls. After attaining 'arudh yog', which is the perfected stage of gyan, a gyani falls. So one should control the mind first and then start the ABC’s of the path of gyan, but this is impossible.

So, sham, dam, uparati, titiksha are all synonymous. When the mind is controlled, everything is done. Shankaracharya has written extensively about this. First one has to have vivek, then vairagya, and after that sham, dam, shraddha, samadhan, uparati, titiksha then mumukshu. Then, shravan, manan, and nididhyasan. There are that many stages.  But how could he write that controlling the mind comes first? Control the mind first – how to do it?  Is the mind some kind of external object? The mind could reach hell in a moment. You experience this in your dreams and also while awake. You can’t stop the mind.  Not even someone like Arjun, who defeated the beautiful celestial apsara, Urvashi, could contol his mind.  Arjun was watching the movement of Urvashi’s dancing feet very carefully. Indra thought that Arjun was infatuated with her. During the night, Indra sent Urvashi to Arjun. Arjun said, “You are just like my mother because you are Indra’s wife.” He had this much control over his senses, but before Krishn he changed his mind,

 “Maharaj! This mind boggles the intellect.  It is very powerful and fickle. It runs faster than the wind. You are saying to control the mind, but how to do that?” Krishn admitted, “You are right. The mind is very fickle. It's very hard to control.” But Shankaracharya is saying, “First control your mind and then come to me.  Then I will explain brahm to you.”  Krishn said, “It isn’t impossible. I agree that it’s very difficult, but the way to do it is remove your mind from the world and attach it to Me.” You have to practice this.  "Detach it from the world, attach it to Me.” Remove, attach, remove, attach and while doing this it will get attached. When it gets attached, it will become detached. In this sequence, the mind will get attached to Krishn and then detached from the world.

So even qualifying for the path of gyan is very difficult. You won’t find one such person in billions. This is why Tulsidas said that in the age of kali you won’t find one person who is qualified for the path of gyan. And even if one is found, then, it is very difficult to explain to him the path of gyan. A gyani gives a teaching to someone – why? “He's ignorant.” He's ignorant?  You said, “Everything is brahm. The soul is God.” So if the soul is God, then all the souls are God.  Is your God who is teaching us greater? This is what “difficult to explain” means.   After this, it's very difficult to understand. Even if someone explains it and another understands it, then, it's very difficult to practice. Even if one could practice it, he will fall. After reaching the highest class, the final limit of gyan. Bhagwatam, 10/2/32. Even after arriving at the final stage of gyan, that gyani falls who tries to only follow the path of gyan. The Bhagwatam is saying this. Ved Vyas, who revealed Vedant is also saying this.

Govindacharya was the Guru of the first Jagadguru, Shankaracharya.  Govindacharya’s Guru was Gaurpadacharya, his Guru was Shukdev and his Guru was Ved Vyas. Ved Vyas wrote the Brahm Sutra. By reading that, Shankaracharya and others became gyanis. That Ved Vyas is saying a gyani falls. Bhagwatam, 10/14/4.

The one who practices these eight steps of gyan - vivek, vairagya, shat sampati, mumukshatva, shravan, manan, nididhyasan - without bhakti doesn't receive anything. The result of that labor is only labor spent. For example, someone is churning water and thinking, “Butter will come out.  Just now it will come out.” Day turned to night, and all night he churned. Churn for uncountable lifetimes! Butter isn’t in water, so what could come out?

For example, when rice paddy is pounded, the outer husk separates from the rice kernel. Now if someone says, “The husk was there in the beginning, then the husk fell off and the rice was separated. If I pound this husk again, more rice will come out.” A crazy man might think like this and start pounding the husk. There is no rice left! The rice has already come out of the husk.

Similarly, if one doesn’t surrender and do devotion to Krishn and only works hard to attain gyan, then, he will receive only sufferings. The result of those efforts is pain. Nothing will happen.  Bhagwatam, 12/12/52.   The knower, the one to be known, and the knowledge – these are the three subjects of the gyanis. The knower is the soul, the one who is to be known is brahm, and knowledge is the uniting factor. When these three come to an end, when the one who is being meditated upon is gone, when the meditation is gone, and when one who meditates also merges into brahm, then this is the final stage of gyan.

Even such a gyani can't reach his Divine goal without bhakti. Ved Vyas said this. Ved Vyas revealed the Vedant, divided the Ved into four parts, wrote the 100,000 verses of the Mahabharat, wrote the 17 Puranas, and he was still restless and tense. He also wrote the Gita. But, he was worried and restless. Sage Narad came and asked him, “What’s the matter?” Ved Vyas said, “Why am I restless?” Narad said, “You have described in detail in the Mahabharat and other scriptures the general worship for receiving material prosperity and liberation. But you haven't described Krishn’s Divine names, form, virtues, leelas, and abode. That's why you are restless.” Ved Vyas said, “Yes, you are right.” He agreed, “I didn't write much about Krishn’s leelas, virtues, and glory. That’s why I am restless.” Narad said, “First do bhakti and receive the Divine vision of Krishn.” Ved Vyas did bhakti and had the Divine vision of Krishn and also of maya. Then he started writing the Bhagwatam.