Self-knowledge liberates man from bondage

CHENNAI, MAY. 3. The central theme of the scriptures and all the texts written by way of explaining their import, either as commentaries or as independent works by the preceptors of the different philosophical systems, is the goal that all those who have been privileged to be born as human beings must aspire for in this birth - liberation from bondage which will put an end to rebirths. Adi Sankara discusses this topic in a systematic manner in one of his works to show that the Self (Atman) has to be realised by rejecting everything that is not the Self.

Man generally identifies himself with his body-mind-intellect personality in all his experiences in which there is the underlying ``I'' consciousness. This mistaken identity arises due to ignorance and the aim of all spiritual endeavour is to remove this ignorance by which one can gain insight into one's true spiritual nature which is blissful and eternal.

Human sorrows arise due to man's identity with his body-mind- intellect personality which is ephemeral in nature. All the afflictions that pertain to the body, mind and the intellect are transposed on the ``I'' (the Self) and hence the person suffers because of this ignorance. So with discrimination a spiritual aspirant must first learn to distinguish between the Self and the non-Self.

In his discourse, Swami Omkarananda said that even knowledge of the Self was only relative because all knowledge of our experiences get objectified by the mind. Realisation of the Self is a matter of experience and hence when it is expressed it becomes objectified when the mind comes into play. The mind is the seat of all our attachments. In fact, a spiritual aspirant has to guard himself against being bogged down by scriptural knowledge by making it an intellectual baggage. This attachment will only boost one's ego instead of enabling one to get liberated from this association. After loosening his association with his body, mind and intellect if a spiritual aspirant makes the mistake of getting attached to a subtler form of knowledge which he believes will liberate him it is indeed an irony.

This is a pitfall which every seeker of liberation must be wary of while pursuing the spiritual path. While the attachment to one's body, mind and intellect is natural as one is born with them, scriptural knowledge is gained and hence its utility must be clear - that it is acquired for the purpose of Self- realisation and not for getting entrapped in it. Realisation of the Self which liberates man from bondage thus is an experience.

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