Speech of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji – Sookti – April 10, 2020 – Mysore
Compiled by Parimala Eshwarla
Yasya nāsti svayaṃ pragnyā, śāstraṃ tasya karōti kim?
Locanābhyāṃ vihīnasya, darpaṇaḥ kiṃ kariṣyati?
What benefit will the person, who lacks intelligence and wisdom (intellectual insight), gain from reading the Scriptures? What benefit will the blind obtain from looking into a mirror? It means, only an intelligent person can benefit from learning Shastras.
That which functions like a weapon (shastra) has been defined as a shāstra (Scripture). Like a sharp sword it shreds completely that which is unrighteous. A sharp knife will not distinguish its owner and others. It will only shred the person who handles it. Similarly, Scriptures do not distinguish between people. They preach the same dharma for everyone- a righteous as well as unrighteous. The same rules are also applicable to the ones who made the rules. They also issue similar punishments to both.
It is commonly known that intelligence, curiosity and wisdom are the 3 crucial requisites to study and understand the Scriptures. Jignyāsa means curiosity. All those who seek to acquire new knowledge must necessarily have curiosity. The second is intelligence. It includes- dexterity in acquiring new knowledge and memory. The third quality, which is strikingly different from the other two is pragna or pratibha (wisdom)
Nava navōnmeṣa śālinī buddhiḥ prathibhā- a poet has remarked. It is only due to God’s grace that blesses the person with ripened wisdom. To a certain extent such wisdom can be obtained by reading different books and recollecting those lessons time and again. However just these deeds will not give complete wisdom.
A person who lacks wisdom gains nothing from reading Scriptures, which are comparable to burning lamps. A lamp shows the way out of darkness by illuming the place. However if the lamp falls on the hand, it burns the skin.
Eyes are the most important of all the sense organs. A blind man can see nothing in the universe. To him, the world does not exist. Even this eye, which is the most important organ, can see only the external form of the object. It cannot see qualities such as compassion, cruelity etc. that exist within another person. This eye, which can see objects in the universe, cannot see its own self. It needs the aid of a mirror to see itself.
A mirror has the ability to reflect perfectly. Just as we see the object clearly in the mirror, in the mirror called pragnya (wisdom), we must be able to see the Scriptures clearly. In other words, he must, using his intellectual insight, draw the right message from them. Scriptures that are not reflected in the mirror called wisdom fail to accomplish anything.