Odyssey of the Enlightened – 83
Invocation and Enshrinement - 3 Views on the Varna System charyashri responded to Goenkaji’s comments with a query — “What if someone belonging to the other varnas (than Brahmins) also seeks enlightenment? From where will he/she get the higher knowledge?” Goenkaji argued, “They could read the Holy Scriptures like the Ramayana, Mahabharat, and Puranas. Vedas have emerged from God Brahma’s voice. It requires a certain level of purity and illumination of mind and the power of sadhana to grasp it. Therefore only dwijas (who have done substantial sadhana of Gayatri after threadceremony) would have the ability to attempt reaching the super realms of knowledge. Original Vedic knowledge is scripted in the form of abstract hymns. After years of sadhana and research under a noble Guru, only sagacious minds would be able to decode such abstract knowledge. The scriptures like Puranas, Mahabharat, and Ramayana preach the essence of knowledge necessary for illumination of ordinary minds in a narrative style via allegoric literature and stories.”
A
When he completed explaining his
point, Acharyashri said -“You may be right in your viewpoint. I consider that no one should be prevented from gaining the ability to attain pure knowledge. I think if the study of Veda-Shastras (Vedic texts) is not propagated and the ancient texts are not made easily available to the seekers, eventually, this treasure of divine knowledge may be practically lost. I agree that powerful sadhana and long-term study under adept guidance would be required for correct decoding and proper interpretation of the abstract hymns of the Vedas. But every seeker should be given a chance to attain that ability without any constraint of varnas. In any case, there should be a problem with the Upanishads. Their teachings can be grasped without ambiguity or chance of misinterpretation. Moreover, there is no constraint on who can possess and read the Upanishad texts, etc. What is your opinion about widening their availability?” “I would not be able to take any decision in this regard. I follow whatever the swamis and hermits associated with the Gita Press guide” – Goenkaji responded. They exchanged views on several socio-religious notions in the context of what the Shastras (ancient Indian texts) convey. The topics included the issues of untouchability too. Goenkaji’s convictions appeared influenced by fundamentalists’ interpretations: “Driven by modernity, some people are going to break Shastric traditions. They are fighting to open the doors of temples (sacred shrines) for everyone. How can those prevented by the Shastras from entering a temple be allowed to worship there? Such
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. - Eleanor Roosevelt AKHAND JYOTI
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JAN.-FEB. 2022
