One
Devoid of Vidyaa is Animal-like
(“Vidyaa Viheenah Pashubhih
Samaanah”)
Article in Kannada by:
Tarodi Suresha
English Rendering by: Padmashree
Mohan
The rshis extol the importance of Vidyaa
(Spiritual Knowledge) in these words, “Vidyaa
is the distinctive feature in man; without it, man is equal to the
animals.” Vidyaa is indeed the decisive difference between man and
animals. Vidyaa is central to a happy and prosperous life worth the living.
And the hidden message is: if man aspires to a life loftier than that of the
animals, he must pursue Vidyaa.
It is beyond debate that Vidyaa (as education in everyday life)
enhances man’s capabilities. Man can
read, write and learn another language. He has probed; discovered nature’s
secrets and used them to his advantage. Man’s accomplishment in all fields that
can be perceived by our sense organs is mind-boggling.
In contrast, animals seem to
live their life in response to the instinctual calls of nature. By birth, they are well-equipped to deal with
stimuli presented by hunger, sleep, fear and procreation. Beyond that,
different animals excel at different things. The cheetah is known for its speed
and the elephant for its strength. Even
among human pursuits like music or dance, the excellence of the cuckoo or that
of the peacock is cited as the standard worthy of our emulation. Some animals
show an instinctual grasp of mathematical proportions - consider, for example,
the manner in which the bee builds its hive.
Animals are able to navigate themselves to their homes by scent, by a
map of the constellations or even by sensing the earth’s magnetism. Among their social skills, we might marvel at
how the soldier ants know their exact contribution to the colony or how the
mother bird is a fastidious teacher to her chicks. Consider traits like gratitude and loyalty
where animals set the bar high enough to capture our admiration. Most
importantly, barring pets spoiled by human interference, animals bide well by a
commitment to keeping themselves in fitness and health! Given such an impressive list of the
abilities of animals, shouldn’t we question whether the earlier statement that
animals are devoid of Vidyaa was
prompted by shortsightedness?
On the contrary, the rshis who are seers saw far and deep. To
understand what their statement means, we must first establish the scope of
life. Life mostly happens in the states
of jaagrat - wakefulness; swapna - dream-state; and sushupti - deep sleep. Whether the intellectual accomplishment of
man, or whether the marvel of instinctual animal intelligence, it is all
circumscribed within these three states. The joys these accomplishments confer
are likewise limited in their scope to these three. In fact, animals are better-suited to the
pursuit of joy in these three conditions owing to the fact that they do not
abuse their faculties of the body and mind like man does.
So, when the rshis said,
“Without Vidyaa, man is on par with
animals,” we need to probe their perspective that led them to issue such a
warning. The answer to this may be found
in the proper understanding of the scope of Vidyaa
and also in the difference that exists in the make-up of the body of man and
animals.
People commonly rely on
their sense organs to understand the world or their own bodies. But rshis
gain a deeper understanding by employing the Yoga-drshti (perspective got by the practice of Yoga) secured
through penance. Through such a Yoga-drshti,
Seers have identified the special features of man’s physiological make-up, the
goal of life and the advantages of attaining that particular goal of life. The highlights of their research are
summarized below.
There is a tattva (a principle) of the form of Jyoti or Light in the hearts of all
living beings. This tattva is also identified by the name God. The huge banyan tree
grows from a tiny seed containing the blueprint of such a large tree. So also,
that principle of Light holds within itself the subtle form of the entire universe
and of all living forms. Just like the growth of a seed into a tree finally
culminates in the production of another seed, the true fruition of life is
achieved when the path back to the Source from where it all started is successfully
retraced. It is impossible to imagine the boundless joy arising from the
completion of such a journey.
The union with the Tattva that man can achieve through the
practice of Yoga is a fourth state called the Turiya. It is man’s
birthright to reach for and grasp this fourth state of Turiya without stopping short at the states of Jaagrat-Swapna and Sushupti. The natural ability of the human form is to
fulfill the promise of Turiya. Such an ability is not entailed in the
physiological or mental makeup of animals.
In the view of the rshis, Vidyaa is not just the
acquisition of skills required for a worldly life. It is not the accumulation of facts either. “Vid” is Jnaana and “yaa” is the
means to attaining that Jnaana. In the Bhagavad Gita, it is clarified that Jnaana is Paramaatman. So Vidyaa
is the means to the realization of Jnaana-in
other words, Paramaatman. Vidyayaa amrutamashnute - through Vidyaa, one can savor immortality. And Vidyaamayoyam
purushah – Purusha (Jeeva) is the
embodiment of Vidyaa.
Sriranga Mahaguru explained
that man won’t remain like animals only when he becomes Vidyaavanta (‘educated’ in the real sense of the word Vidyaa).
Otherwise man will cheat himself out of an exclusive joy and will lead a
wasted life. The people of Bhaarata
should strive to lead such an exalted, educated life by following the tenets of
the rshis.
Note: The Kannada version of this article can be viewed at AYVM blogs