Anandhi Jayashankar, Wednesday, December 30, 2015 9:34 am

The Play of Devotion in Intellectual Understanding

The word ‘devotion’ has always taken a backseat when it comes to vedantic perspective. We somehow feel that devotion has nothing to do with logic and reason. Where we speak of intellectual understanding of vedantic concepts, we deal only with harsh realities and feel that devotion does not play a role. This is not true.

Where the intellect reasons, it is the mind that keeps the faith going till the penny drops. One does not straightaway understand every single vedantic concept. These concepts are understood with respect to the ability of the person to connect the same with day to day experiences. When this is the case, faith on the knowledge gained becomes paramount. And faith comes only when the mind is devoted.

This apparently seems unnecessary but to the sadhak it is like the ray that guides one to the end of the tunnel.

If not for devotion the discipline and rigidness of intellectual pursuit would lead to arrogance. It is devotion and surrender that keeps the sadhak grounded in humility and perseverance. The path otherwise filled with difficulties is smoothed out by devotion that gently guides one to the seat of meditation.

It is no wonder that saints rooted in devotion have easily made it to the state of self-realization. Though the path of knowledge takes one to the destination, it is devotion and surrender to the ideal that helps one achieve the ultimate goal.

No amount of knowledge can pave the path for self-realization. It is devotion that adds to the blaze of knowledge the much required fuel. Hand in hand, they lead the sadhak towards the seat of Brahman.

The rational person needs to understand that devotion is the last pedal whereas the emotional person has to use discrimination to avoid becoming superstitious.

The Bhagavad Gita very subtly portrays devotional qualities in an intellectual aspirant and intellectual qualities in a bhaktha. The message is too poignant to be ignored by a true sadhak!!!

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