[Advaita-l] Jagadguru Speaks: Vedantic Contemplation will Sanctify Your Life

[S Jayanarayanan]

(Around the beginning of the month, a nugget of Wisdom from the Jagadguru may be posted
on the Chaturamnaya list : http://lists.advaita-vedanta.org/cgi-bin/listinfo/chaturamnaya )
 
 
Man must devote some time everyday to contemplate on Vedantic 
tenets. Only then will he gradually begin to understand the purpose 
of life and get a sense of what must be adhered to and what must be 
given up. Caught in the cycle of births, and as a consequence of 
karmic bonds accumulated since time immemorial, every jivatma 
(individual soul) suffers through innumerable births taken as 
humans, animals, birds, insects, etc. 
 
नरपशुविहङ्गतिर्यग्योनीनां चतुरशीतिलक्षाणम्‌ ।
कर्मनिबद्धो जीवः परिभ्रमन्यातना भुङ्क्ते ।।
 
In this cycle of births, a human birth, and that too in a family 
steeped in piety, is indeed a significant blessing. However, even after 
acquiring such a birth, if we do not enquire and differentiate 
between the Self (atma) and the non-Self (anatma)-that is, if we do 
not engage in Vedantic contemplation of the nature that ‘the body is 
transient, only the Self is permanent’ and the like-then even a 
blessed life will be eventually wasted. 
 
आत्मानात्मविवेको नो देहस्य च विनाशिताज्ञानम्‌ ।
एवं सति स्वमायुः प्राज्ञैरपि नीयते मिथ्या |
 
If such a human birth were to be wasted, there is no guarantee of 
being blessed with a human form in the next birth. No act of Dharma 
or spiritual contemplation can be done if a human birth is not 
attained. Therefore, without idling the time and to the extent 
possible, everyone must gradually learn prominent texts, such as the 
Bhagavad Gita. Having studied such texts, if a man would devote 
some time to Vedantic contemplation as well, his life would indeed be 
sanctified.