Chapter 4 Shloka 34

तद्विद्धि प्रणिपातेन परिप्रश्नेन सेवया।

उपदेक्ष्यन्ति ते ज्ञानं ज्ञानिनस्तत्त्वदर्शिन:।।३४।।

Now Bhagwan talks of the One who is knowledge Itself

and elucidates the method whereby one can gain knowledge from such a One:

Prostrate yourself at the feet of those Illumined Souls,

render them service and question them repeatedly;

then those Seers of the Truth will impart true knowledge unto you.

Chapter 4 Shloka 34

तद्विद्धि प्रणिपातेन परिप्रश्नेन सेवया।

उपदेक्ष्यन्ति ते ज्ञानं ज्ञानिनस्तत्त्वदर्शिन:।।३४।।

Now Bhagwan talks of the One who is knowledge Itself and elucidates the method whereby one can gain knowledge from such a One:

Prostrate yourself at the feet of those Illumined Souls, render them service and question them repeatedly; then those Seers of the Truth will impart true knowledge unto you.

What are the qualities of a disciple who is deserving of receiving that Supreme Knowledge?

The Lord says, Pranipaat, Seva, Pariprashna are the means to approach and know the wise one. Thereafter, that Knower of the Truth shall reveal that Supreme Knowledge to you.

Pranipaat (प्रणिपात)

1. A seeker must offer obeisance.

2. He must reverentially prostrate himself before the Guru.

3. He must surrender all his faculties and his body at his Master’s feet.

4. Knowing his understanding to be inferior, he must place his head at the feet of the Guru.

5. He must be humble.

6. He must descend from his egoistic pride.

7. He should hail the superiority of his Mentor.

8. Then, filled with faith and devotion, he should apply the dust of his Master’s feet on his forehead.

Seva (सेवा)

1. He must be ever ready to offer himself in service to fulfil the tasks of his Revered Mentor.

2. To obey the Guru implicitly is seva.

3. To procure His material comforts is seva.

4. To emulate the noble qualities of the Guru in practice is seva.

5. To take support of the Guru’s qualities is seva.

6. To constantly meditate on the Guru’s qualities is seva.

Pariprashna (परिप्रश्न)

1. Living with the Guru, serving Him constantly and repeated questioning is imperative.

2. The seeker must endeavour to know more about the Master’s qualities with the intent of emulating them.

3. He must conduct a devotional enquiry into the attitude and viewpoint of That Repository of wisdom – clarifying all the confusing practical details with a view to imbibing that perspective.

4. However, the questioning should not become an obstruction in the Guru’s works – it should be done after the task at hand is complete.

5. Living in close proximity with the Guru, the questioning should continue.

But remember:

a) obeisance must come first;

b) service should be ceaseless;

c) the questioner’s attitude should be full of faith and humility.

In this manner, as the seeker gets to know the Guru, that Seer of wisdom will impart knowledge, obtaining which, the seeker too, will become wise.

Little one, this shloka is very important. Understand it again from another angle:

One who is fortunate to meet with an Atmavaan, and even more so, one who has the phenomenal fortune of residing with such a One, can achieve that Supreme Essence with great ease.

Approaching that One with reverence and humility, love for the Atmavaan will grow within the seeker’s heart as he serves and works with him. He may not be able to understand every facet of the Realised One’s life and dealings at first, since such a one’s attitude towards life, his viewpoint and his dealing with others is so vastly different.

1. Where the ordinary person becomes angry, the Atmavaan smiles away the situation; and where the ordinary man expresses delight, there an Atmavaan may resort to a show of anger.

2. The Atmavaan may befriend the one whom the ordinary individual considers his enemy.

3. The Atmavaan may deem good the one whom the ordinary individual considers bad.

4. The Atmavaan may embrace the one whom the ordinary individual rejects.

5. The Atmavaan forgives his detractors, knowing them to be blind; he loves them just as much as he loves others. In fact such a one may also distance himself from those who love him, in the interest of the other.

In every situation and problem of life there will necessarily be a difference of opinion between you and the Atmavaan, for:

1. The Atmavaan’s love is unique and so is his attitude of service.

2. His method of fulfilling his duty is unique.

3. His gyan is as unique as is his mode of using anger.

4. His most ordinary gestures are peerless.

5. His method of conducting himself and his humility, both are unique.

6. His reasons for withdrawal from action are also unique.

Therefore it is natural that there will be great discrepancies between the attitude of the Atmavaan and the one who only possesses knowledge. However, living with the Atmavaan, both the man of knowledge and the ignorant begin to:

a) experience the vibrancy of his inner Self;

b) see his non-attachment;

c) recognise the perfection of his actions;

d) perceive his immense knowledge;

e) know his complete desirelessness;

f) perceive his state of equanimity;

g) perceive his total lack of hope or expectation;

h) witness the absence of attachment and antagonism in his life;

i) perceive his elevated state devoid of moha, ego and meum.

Therefore the Lord says, “Know that man of wisdom – that knower of the Truth will then impart knowledge unto you.”

Knowing him thus, the seeker will inevitably start loving him. Lack of such love, proves a lack of knowledge about that elevated One. There is nothing wrong in having differences of opinion with such a one, since there is such a vast difference in the two levels of understanding. However:

1. It is foolish to get angry with him.

2. It is foolishness to disobey him.

3. It is foolishness to oppose him.

4. It is foolishness not to cooperate with him.

5. It is foolishness to give greater importance to one’s own intellect.

6. It is foolishness to expect him to do as we would wish him to do.

Little one, he who develops an unshakeable faith in and unswerving love for the Atmavaan and who lovingly assists him, for him the service of the Atmavaan is nothing less than worship. When this love spreads towards all, that is the stage at which the Atmavaan imparts the knowledge of the Supreme to such a dear devotee. It is impossible to even understand the Truth without such phenomenal love. Reverence, too, is essential. Without it, it is impossible to attain that state. If such love and reverence are born, that Atmavaan will take the hand of the seeker and lead him onwards. Through the knowledge he imparts, the seeker too, will become an Atmavaan.