“The Awakening” here, I have used from both perspectives, of course the first one related to the work place, wherever we work and whatever may be the role holding; second, id my deep thinking, which is related to getting in touch with self-discovery of one’s inner world. Once we start peeping inside ourselves, we shall definitely find out many facades of our personality, which remained unknown to us for a long time. I am referring here the theory propounded by Haary Ingham and Joseph Luft. The Johari Window is a technique designed to help people better understand their relationship with themselves and others. It was created by psychologists Joseph Luft (1916–2014) and Harrington Ingham (1916–1995) in 1955, and is used primarily in self-help groups and corporate settings as an interrogating exercise. Luft and Ingham named their model “Johari” using a combination of their first names.
It has four quadrants. Here, the relevat quadrant is “Unknown”, which is unknown to ‘Self’ and also to ‘Others’. Therefore, it will be beneficial to get ourselves fully illuminated, charged, changed and enthralled with power, charisma and divinely orchestrated music, which comes from within, but the problem is that we do not have time and patience to pause for a while, take at least one long and deep breath to resuscitate our weakened and failing sensibilities, and then continue the journey.
Our sensibilities have become so frail, feeble and pale that we can hear only wild, loud and distant voices and sounds. It is most unfortunate that we have lost our abilities to listen to the serene music of a brooklet, chirping of birds, rhythmic blowing of wind and unceasing symphony created by our hearts. Instead we ask our physicians to hear it through the stethoscope. We cannot and do not want to, in fact look around and see the things in their original and purest forms. Either, we do not have time or we do not have desire to do so, as if we are under the spell of an exorcist or got haunted by a ghost, or mesmerised by some unknown evil force, which had disabled us from looking beyond the horizon, as well as inside.
We have to come out of this spell, for a while and rise up, to surmount what is surrounding us, captivating us and surely we can find and see the unseen and hear the unheard all the time throughout our lives. Isn’t it sounding good, great and gorgeous? It does. How sad it is that our sensibilities are so much maimed and disabled that we forget our own power, strengths, values, and abilities hidden inside us, for such a long time. (It will be worthwhile to read a book ‘Awaken the Giant Within’ and another book ‘Unlimited Power’ by Anthony Robbins.)
Awaken, arise and listen that inner voice humming inside your inner world. Once you carefully listen to the underlying message of ‘Anaahat’ rhythmic symphony, your joy will know no bounds. You will experience a new wave of merriment, a totally vibrant flow of consciousness, heavenly symphony, picturesque inner world, and fragrance of unseen flowers; which is exquisite and abundant in richness; never seen before, unparalleled and beyond the imagination of powerful human mind.
Actually, human mind is more powerful than a Super Computer existing in the world today. It is infinite and can comprehend everything in the world. If we look at the history of scientific inventions, it reveals that before any invention came into reality, the scientists first envisaged it in their minds. Dreams can only come into reality, whether it is scientific invention or a piece of literature or a mind-blowing painting. However, the “Core” of a human mind encompasses universe, which is beyond the known world of human beings. This core is connected; rather it is the essence and integral part of that “Power”, “Truth”, “Almighty”, “God”, “Allah”, “Jesus”, “Ram”, “Krishna”, in short, indefinable flow of energy.
One things is crystal clear that it is much intense than millions of nuclear explosions and more illuminating than trillions of suns, but how to reach and feel? The answer is to start looking within and not outside. Today, we have reached the age of using other mode of light, like flashlight to capture the images. This art and science substantiates that the whole world around us is felt, experienced by cleansing ourself internally, through the continuity and connectivity between those objects and us.
A question may arise whether the quality of such captured images depends upon the illumination of such objects at the relevant time or the media / medium or our ability / quality of our retina? The answer is both. If the objects are not illuminated we cannot see them, like in the darkness / night we cannot see, cconverse is also true. With the advancing age or due to some other reason, our retina and natural lenses get deteriorated, which needs corrections, supplement or, cleansing. It could be replacement / addition of lenses or cleansing of the lenses, natural or artificial. So in real life, the image formation of the objects depends on three things, namely, illumination of objects, the ability of the medium and the ability of the retina. No, no, it is not final, because, the formation of an image on retina is a dumb reality, till those colours and shades of the said image are communicated through the optic nerves to the brain, where the signals are decoded and matched with the data pre-acquired / captured and stored images.
When the nerve emerges from the back of the eye, it passes through the remainder of the posterior orbit (eye socket) and through the bony optic canal to emerge intracranially on the underside of the front of the brain. At this point, the optic nerve from each eye comes together and forms an X-shaped structure called the optic chiasm. Here, approximately one-half of the nerve fibres from each eye continue on the same side of the brain, and the remaining nerve fibres cross over at the chiasm to join fibres from the opposite eye on the other side of the brain. This arrangement is essential for producing binocular vision. Posterior to the optic chiasm, the nerve fibres travel in optic tracts to various portions of the brain—predominantly the lateral geniculate nuclei. Fibres from the lateral geniculate nuclei form the optic radiations that course toward the visual cortex located in the occipital lobes in the back of the brain (Encyclopaedia Britanica), and only after the matching and interpretation of the images / pictures, the result is communicated back for further usage. That supreme Power placed such a fantastic and superb autonomous system inside us.
Why we do not want to decode and demystify the secrets of “Self”, “I”, “Me” or “That”? And this demystification can be done only by a Guru, a Spiritual Guru. I am not talking about a Mentor, as referred to in corporate world. Neither I am referring to a Teacher (Academic: School, High School, College or University), nor a Guide or a Coach in Sports, Performing Arts or like that. I am referring respectfully to a Spiritual Guru, who does not promise you any promotion, increment, wealth, fame or name etc. Rather, he does not promise you anything. Frankly speaking, as Lord Gautam Buddha has rightly told, “Nobody can teach anything to anybody, but everybody can learn. So, he pronounced ‘Aatm Dipo Bhav!” And I believe it as a Bramhavakya, a Last & Final Word. There is a wonderful book titled as “If You Meet the Buddha on the Road, Kill Him! The Pilgrimage of Psychotherapy” by Sheldon B. Kopp”.
Ekalavya had requested Guru Guru Dronocharya to accept him as his disciple and teach him archery, in Dwapar Yug, but Dronacharya declined the request, becasue Dronacharya had decided to teach, coach and train Arjun as the Best Warrior in Archery. So, Ekalavya carved out a statue out of clay and from the bottom of this heart he believed that that is not the statue, but his physical Guru Dronacharya, respected, worshipped and honoured, as if ‘Real Guru Dronocharya’, and still he could learn the archery, which was better than Arjun, whom Guru Dronochary himself had taught in person.
So, that is origin of what Lord Gautama has told centuries later. I have equal regards for Lord Gautama Buddha, as he is accepted as the incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
After all, what the Awakening is…….and how to know that we have reached there? There are innumerable questions, haunting all of us, all the time. Hence, to achieve enlightenment and heavenly bliss, one has to seek Guru, accept him with full unflinching faith, trust him with unwavering mind and follow his instructions meticulously, all the time. If you do not do so, then everything will be futile. Guru does not only hold your hand and take you there, but help you know first where you are going and later when you have reached there, to tell you with blessing that you have arrived the destination. There is a famous stotra ‘Guru Ashtakam’ of Aadi Shankaracharya, a strong preacher of ‘Adwait Philosophy’, which underlines and emphasises the importance of The Guru.
शरीरं सुरुपं तथा वा कलत्रं । यशश्चारू चित्रं धनं मेरुतुल्यम् ।।
मनश्चेन्न लग्नं गुरोरंघ्रिपद्मे । ततः किं ततः किं ततः किं ततः किम् ।।१।।
Your physique may be superb, you may have a very beautiful wife; you may have impeccable reputation and fame; you may have the tremendous wealth like mount Meru, which is said to be made up of pure Gold; but if the mind is not centred upon the lotus-like feet of your Guru, what’s the use (what’s the point), what’s the use, what’s the use, what’s the use of it all.
कलत्रं धनं पुत्रपौत्रादि सर्वं । गृहं बान्धवाः सर्वमेतद्धि जातम् ।।
मनश्चेन्न लग्नं गुरोरंघ्रिपद्मे । ततः किं ततः किं ततः किं ततः किम् ।।२।।
You may have wife, wealth, sons, grandsons, a great house, all relatives, and may have born in a good family; but if the mind is not centred upon the lotus-like feet of the Guru, what’s the use (what’s the point), what’s the use, what’s the use, what’s the use of it all.
विदेशेषु मान्यः स्वदेशेषु धन्यः । सदाचारवृत्तेषु मत्तो न चान्यः ।।
मनश्चेन्न लग्नं गुरोरंघ्रिपद्मे । ततः किं ततः किं ततः किं ततः किम् ।।४।।
You may be well-respected in foreign lands and affluent, prosperous in their homeland and you may think that no one can surpass you in the righteous conduct and deeds; but if the mind is not centred upon the lotus-like feet of their Guru, what’s the use (what’s the point), what’s the use, what’s the use, what’s the use of it all.
यशो मे गतं दिक्षु दानप्रतापात् । जगद्वस्तु सर्वं करे यत्प्रसादात् ।।
मनश्चेन्न लग्नं गुरोरंघ्रिपद्मे । ततः किं ततः किं ततः किं ततः किम् ।।६।।
You may boast that “My repute has travelled in all directions through my philanthropy and prowess, and all worldly possessions are in my hand as the reward for those virtues”; but if the mind is not centred upon the lotus-like feet of their Guru, what’s the use (what’s the point), what’s the use, what’s the use, what’s the use of it all.
अरण्ये न वा स्वस्य गेहे न कार्ये । न देहे मनो वर्तते मे त्वनर्घ्ये ।।
मनश्चेन्न लग्नं गुरोरंघ्रिपद्मे । ततः किं ततः किं ततः किं ततः किम् ।।८।।
You may think, your mind does not dwell upon the forest, nor even upon your home, nor in the duties; not upon the body, nor upon what is auspicious and priceless; but if the mind is not centred upon the lotus-like feet of their Guru, what’s the use (what’s the point), what’s the use, what’s the use, what’s the use of it all.
The virtuous person’s mind is fixed on the sayings of the Guru, no matter what, if he is an Ascetic, or King, or a Student or Celibate, or a Householder, will achieve whatever he wishes for and his desired goal of attaining Ultimate Liberation, The Supreme Abode of Brahman, Heavenly Bliss and Nectar or Elixir too.
You may say, “I am working in corporate world. How this is useful to me and relevant too? Answer is very simple. The essence of the word ‘Guru’ is a person, who dispels the darkness (of ignorance). Guru (Sanskrit: गुरु) from Gu (darkness), and Ru (light) — is a person, who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom and authority in a certain area, and uses it to guide others. Literally a preceptor, who shows others knowledge (light) and destroys ignorance (darkness). It is also used for teacher or guide in the religious or sense. The guru is seen as a sacred conduit for wisdom and guidance, and finding a Sadguru (True Guru) is often held to be a prerequisite for attaining self-realization. The Hindu scriptures say that one need not search his Guru, but The Guru himself searches his (capable, competent and ready to receive) disciple.
I recently watched a video on You Tube, in which, a journalist in India, Smt. Barkha Dutta asked an intriguing question to one of India’s well known spiritual Guru, Reverend Jaggi Vasudeo of Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. She asked, “What is the need of Guru or Sadguru? Respected Sadguru replied to her, “Like you use GPS in these days, when, you drive a car in unknown terrain, similarly, when a common man ventures in the unknown terrain, you need a Guru, to direct you, lead you to your destination.” On this, she remarked, “Means you are a modern day GPS!” Sadguru promptly corrected her, “No, not at all. Guru, from ages is Guru Positioning System (GPS).” How wonderful was his answer connecting the ancient scriptures and today’s technology. But, yes, it is true. Had this been a spiritual forum, I would have talked more on this. Keeping in view the nature of this forum, to conclude this Epilogue, I would like to say that there is nothing more, grater and better than a Guru. His is the last word, final word or a Bharatvakya. [भरतानां वाक्यं इति भरतवाक्यम् | Bharatavākya is the last verse or verses in a drama, a sort of blessing, said to be in honour of Bharatamuni, the author of Natyshastra, Science of Dramaturgy, the founder of the dramatic science); ‘तत पदम् अस्तु भरत वाक्यं!’ Accordingly, in the quest for Ultimate Bliss of attaining the Buddhahood, “Self Actualization”, Our Lighthouse, Torch-bearer is The Guru, for The Awakening.
© Mukund Bhalerao
Chatrapati Sambhaji Nagar
13th July 2023
Late Evening: 00:34
