K N O W L E D G E

By

Achala Bhalthan

What is Knowledge? 

What do we refer to by this ..\index.htmwo..\index.htmrd?  Is it equivalent to  “Aware of?”  “Enlightenment?”  We know what it is but we cannot explain it in terms of the above phrases.  All of us will say that Knowledge is a revelation of something so far not known to us.  Any information coming to us, of which we were so far not aware of is termed as knowledge by us?  Isn’t it?  Have we ever thought of the meaning of the above different usages?  Are they synonums or are they different in sense?  Well to define the word “Knowledge” we have to see the meanings of the above phrases.

Aware of refers to the state of getting revealed to the information new or existing

Enlightenment denotes the revelation which comes to us from some unknown source.

Is it an Object?

We will see that the above words relate to a process and not knowledge by itself.  Therefore, knowledge is referring to a phenomenon, which is already existing but not revealed to us due to the limitations of our instruments of knowledge. That means we are referring to a phenomenon, which already exists independent of the process or the instruments of knowledge.   It is abstract and cannot be seen, heard or transferred.  It is a faculty in every human being which enables us to learn, grasp, understand, be aware of, wenlightened  etc.  Now the question is : “Is it an object lying outside of us or within us?”  Let us examine.  If you come in contact with a burning flame you will be burnt.  This is the charecteristic of the fire.  Electricity will give shock.  This knowledge was not known to us till we experience it either by ourselves or through observation.This means knowledge is a phenomenon which already exists and we come to know of it through a process called experience.  Thus knowledge is a power within us, which enables us to grasp, learn, be aware of or get enlightenment of an information outside of It  So, the information from outside enters us and the power within us makes us grasp or learn it.  Knowledge is therefore a power existing within us.  Therefore, we can easily conclude that it is the Subject and not an object.

Still it is abstract and we cannot imagine about its nature, isn’t it?  Can we see electricity?  No.  But we know what it is abstractly.  Similarly we cannot see or hear of knowledge.  It can only be experienced.  It is that faculty in us which can be experienced by us through a sadhana.  Subject is the substratum of all things.  It cannot be understood but it is the faculty, which enables us to understand everything just as electricity is a power which expresses through the instruments of electricity like light, fan, air condition, frig, movement of vehicles and machines through ignition etc.  To know the effect of Electricity we need some instruments through which it will flow and give us the effect.  Similarly, Knowledge is a subject (power), which makes us function through the vehicles of Sense Organs in us. 

Is it Wisdom?

 No, because Wisdom is the discriminative faculty in us, which enables us to discriminate between good and bad, right and wrong, sorrow and pleasure etc. Even this absgtract faculty needs knowledge to discriminate.  Therefore, it is dependent on knowledge.  It needs an object to discriminate and the knowledge about that object.  Then only it can function.  It is like a Prism.  It only analyses the objects and dissects.  When we get a stimuli – an information – from the world outside, it goes through the prism, which dissects the various incredients in it and discriminates the type.  Thus, Wisdom can be called the agent of Knowledge because without discrimination, the process of knowing is not complete.  Knowing, therefore, doe not mean merely grasping an information but analyzing and sorting out the type of information.  

We know Knowledge is the subject and information from outside is the object.  Who is the knower of such information?  Of course, the Knowledgte itself because this faculty in us grasps the information after analyzing it through the Prism called Wisdom and throws it to the Sense Organs, which functions accordingly. This Knowledge is the Lord or Master which is collecting information through the five organs of knowledge and after analhysing and dissecting through Wisdom, it give out the knowledge to the five organs of action.  Therefore, Knowledge is Supreme, without which the sense organshave no function. You may argue that information is not only coming from outside but also from within us.  Yes, I know you are referring to the stored information.  These are informations already received from outside, analysed, dissected and stored for future use.  This also includes information gathered and srred in last birth in the form of Vasanas.  But still such stored information also were information that came from outside and subjected to the process by Knowledge.and to that extent it is outside of Knowledge.  Thus, Knowledge is the Supreme faculty in us and all other things are secondary. 

A thing to be true has to be permanent.  Anything subject to change is not tru;e.  This faculty of Knowledge has to be permanent, ever existing in order to be the supreme and Truth.  Is it so?  The knowledge of a thing already stroed in us comes out when required for analysis.  The new information is compared with the already stroed information.  Therefore, if something has to be stroed and used in future, it has to be permanent.  Therefore, Knowledge is permanent, ever existing.

We have learnt that what is primary, what exists ever permanent is the Truth and all others are untrue.  Also we have learnt from Vedas that which is permanent and True, independent of everything and the subsgtratum of everything else is Brahman.  Hence, it can be esily concluded that Knowledge is Brahman, without which nothing exists and all others are secondary.  This means that Brahman is the substratum of everything and is ever permanent, independent of everything and ever existing without destruction, because once destroyed the cafulty is lost and cannot be regained.  Unless IT is ever permanent, the continuity is lost.

Is it an Experience? 

You may argue that mere explanation to a thing will not make it true unless it is understood.  Well, you are talking about scientific method of knowing through experiment.  True, even science is understanding things through experiment.  Similarly, you have to go through the experience if you want to know the Knowledge.  Withtou experiment or experience nothing will dawn on you.  You have, therefore, to go through a process of experiencing it, which is called Enquiry within.  What is this process?  Trying to know the knower.  When the Knwledge (knower) is Supreme, substratum of all, every permanent, how can you know IT through the perishing sense organs?  As knowledge is the subhject without which no organs will function, can you know IT through the organs which are secondary to it.  You must have something, which is other than the knowledge.  But you can experience it through a Sadhana called Meditation, Self Enquiry, by enquiring within us as the Knowledge is within us, as seen above.  You cannot, therefore, know the knower but only be THAT, i.e. be in the state of KNOWLEDGE. 

How to know the Knower< For this, you must win over all the secondary things like sense organs and go beyond.  Let us take a simily.  You heard that there is gold in a mine in Thirupathi.  Unless you travel to Thirupathi and come in contact with the place where the Gold is stroed, can you get it or know about it?  You are going beyond the boundary of your existence in Bombay and reaching the Source of Gold to know about it or to get it.  Isn’t it?  Similarly, you have to go from your present materialistic existence stage to an abstract situation to know about this great Supreme faculty.  However, it is not a travel like going to Thirupathi to get Gold but a process of going beyond the parsent existence in sense organs.  That is go beyong the sense organs.  This involves a process of ignoring the sense organs and reach the source of these sense organs.  This process is also an abstract one and does not involve physical effort.  It needs a mental process initially.which should also take you beyond the mind, since mind is also an instrument of the Knowledge.  Initially through this enquiry, you will have to go beyond the faculty of Wisdom because Wisdom is the agent of Knowledge.  Thus, this process of Enquiry is nothing but unlearning all that you have learnt and enquiring about the source of all these, i.e. Knowledge. 

Is it Realisation? 

Once you have reached the Source what happens?  This is called realization.  Knowing the Knower with Knowledge.  Here, you will see that the Subject Knowledge, the object Knower and the process of knowing all have become one.  Why so?  The Knowledge is Su0preme, substratum (base of all) and is only ONE.  Once the source is reached, the knower, known and knowledge all become one.  It is therefore unique, there is second thing there.  Anything to be Supreme has to be alone and has no simily.  Hence, once you reach the source you become that and once you become that you are the Knowledge Existence   If you see from there you will notice that everything is emenating from Knowledge Supreme and is secondary to IT. Thus the Seers declared, through their self experience, as TRUTH, KNOWLEDGE, EXISTENCE, BRAHMAN, SELF etc. etc. These revelations by Seers have come to us through the declarations in Vedas as:

Tat Twam Asi

Aham Brahmasmi

Ayam Atma Brahma

Brahmaiva Aham

This is the Adwaitha principle which was explained by Adi Bhagawatpada Sri Sankaracharya as “BRAHMA SATHYAM JAGAT MITHYA”, meaning Brahman is the only existence Truth and the world of matter is Mithya (maya) or projection of it through a medium of knowledge like Prism as explained above.  When the ONE expressing through the Prism or organs, it projects as many according to the capacity of the agents of projection and revelas in different forms according to the characteristics of the instrucments. 

Conclusion

To conclude, KNOWLEDGE is that PERMANENT, TRUTH, EXISTENCE, SUPREME, BRAHMAN. SELF

BRAHMA SATHYAM  JAGAN MITHYA