Page 103 - Wisdom Unfurled

be heard and none other. Talking about divine revelations occurring in poetry as held by Swami Vivekananda, the Master expresses His disagreement thereof saying that it does not happen so at least in the case of the real seeker who should not lose the Reality by getting entangled in the surroundings which merely point to the Thing with which it is connected just like smoke points out the fire of which it is the smoke.
Pointing out the limitations of reason, the Master states that reason in its popular sense may be faulty and fail us, but if a thing is seen through intuitional insight without the unnecessary medium of reason, it will be visible in its original form without error or defect. We should try to understand things when the knots begin to open by themselves. The Master has stated elsewhere that one should take up philosophy only after he has completed the full course of sadhana under a competent Master and has realized the Reality for himself in a practical way. The state of Divine knowledge opens automatically after the aspirant crosses the seven rings of splendour.
Direct experience the only means for knowledge of the Real
The Master discourages taking guidance from books as many a time it can be misleading and dangerous too. He emphasizes the need for practical experience or anubhava in the field, citing the instance that one can not become a physician by a mere reading of the names of medicines. It may be noted that the unorthodox systems of Indian philosophy, Jainism and Buddhism accept anubhava as a pramana in the field of the supersensory and in fact are mainly the outcome of the personal spiritual enlightenment experiences (bodhi-wisdom experience) of their founders. The Master makes it clear that by reading books alone He would never have come up to the level of Complete Ignorance which is the basic property of the Divine. A life of practicality is what is worth having. We should not be merely content with the curiosity about what is Realization but also strive to attain it.
The apparent contradiction in the Vedas has resulted in the emergence of the six schools of philosophy. But Reality or the unchangeable can not be realized neither by reading, reasoning, nor by believing but only through superconscious perception. He Himself did not read the books as in the words of Viveka Chudamani, ‘Books are of no avail for Realization and they are not necessary after Realization.’ Whatever He has said or written is based upon His own anubhava, whatever might have been said on the subject by Sankara or Ramanuja. According to the Master, the merit of the Sastras lies in the fact that they make one think by virtue of the inbuilt contradictions in them and they offer methods and techniques for spiritual advancement to suit different levels of attainment, taste and mentality of the people in general.