Vedanta Manthan Series on Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
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(Video excerpts of Swami Abhedananda)
Talk 103: An Illuminating Dialogue between King Ajātashatru and Gargya
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KEY POINTS:
• Gargya was a learned brahmin, but he had pride because he had studied the Vedās and could transmit the same.
• Knowing only the conditioned Brahman, Gargya went to the court of Ajātashatru, the King of Kashi, who was a gyāni and said, 'I will teach you about Brahman.’
• The biggest sign of a gyāni is that he has no bhed-bhuddhi in him. Ajātashatru was happy on hearing this and promised to reward him with a thousand cows.
• A teacher picks the essence of the scriptures and also establishes that essence in his life.
• To become an Acharya, one should not only be established in Knowledge, but he should also have a vast background of the scriptures so that he can cater to the needs of the disciples.
• Learning is one thing, but transmitting Knowledge is another thing. The Acharya should also be a good communicator to impart the Knowledge in clear-cut words.
• Ahamkār means a person projects an image that he is better than others, and expects this ‘imaginary image’ to be taken as reality by others. He overestimates himself and under-estimates others.
• Ahamkār is a disease and a dangerous thing to possess. An ahamkāri person lives in his shell and is neither close to God or Guru, nor is he open to corrections.
• An ahamkāri person is very imposing. He lives with his wrong notions and ideas, therefore, he is frequently contradicted by the world and thereby feels small.
• The more you know, the more you realize the lesser you have known. This is the sign of humility.
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