Narad – Sanat Kumar talk

The talk about being free from fear, worry, ecstasy and sorrow is a feature of Chhandogyopanishad which has been a speciality for serious philosophers and thinkers of the world. It mainly deals with a conversation between Narad, a sage divinity widely renowned as a travelling musician scholar with power to reach anywhere on will, and Sanat Kumar, one of the mind-borne creation of creator-God Brahma. Vedic scholars have through the talk sought to make people understand a way that could free them from all sorts of stresses including those mentioned above.

According to the Chhandogyopanishad, Narad once visits Sanat Kumar for knowing about Brahma or for having knowledge of Brahma. He is very keen in getting hold of the knowledge. After listening to the interest of Narad, Sanat Kumar asks him to tell him detail what he knows well. To this Narad responds “I know four Vedas, history, Puran, Mathematics, warfare and archery, snake-knowledge, logics, ghost science, morality and grammar; I have learnt them by heart; yet I am within the clutches of joy and sorrow. I am in a sense learned about the text; I wish to learn Brahma so that I could be free from all attached to sense organs.”

Sanat Kumar explains to Narad “whatever knowledge you have is just nominal limited to textual component. They have information of course but they do not lead one to realization of ultimate consciousness. For grasping more about the ultimate self realization, you have to move beyond text and understand well the Vani, the voice, the instrument which expresses the inner feeling in a spiritual way. Beyond the voice is the mind for it is the one who decides everything and is alert all the time.”

Narad queries Sanat Kumar “what is beyond mind?.” “Will power or Sankalpa” is the answer given by the latter. The will or simply thinking or pondering with seriousness is a process highly essential to mobilize mind.” Narrating further, Sanat Kumar attempts to enlighten Narad about the importance of consciousness over the will. Meditation is above the consciousness, he observes. It takes you to acquaint yourself with Bhooma ultimately. All these, in a sense, the textual content, Vani, mind, will power, mind, consciousness and the meditation and Bhooma are closely connected with each other.

“If you meditate, your mind will be  so focused that you may ultimately overcome the influence of the joy and sorrow, or fear and doubt.” Meditation is a way to knowledge of Brahma.

By Shirish Ballav Pradhan