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(continued from Part 2)
-------------------------------------------------------

In the Bhagavath-Gita, there is an extraordinary verse
-- Verse 15 of Chapter 7 -- which brilliantly sums up
the Vedantic problem of Ignorance in entirety:

"na mAm dush-krutinO mUdAh: prapadyantE narAdhamAh:
mAyayA-apahruta-gnyAnA aasuram bhAvamAsritAh:" 

(VII.15)

Ignorance is evil ("dush-krutam"), declares the Gita
at the very outset. And those who are Ignorant -- by
choice, accident or fate -- they are verily
'evil-doers' ("dushkrutina"). In the works of the
great Vedantic 'AchAryAs' of the past, such as Sri
RamanujAchArya, as well as in the mystical outpourings
of saints like the AzhwArs of South India, one will
find frequent entreaties to God for forgivance from
Ignorance and for grant of that Grace that will remove
it forever from their minds. In his famous and
heart-rending Sanskrit devotional hymn, the
"sharaNagati-gadyam", Ramanuja cried:

"anAdi-kAla-pravrutti-vipareeta-gnyAna...kshamasva!" 

(Lord, please forgive me for the Ignorance in which
I've been swirling all these years; cleanse me of the
perversions of thought and feeling
('vipareeta-gnyANa') it has led me to in this world!)

And again, in the immortal Tamil devotional classic,
the 'TiruppAvai', the mystic AndAl ends her outpouring
of 30 stanzas with a poignant admission of
Ignorance... "arivonrUm illAda aaykulatthu..." (Stanza
28); and then a ringing prayer goes out to the
Almighty, on behalf of all mankind, to pardon the
Ignorant of the world and grant Grace to Man: "ariyAda
pillaigaLOm anbinAl...unnai azhaitannam... seeri
arulAdE!" 

The Bhagavath-gita, in the verse above, tells us that
the Ignorant of the world are of four distinct types
--(1) the "mUDa", (2) the "narAdhamA", (3) the
"mAyayA-apahruta-gnyAni" and (4) the
"aasuram-bhAvam-aasritAh". None of the four types
accepts, let alone embrace, the principle or reality
of God; they do not surrender unto Him -- "na mAm
prapadyantE", says Lord Krishna. 

It is one of the most valuable lessons Vedantic
scripture has handed down to us in profiling each type
of Ignorant Man. It enables us to discover, if we
introspect deeply enough into what we are and how we
behave, that each of us conforms to these 4 archetypes
indeed -- if not one way, then certainly in the other;
and if not at one time, then at another in our
lives...

Type 1: "The 'mUdA'

The "mUdA" is the spiritual illiterate. He attained
near-celebrity image in the world thanks to
Adi-Sankara who in his world-famous hymn, the
"bhaja-gOvindam", first gave legendary, anti-heroic
status to this illiterate with the lines:

bhaja gOvindam, bhaja gOvindam
gOvindam bhaja mUdamatE!
samprAptE sannihitE maraNE
nahi nahi rakshati dukrngkaraNE!

In the course of his travels across India,
Adi-SankarAchArya once came upon an old man totally
engrossed in the study of a Vedic but arcane
grammatical treatise called "dukrngkaraNa" (Vedic
"vyAkarana"). The man became so lost in the pursuit,
he was utterly unmindful of everything else in life.
He was what we might call, a real votary of the
"Work-is-Worship" mantra of the modern times... He
genuinely believed that life became meaningful only
because of the work one chose to do... which, in his
case, was mastering the "dukrngkaraNa". Nothing else
mattered. 

Sankara dedicated the "bhaja-gOvindam" to the man,
calling him a "mUdamata", a man who makes religion out
of Ignorance. In the rest of the 32 stanzas of the
"bhaja-gOvindam", AdiSankara proceeded to demonstrate
to the man the pathetic folly of his ways. "Give up
this folly, you ignoramus", admonished Sankara, "when
Death is round the corner, it is not the
"dukrngkaraNa" that is salvation! Instead, awaken!
Awaken and sing with devotion in your heart, sing the
Lord's name of "Govinda, Govinda!" 

If Sankara were to meet present-day "mUdA's" -- i.e.
those that swear by the same "work-is-worship"
principle and declare there is nothing greater or more
meaningful in life than a job, profession or vocation
-- the AchArya perhaps may well be moved to sing again
for their benefit a contemporary version of the same
"bhaja-gOvindam". 

>From a modern perspective, the faith in
"work-is-worship" may seem to us "practical" and good
to adopt. But people who swear by the motto generally
do not have a clue as to what is true Work or Worship.
Much of the world's secular work is pretty well known
to all of us. It is plain and simple contractual work.
The underlying reason for most of the world's work is
primarily to serve "the market-place". The purpose of
such work therefore never rises higher than (a)
earning a livelihood, (b) improving standard of living
(c) creating wealth and (d) beating the
inflation-rate. And, of course, there are very many
too who, if they don't work out of need, do so simply
because life provides them nothing more profitable. 

A donkey or ass, or some such beast of burden, is
also, like Man, put to do the world's work. Looking at
such beasts we normally say, "Poor thing! It is being
worked like a bull". An ass carries heaps of dirty
laundry all its life. A bull pulls enormous loads; or
else, it is made to work the farmer's plough all day
under the sweltering sun. These beasts have a contract
to perform. And in return for all its labour, the bull
or ass is rewarded with a wage -- fodder and hay to
chew upon. Now, just imagine an ass or a bull
philosophizing to us, "How wonderful life is! I
worship my work. I earn my fodder and I'm left alone
to munch and enjoy it all! I am successful, I'm happy.
This is life indeed!" 

For Work to become really Worship, it must not only
enrich Man but also ennoble him. Our Work can ennoble
us only when we learn how to offer it at the altar of
a purpose that is higher and more sacred than our own
selfish selves. This is called "bhagavath-arpaNam" or
"bhagavath-preetyartham" in Vedanta. It is never easy
of accomplishment but it is one of the cornerstones of
Vedanta.

The breed of men known as "mUda-dushkrutina"
undertakes work in the world without reflection upon
its real, deeper purpose. Such men do not really know
for whose benefit all work is being carried out other
than petty self-interest. Such work is not Work. It is
"workaholism" and there is nothing worshipful in it.
Hence, such work is termed "dushkrutam" by the
Bhagavath-Gita. Only the Ignorant -- the "mUda
duskrutina" -- would ever sanctify such work and
elevate its status to Worship. 

**********

(to be continued)
Regards,

dAsan,
Sudarshan


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