In the section 14 (‘Knowledge of the Self
‘) in the book Viveka Choodamani, Bhagawan
Adi Shankara says that mere talks and big speeches on scriptures is not going
to help in Self Realization. It is only
the practice of ‘Atma Vichara’ (meditation) that will result in realization and
moksha. In that stanza, Sw.
Chinmayananda explains four stages of how thoughts metamorphoses into words.
They are as below.
Para: Thoughts arising out from the base in us– when it
has contact with our Reality of Life (Soul/Atman) in us.
Pasyanthi:
When thoughts manifests sufficiently for ego in us to be conscious of it.
Madhyama:
The conscious thought passes through a state of inner molding in the crucible
of a language, transcribing it into a series of symbolic sounds to be conveyed
to others.
Vaikhari: Thoughts in its grossest manifestations
expressed as audible sounds outside.
In the same topic, Adi Sankara emphasizes that the mere
intellectual study of Scriptures is useless both before and after self-realization. Sw Chinmayananda explains that beautifully as
below:
‘As long as we have no right intellectual appreciation of
what Vedanta texts indicate, all study of scriptures is futile. Again, when we
have realized the ‘Truth’, the study of the scriptures is redundant.’
Hari Om.
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