SWAMI DAYANANDA SARASWATI : (Interview with non duality magazine) -7.

NDM: What about through reading books? Would you have to have the teaching orally, like through listening, or could you get the same teaching through just reading?            

            Swamiji: First it has to be direct exposure then afterwards you can use books and things like that. And these days you have got all of them available. And it’s direct teaching.

            But we have a traditional way of teaching that makes sure you are on the track. We have enough material so that they can keep you engaged looking at the same thing. So the books are like a mirror, word mirror, and you look at yourself. To see myself I need the mirror. It’s a word mirror – handled word mirror. And if it is mishandled – not properly handled – then the mirror can be concave or convex, and you get a distorted version of yourself.            

            Already you had one and then now you have another (laughter).



NDM: An Indian sage once said, “No learning or knowledge of scriptures is necessary to know the self, as no man requires a mirror to see himself.”      

            Swamiji: He does require a mirror to see his face. No man requires a mirror to find out whether he exists or not, correct. But if he wants to see his face, he requires a mirror.            

            I have no question about myself whether I exist or not. I don’t have a doubt. I don’t need any mirror. Even my eyes and ears, nothing I require, because I exist and therefore I use my eyes. I exist and therefore I use my mind.

            So I am. The problem is who I am. Who is to answer? If I know the answer, I won’t ask the question, ‘Who I am?’ If I don’t know the answer, then I cannot answer myself by asking the question, ‘Who am I?’ Unless the self is going to tell me from inside, ‘Hey, I’m here! I am saccitananda! [existence-consciousness-limitlessness]’ It’s not going to tell me anything.            

            Why this bugging, ‘Who am I? Who am I?’ bugging. (Laughter) Then you go on bugging, bugging, bugging, bugging – then the self gets bored and blurts out, ‘I’m saccitananda!’ (Laughter) It’s all ‘Who am I’ bugging, nagging.            

            So understand the topic. You see, nothing is necessary. Scripture is not necessary, nothing is necessary to know yourself, except knowledge. Where do you get it from?

            Wherever you are getting it from, that is called ‘scripture.’            

            You can call it a scripture, or a book, or a teaching – whatever you say – sacred text. We simply say ‘sruti,’ what has come through ears.

Swami Dayananda Saraswati 

Arsha vidya gurukulum temple hall

To be continued  ...