This is the first of a series of lectures on Brahm, jeev and maya. It is a very significant topic. There are only two reasons for doing an action – either to get happiness or to end misery. We are always unhappy, even when we are laughing. If we get true happiness, misery will end automatically, just like light eradicates darkness. But, on the contrary, the removal of misery does not necessarily mean attainment of happiness. The happiness of sansar (the world) is not really happiness. We call it so only due to ignorance. Gyan, or knowledge, is necessary to remove the ignorance from our minds.
The Vedas and Upnishads constantly caution humans about the rare opportunity of being born a human. There is no other species among the 8.4 million species, including those of the celestial gods, that gets the opportunity to obtain knowledge (tattva gyan). Even the celestial gods want to be born as human only to have this special right to do karm and obtain gyan. It is suicidal to misuse such an opportunity. If a human does not acquire spiritual knowledge, miseries will continue to torment him for countless kalpas (billions of years). Even more rare is getting the association of a God realized Saint. We have had such opportunities countless times in the past and yet we have misused them. Shree Shankaracharya said that mumukshu or hunger for spiritual knowledge is also essential, without which there will be no effort on our part to apply what our Guru guides us to do. People keep postponing spiritual practice on various material excuses. The natural tendency of the mind is towards the material world, like river flowing towards the ocean. Moving towards God is like swimming against the current. Mind can never stay unoccupied by thoughts. If one is not thinking of God, one is busy thinking about family members, friend or foe and the related emotions. The recommendation is to do duty towards your family, but to keep the mind engaged in God.
