Speech of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji – Sookti – March 24, 2020 – Mysore
Compiled by Parimala Eshwarla
Dyūtaṃ pustakavādē ca, nāṭakēṣu ca saktatā
Strīyastandrī ca nidrā ca vidyā vighnakarāṇi ṣaṭ ǁ
Being fond of gambling and other such vices, spending time in useless arguments, wasting time watching movies or dramas, men chasing women and vice versa , being lazy, and sleeping excessively- these 6 obstacles prevent the person from obtaining knowledge.
Vidya means knowledge. To obtain knowledge is not easy. It requires firm determination, mental fortitude and intelligence. The Lord must bless the person with required intelligence while the other two (firm determination, mental fortitude) we must earn ourselves.
There is no need to grieve that the Lord did not provide us with required intelligence. Relentless practice causes a sprout in intelligence. While an intelligent person grasps the subject upon reading it twice, a less intelligent person needs to work 5 times harder. That’s all. Once he finishes learning, there can be no difference between him and the intelligent person, can there? Therefore, intelligence is not the primary criteria for obtaining knowledge. A dim-witted person, due to relentless efforts, can also obtain the same knowledge.
Niti-shastra mentions 6 types of obstacles that hamper the learning process. Obstacle is that which especially damages the work on hand. Obstacles do not exist outside. They originate in our minds itself. The person who can block these obstacles will surely acquire knowledge.
Among these obstacles, the most dangerous is ‘addiction’. By and large, the mind normally loves to engage in wicked deeds. It is reluctant to pursue good deeds. Where the mind is deeply addicted to performance of good deeds, then the results it gives are truly laudable. Addiction towards righteous conduct (dharma) is good! Sadly, the mind does not show interest towards such good deeds. It loves to be addicted to gambling. Sleep and rest are not at all required for a person who is addicted to gambling and other vices.
These addictions do not have any external origin. They originate in us itself. Only a person who possesses absolute self-control remains unaffected by addictions. Understand that gambling and other addictions are obstacles to obtaining knowledge.
The second biggest obstacle is argumentative nature! Believing himself/ herself to be all-knowing, getting into arguments or talking excessively are obstacles. When a person who has absolutely no idea of the Vedas gets into arguments about the subject-matter of Vedas, it sounds ridiculous. A person who is totally ignorant about the Scriptures entering into discussions about them is insulting isn’t it? Such wasteful arguments destroy the learning process.
The third obstacle is attraction towards the different art forms. Enjoying literature, dance, music or any other art form and pursuing them in order to achieve mastery over them is truly appreciable. However, a person who really has no taste for them, but yet spends time on them, is really wasting his time. It becomes an obstacle to his learning process.
The fourth is attraction towards women. The person who is desirous of other women can never see prosperity in life. He will meet with a terrible fall and will be a loser in all fronts. His body also will become diseased. He will lose reverence and respect in society. His wealth will be lost. How can such person ever obtain the real knowledge?
The fifth obstacle is laziness or procrastination. Such a person can never execute any task properly. ‘Na hi suptasya simhasya pravishanti mukhe mrgāḥ’- says the Nitishastra. It is true that the lion is exceedingly powerful. It experiences hunger. But it is lazy. ‘I am the king of the forest’- with this laid-back attitude, if it sits with its mouth wide open, will the deer willingly come and enter its mouth? Never. Its hunger is dissipated only when it gets up and chases its prey. As such, laziness is a big obstacle in acquiring knowledge.
The sixth and the last is sleep. Vedantins attribute sleep to the tamasic trait. Sleep provides the required rest to the body that is exhausted. However, excessive sleep denotes ill-health. ‘Rest’ does not imply the person drifts to sleep. It implies ‘abandoning the work on hand and instead taking up some other work’. This is relaxation. The person who is prone to excessive sleep can never achieve anything in life.
As such, those who are desirous of obtaining knowledge should distance themselves from these 6 obstacles.