Gyaneshwari -Sant Gyaneshwar
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Chapter-16
The Divine and Demoniacal Natures
Now, I shall tell you the meaning of austerity (101-105). The bitter colocynth withers after bearing fruit, the incense burns itself in order to give fragrance to others, the gold sheds its weight by burning to become pure, or the moon wanes in the dark fortnight of the lunar month to nourish medicinal plants. So, O Arjuna, to chasten one’s life, senses and body is called austerity. The other kinds of austerities should be properly scrutinised before accepting them. Just as the royal swan puts his beak in milk mixed with water and separates the milk, so he keeps awake in his mind discrimination and separates the Self from the body, with which it is in conjunction (106-110). When a person cogitates on the Self, his intellect contracts itself (ie. withdraws itself from mundane things) and becomes introspective, in the same way, as both sleep and dream cease after one wakes up, O Arjuna, that by which one turns to the thought of the Self, that is the true nature of austerity. Just as the mother’s milk is good for the infant or consciousness abides equally in all beings, so polite behaviour towards all beings is known as ‘uprightness’. |
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