jyotiṣāmapi tajjyotistamasaḥ parmucyate;
jňānaṁ jňeyaṁ jňānagamyaṁ hṛdi sarvasya viṣṭhitam.
[Meaning–That (God) is the light of all lights and is said to be beyond the darkness. That is knowledge, the object of knowledge and attainable by knowledge, and is seated in the hearts of all.–Śrimadbhagwadgītā (18/13)]
Indeed, there is nothing more sacred in this world than jňāna (true knowledge). We remain entrapped in sorrows, sufferings, failures, and discontent because our knowledge is incomplete, superficial. What we regard and acquire as knowledge is simply a systematic accumulation of information of the perceivable world and thoughts fixed in a logical framework accepted by contemporary intellectuals. The joy we hunt in external things and worldly activities throughout our lives is hidden within ourselves. We can’t experience it; we can’t discern between what is truly good and what is not because we don’t have the proper knowledge. The earlier we devote ourselves to attain this jňāna, the better. Swadhyaya and Satsang (self-study of the thoughts and works of elevated souls and being in the company of such enlightened saints) are the best means to accomplish the quest for jňāna. The greater the number of individuals illumined by jňāna, the faster will be the ascent of the society, and the brighter will be future of the world.
Pujya Gurudev Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya
Akhand Jyoti Magazine 2021 July-August