Gained Enlightenment

Vijay Kumar:
In the manifest world... only those who work for the community get recognition... rest is all immaterial! In Jainism... we have a total of 24 tirthankaras (preceptors) but broadly Jainism is recognized by the teachings of Mahavira... the 24th Tirthankara! Why? It is for the simple reason that the wisdom of the enlightened one reached the masses only in the times of Mahavira... never before!

What value if a human being gained enlightenment and leaves the mortal frame without anyone ever knowing it. In Jainism scriptures it is a recorded fact that not thousands but millions gained enlightenment in the times of Mahavira and before. We have no individually recorded facts of such people. Why? For their existence never mattered to the community!

If a human being reaches the last leg of cosmic life... the 8.4 millionth manifestation and leaves the mortal frame without ever imparting back the wisdom gained on the spiritual path... the enlightenment of the spiritual master limits to the individual self alone. Why think and brood over matters that carry no value for the community!

The 23 tirthankaras even though enlightened did not get as much recognition as Mahavira. Why? For the wisdom gained by them remain limited to their individual self for there was none in the world community to understand them. The fault lay not with the enlightened master... but in absence of serious seekers of spirituality... there was none to receive the wisdom.

Mahavira after gaining enlightenment (kaivalya jnana) remained mum for more than a year. There was none in the community to decipher what Mahavira after gaining enlightenment had to say. With passage of time one Gautama Gani... an opponent of the teachings of Mahavira was indirectly convinced and the moment he surfaced before Mahavira... the wisdom poured out of Mahavira as if Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa had got Swami Vivekananda to hear him.

We remember Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa for he gained enlightenment in his lifetime... more so for his famous disciple Swami Vivekananda... who wanted to see God at least once in his lifetime! Unless a preceptor of cosmic Wisdom gets a suitable student... a serious seeker of spirituality... the wisdom remains limited to the enlightened master!

In present times... there always can be few people in the deep dense forests of the Himalayas... Individual human beings who gained enlightenment (kaivalya jnana) and left for the kingdom of God (aka Vaikunth in Hinduism)! We are not out to count the number of enlightened people... why brood over matters not concerning us or the community!

Acharya Rajneesh (nee Osho)... in the last leg of his cosmic life... when he was about to gain enlightenment fell for the same trap as Vishwamitra. The sage Vishwamitra on the sight of a maiden woman taking bath in forlorn circumstances in deep dense jungles (forests) lost self and had to repeat his practice of celibacy all over again.

In the case of Acharya Rajneesh... though he individually was a perfect master... but made a simple mistake! He combined spirituality with sex. His advocating that indulgence in free sex leads to higher stages of spirituality and helps gaining enlightenment was totally flawed. It is not indulgence in sex but practice of celibacy that leads one towards gaining enlightenment.

If enlightenment is gained at number hundred... Acharya Rajneesh sat on number 99! He was very close to gaining enlightenment before he lost his thought process... which led to his indulgence in teachings that were inappropriate on the path of spirituality. There are myriads of ways in which God Almighty tests the serious seeker of spirituality... if we fail... the whole process has to be repeated!

While discussing spirituality we must never indulge in religion. Sadhguru jaggi vasudev & sri sri ravishankar are religious masters. Religion and spirituality are altogether different paths. For traveling the path of spirituality... one need not build an ashram. Only when we burnt our karma in its entirety... one gains enlightenment... never otherwise!

On the path of pure spirituality... no fees in any way can be collected by any master... no matter what the circumstances are! Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa and Maharishi Ramana always lay on a cot imparting the wisdom of spirituality... the Sacred Bhagavad Gita! The queue was never broken... be it a king or a commoner! For an enlightenment one... the physical manifest status symbols carry no meaning whatsoever!

The teachings of an enlightened one make it clear whether one is enlightened or not. The teachings of Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa and Maharishi Ramana are absolutely pure! I challenge one to point out even one single mistake... one single stain of karma in their deeds. They were beyond the physical manifest stage of life. They were pure souls!

To make an enlightened one... one need not require an appointment! Whenever I wanted to talk to God Almighty... I never needed an appointment! The doors of God Almighty were always open for every serious seeker of spirituality. Those on the path of enlightenment always keep their doors open for the serious seeker of spirituality.

The same happened in the case of Swami Vivekananda. The moment Swami Vivekananda entered the precincts of Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa... he recognized the humble student! It is not within the powers of the student to recognize an enlightened soul... but for a spiritual master to recognize a serious seeker of spirituality is not difficult!

Essay by: Vijay Kumar "Atma Jnani" ... One who realized self in his life time! Send your query!

Full text of query: 1. You often state that just two people attained enlightenment in the past 150 years... What about the possibility of people who never announced their enlightenment? (i.e. the people who attained enlightenment, but never worked as masters)

2. Though your statement on Vivekananda seems to be authentic from his own life history, your statement on Osho's realisation seems to contradict his own description of his enlightenment (his description of his enlightenment is almost very similar to your description)

3. What do you have to say on the state of the present masters like Sadhguru jaggi vasudev & sri sri ravishankar who teach the yogic path for realisation?

 
 Top of page