Practical Vedanta

Practical Vedantaof the Christs and Buddhas of the world? That you and I feel like them. That ishow you and I understand that they were true. Our prophet-soul is the proof oftheir prophet-soul. Your godhead is the proof of God Himself. If you are not aprophet, there never has been anything true of God. If you are not God, there neverwas any God, and never will be. This, says the Vedanta, is the ideal to follow.Every one of us will have to become a prophet, and you are that already. Onlyknow it. Never think there is anything impossible for the soul. It is the greatestheresy to think so. If there is sin, this is the only sin — to say that you are weak, orothers are weak.Practical VedantaPart II(Delivered in London, 12th November 1896)I will relate to you a very ancient story from the Chhândogya Upanishad, whichtells how knowledge came to a boy. The form of the story is very crude, but weshall find that it contains a principle. A young boy said to his mother, "I am goingto study the Vedas. Tell me the name of my father and my caste." The mother wasnot a married woman, and in India the child of a woman who has not been marriedis considered an outcast; he is not recognised by society and is not entitled tostudy the Vedas. So the poor mother said, "My child, I do not know your familyname; I was in service, and served in different places; I do not know who yourfather is, but my name is Jabâlâ and your name is Satyakâma." The little childwent to a sage and asked to be taken as a student. The sage asked him, "What isthe name of your father, and what is your caste?" The boy repeated to him what hehad heard from his mother. The sage at once said, "None but a Brâhmin couldspeak such a damaging truth about himself. You are a Brahmin and I will teachyou. You have not swerved from truth." So he kept the boy with him and educatedhim.Now come some of the peculiar methods of education in ancient India. Thisteacher gave Satyakama four hundred lean, weak cows to take care of, and senthim to the forest. There he went and lived for some time. The teacher had told himto come back when the herd would increase to the number of one thousand. Aftera few years, one day Satyakama heard a big bull in the herd saying to him, "Weare a thousand now; take us back to your teacher. I will teach you a little ofBrahman." "Say on, sir," said Satyakama. Then the bull said, "The East is a part offile:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/Chitra%20Selva...oksBySwami/PracticalVedanta/PracticalVedantaPDF.html (11 of 113)2/26/2007 12:24:33 AM