Sri Gurubhyo Namaha It is essential to have faithin theShast ras to progress in spirituallife . Today, many have thehabitof questioning what is stated in the scriptures. While questioning and enquiry arereco mmended, they must be used to arrivelogic ally at the conclusion established in the Shastras. That is why Sri Shankaracharya said - Jeeke̳eeLe&M®e efJe®ee³e&leeb ÞegefleefMej:He#e: meceeÞeer³eleeced ogmlekeÀe&led megefJejc³eleeb ÞegeflecelemlekeÀexçvegmevOeer³eleeced - Enquire into themeani ng of theShast ras, hold on to thestandexpo unded by the Upanishads,refrain fromfaulty logic. Wewilldo well to remember that questioningof theShas tras shouldneve r endup in Nastikyam - completelack of faith in the Shastras.Such questioning willamount to “dustarka” - faulty logic - andmustneve r beresor ted to. There was a once a young lad who began to skip school and remained at home. On being questioned by his father, the boy asked, “What must I do after studying?” The father responded, “You must find a good job and work.” The boy asked “Why must I do that?” “You will get a good pay.” “What after that?” “You must marry, have children, and progress in your career. You will earn good name and fame. Everyone will respect you.” “What after that?”, asked the boy. “You can retire and spend your days happily.”, responded the father. At this, the boy exclaimed, “Am I not doing that even now? Father, why must I exertmyse lf so much when I am already doing what youfina llyarriv ed at?” This is an example of “dustarka”, for there is a mountain of difference between being so at such a young age and being so at thetwil ight of one’s life. So one must understand why Bhagavatpada has said - ogmlekeÀe&led megefJejc³eleeced. It is acceptable to question why the Shastras have come in place and what the purpose of the instructions in the Shastras are. However, if the intent is only to repeatedly question, it becomes “dustarka”. Many people today engage in this and feel happy and even victorious, when the person they question regarding Shastric instructions is unable to answer them. In truth, such repeated questioning and ending up in Nastikya leads to one’s own doom. That is why the Shastras say that we will not falter if wetraverse thepathtake n by ourances tors -
³esveem³e efHelejes ³eelee: ³esve ³eelee: efHeleecene:~ lesve ³ee³eelmeleeb Jelce& lesve ie®ívve og<³eefle ~~ Mayever yone realizethis fact,foll owthe path of Dharmaas enunciated in theShas tras andatta in Shreyas.
