Know These 5 Ways to Gain Spiritual Knowledge
The desire for deeper knowledge beyond the worldly world has driven many greats, including Buddha, to leave their homes in search of the ultimate truth. This was done to peel back the layers of deception around them and reconnect with their inner selves in order to discover the true meaning of existence. Many of these outstanding characters returned after attaining enlightenment to spread the message to people at large.
But spiritual knowledge can be obtained in myriad ways. Spiritual gurus have over the years outlined 5 such methods:-
- Gurumukhi Gyana: The most direct route is through a Guru’s lips. This is a Vedic tradition in which a pupil learns via his Guru’s words and addresses.
- Suryamukhi Gyana: It is said that we can learn from the Sun. Knowledge is referred to in the Upanishads as ‘Prakash,’ or light. Tamso Ma Jyotirgamaya is a hymn in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad about prayer for us to move from darkness to light. Lord Hanuman, according to our great epics, also learned from his instructor Suryadeva.
- Sanmukhi Gyana: We generally sit in front of a Guru, facing him, in Satsanga or in an ashram to receive knowledge. Even if he does not talk, as, in the instance of Dakshinamurthy Bhagavan, his pure silence dispels pupils’ ignorance and dispels questions simply by sitting peacefully in front of him.
- Munmukhi Gyana: Knowledge is obtained in this scenario through interpretation. A Guru gives a few words, and the student interprets them according to his or her understanding. There’s a chance that you’ll get knowledge but not wisdom. This is more akin to a person’s mind turning into a library of information. True wisdom, on the other hand, is hard to come by.
Vedmukhi Gyana: This knowledge can be gained through the first three methods mentioned – Gurumukhi, Suryamukhi and Sanmukhi but also through the self-study of Vedas or scriptures.