Names of Swamy Vivekananda, Sri Shankaracharya, Gautam Buddha, Jesus Christ, Prophet Mohamed immediately come to my mind as soon as I think of enlightenment. They enlightened us with their knowledge. They banished our ignorance. They are the embodiment of enlightenment. They had instant answers to all our doubts and queries.They were not after name fame, money or anything. They are immortal by their deeds. They performed their duties to mankind. They never preached .They just conveyed what they felt. Financially, they began with zero and ended with zero. They never expected anything in return from anybody. All were equal to them. Welfare of the world was their sole aim.There are innumerable volumes of books like Bhagwad Gita, Koran, Bible, Vedas, and Upanishad etc to be read and understood. They are treasure of knowledge. In turn, on each volume, there are hundreds of interpretations and explanations. Does enlightenment means mastering these great volumes. If one cannot master all of them, is it enough if one masters at least a few of them. Such thoughts hover in my mind.Some of the definitions which I got while surfing the net regarding What is enlightenment ? are: Enlightenment is redefining spirituality for an evolving world. Enlightenment is striving to catalyze a new way of thinking, one that integrates our highest spiritual aspirations with the demand to transform the world .Enlightenment is the right knowledge and it enables us to make a search within ourselves to know what is there. Enlightenment is not liberation. One knows that the blocks that cloud the mind can be removed, that consciousness an attainable goal. Enlightenment is awareness, not realization.Knowledge is a treasure which has immense value. Knowledge cannot be stolen or taken away from a person who possesses it. Acquiring of unique supreme knowledge through meditation, renunciation and other rigorous practices is enlightenment. Enlightenment is an achievement which is very hard to achieve. It is not that easy. Disappearance of ignorance and emergence of bright thoughts is enlightenment. If one realizes one’s fault and corrects, then also it is enlightenment. I remember to have read that people used to go to forest or Himalayas and perform tapas to get their selves enlightened in olden days. They used to lead a simple life. They used to renounce all the pleasures of world. They used to wear saffron. They used to sleep on a mat or on bear floor only. It is said great rishis or saints got themselves enlightened in this way only. Gautam Buddha got enlightenment under a Bhodhi tree. A calm and quiet place is a must for enlightenment.One'sthoughts are disturbed. They run in several directions. One has to struggle hard to give ideal shape to thoughts. It requires complete devotion. There should be no disturbance at all. Other requisites for enlightenment are determination, concentration. It is a process of realization .It is finding out of some truths or arriving at some truths. It is a quest. It is in pursuance of a goal. It requires deep meditation. It requires efforts. It is a rigorous path. How long it would take to get oneself enlightened nobody knows. One cannot guess even. It is definitely not overnight. There is no time frame. It is indefinite. It is not easy for an ordinary man to get so much enlightened. It is beyond the reach of an ordinary individual. Ultimately, it is a thrill. It is an extraordinary message. It is a divine message. It is a knowledge which only a few get. It is a new school of thought. It is a new invention. It is a bolt from the blue. It is a magic wand. One can mesmerize anybody with it. Those who acquire it are great but they do not call themselves great. They are unassuming. They are simple. Their works alone testify to their spiritual, intellectual and creative powers. These great men will appear to us as God-men, when we understand their works. Their actions appear as superhuman. As they are beyond our ability to understand, we tend to think of them as miracles. But these extraordinary men are far above those miracles also In order to recover from the crises-the religious, moral, that crop up ideological or political in the society from time to time, the country anxiously awaits the help of such inspiring and glorious personalities. The divine life of such great people is guiding light to us.One may perish but not their achievement. Their achievement which is enlightenment that they strived hard and got and passed on to us will remain for ever. Enlightenment is immortal.Enlightenment cannot be snatched away, stolen or destroyed. Knowledge millions may have but enlightenment one in billion may not even have. So rare it is. With knowledge one can rule the world but with enlightenment one can transform the world itself.Enlightenment is a curtain raiser. It kindles a light that is within and illumination takes place, bright thoughts emerge incessantly in the great personality.A little knowledge is not enlightenment. In fact, a little knowledge is always said to be dangerous. Enlightenment is complete or full knowledge. Knowledge is for self development whereas enlightenment is for the development of one and all. According to Hindu mythology, enlightened person is one who knows all Vedas and Upanishads. What is taking place in modern world is specialization in a branch of science, specialization in a branch of engineering, specialization in medicines, and specialization in minting money. What is the worth of Sri Satya Sai Baba of Puttaparthi, Math Amrutha Mayee, Swamy Bodhananda, Swamy Bodhananda Saraswathi, and Ravishankar of art of living? Majority of them are millionaires. They travel in luxurious modes of travel. How many mutts, ashrams, and institutions are they owning or controlling? Majority of them have grown from rags to riches.Majority of these self proclaimed Gods are hypocrites. Is it not? Is it enlightenment on sale? Has it become a lucrative profession? Can they not be no profit no loss bodies or organizations? Are they not contributing to loss of man hours and in turn affecting the productivity of the country? Our enlightenment should be how to wipe out tear form every eye? That is Mahatma Gandhi‘s vision. It need not be mere eradication of poverty, ignorance. It is to make free from all miseries and make this world full of bliss. Why can Government not set up a body comprising of eminent people from all religions who can take care of their religions together instead of individuals exploiting people? Enlightened person or enlightenment can guide us .It is a leading light or torch only. We are the maker of our destiny. Recently enlightened American citizens voted for Bush and he won mostly on account of his stand on issues like abortion, stem cell, and gay marriage etc which churches also propagates. Religion affects American democracy too.B.J.P. seeks vote in India on the basis of Hindutva. Other than religion, there are other serious issues facing the world. People do not understand this. Is enlightenment still needed to democracy to get deep rooted?
According to me acquiring unique knowledge which is not there till now which could be beneficial to one and all and which is for the welfare of one and all is enlightenment. There may be something which we may not be aware or do not know it. Coming to know of it is not enlightenment. It is developing our knowledge or getting rid of our ignorance. If one is doing wrong after wrong, comes to know that what he or she is doing is wrong. Is it enlightenment ? Is it not our ignorance or lack of intelligence or dull headedness? Sometimes only it is enlightenment. In case of Valmiki who wrote Ramayana, one of the greatest epics, it was enlightenment. That is the story of Maharshi Valmiki. The story illustrates how he got enlightenment.
- In those days, there was a thick forest all along the banks of the river Ganga. Many sages built their hermitage in that forest for their 'tapas' ; that means they meditated on God. Among them was a sage by the name of Prachetasa. He had, a son called Ratnakara. When he was s a very young boy, one day he went into the forest. While playing he lost his way and began to cry. Just then a hunter came there looking for a prey. He saw the chubby boy and fondled and pacified him. The hunter had no children. He took the boy to his hut in the midst of the jungle.
Ratnakara's father searched for his son all around the hermitage, but could not find him. Finally he and his wife thought that the boy had become the prey of some wild beast. Both wept very much. The hunter and his wife brought up the lad with great love. Ratnakara forgot his parents. He took the hunter for his father and the hunter's wife for his mother. He was taught how to hunt by the father. Ratnakara was a clever boy and learnt it quickly. He became a hunter with a sure aim. To the birds and beasts of the forest, he became verily Yama, the God of Death. When he came of age, his foster father searched for a bride and celebrated his marriage with a beautiful girl from a hunter’s family. In a few years she gave birth to some children. Thus Ratnakara's family grew in size. It became very difficult for him to provide food and clothing to his large family. So he took to robbery. He began to attack people going from one village to another, frighten them and to away all that they had. If they opposed him, he killed them. One day Ratnakara was sitting by the side of a road waiting for a victim. It happened that the great sage Narada was passing that way. Narada had his favorite musical instrument, a Veena, in his hands. As he played on the Veena, he was singing a song in praise of God. When he was thus lost in joy, suddenly Ratnakara rushed at him. He lifted the stout staff in his hands and shouted, "Look here! Hand over all you have or else I'll break your head." But Narada was not an ordinary man. He was a divine sage, and one who wandered all over the Earth, the Heaven and the Underworld. He was not frightened by the loud shouts of Ratnakara. He smilingly, "My dear man, all that I have only this old Veena and the rags. If you want them, you can certainly take them. Why should you break my head for these?" Ratnakara was astonished at these words. He looked up at Narada's face. There was neither fear nor anger; there was only peace. And how bright was that face! He was surprised to see a face tender and innocent like that of a child. He had never seen such a lovely face. As he gazed, his cruel mind melted into tenderness. Narada sat beneath a tree and as played on the Veena, sang a song in praise of God. It was sweet like the song of cuckoo. Ratnakara was deeply moved. Noticing the change, the sage Narada paused in his song and said, "Brother, stealing is a sin. Killing animals is also sinful. Why do you do such evil?" "Sire, what can I do Ratnakara replied, I have a large family. There are my old parents and my wife and children; they partake of my happiness and my troubles. I have to provide them with food and clothing. Hunting and stealing are all I know. What else can I do?" The sage smiled and said, "My friend, will any member of your family partake of your sin also? Go and ask them, and bring back their reply." Ratnakara thought that Narada was trying a trick to make his escape. Narada understood it and again said, "Well, child, if you do not trust me, you can tie me to this tree and then go." Ratnakara thought that was all right. He tied Narada to a tree and went home. On reaching home, he first went to his father and said, "Father, I rob people to get food and clothing for you all. It seems that is a sin. Do you not share in that sin?" His father was angry and said, "You sinner, you should not do such bad things. Am I to share your sins? No, never. You have to suffer for what you do." Ratnakara went to his mother and said, "Surely, mother, you will share my sin, won't you?" But she also scolded him and sent him away. He then went to his wife and said, "Do you know how I earn to provide you and your children with food and clothing? It is by robbery. But I steal for your sake. Therefore you are also partners in my sin. Isn't that so?" The wife was displeased and said, 'What are you saying? What have we to do with your sin? You are my husband, and my children are your children. It is your duty to look after us and give us food and clothing." Ratnakara's eyes were opened. He realized that he alone was responsible for all his sins no one else would share his sin. As soon as it was clear to him, he ran to Narada. He untied the sage and amidst weeping, narrated to him all that had happened in his home. Falling at Narada's feet he asked the sage, "Oh, sire now what of me? How can I atone for all the sins I have committed? You are my only savior." Narada lifted him up and wiped his tears. He consoled him saying, "Do not be afraid. I shall teach you a way to wash off your sins." So he taught Ratnakara the sacred name of Rama - 'Rama Nam'. He made him sit beneath a tree and asked him to go on repeating the sacred name of Rama. He said, I shall come here again, Till then you should not get up and go away." Then the sage departed. Ratnakara continued his 'tapas’ chanting the name of Rama. His eyes were closed. His whole mind was concentrate on the chanting of the name of the Lord He forgot his existence. He had neither food nor sleep for days and days. And in this way quite a few years passed. An ant hill grew all around and above him. He could not even be seen by anybody. At last one day the sage Narada again came that way. Of course, he knew that Ratnakara was inside the anthill. Very carefully he cleared that anthill still Ratnakara was wholly lost in his 'tapas' and did not wake up to the world around him. Narada chanted the name of Rama in his ears. Then he opened his eyes and saw the sage standing before him. He saluted him from where he was sitting. Narada helped him to get up. He also gently touched him all over. Ratnakara felt new life flowing through him. He touched the sage's feet; Narada lifted him up and embraced him. He said to him, "Ratnakara, you are blessed. God is pleased with your 'tapas'. You are now a sage of the highest order, a Brahmarshi. As you are now reborn from a Valmika (the ant-hill), will here after be famous as Valmiki."