Innocence Arises – In Gita Verse 14.1 The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Again I shall declare to you this supreme wisdom, the best of all knowledge, knowing which all the sages have attained the supreme perfection.
In the serene discourse of the Bhagavad Gita, when Krishna speaks of supreme knowledge, he alludes to an awakening that occurs from within. It is through our own knowing that we are reborn, an experience Krishna extols as the pinnacle of wisdom.
One birth is bequeathed to us by our parents; it is finite and tethered to the material. Another birth, however, is cultivated by our own consciousness. This second birth is what truly matters. The first is a prelude that will culminate in the cessation of physical existence. The second marks the commencement of an eternal journey – untouched by death, unbound by time.
This transcendental rebirth is encapsulated in the Sanskrit term ‘DWIJ,’ meaning ‘twice-born.’ It is in this second birth that one truly becomes a Brahmin – not merely in the varna system’s classification, but in the profound realisation of one’s connection with the eternal truth.
What do you regard as your name?
What do you consider your identity?
These can all be stripped away; death will see to that.
But remember, death is not a conqueror but a purifier. It dissolves only the temporal, never touching the core of who we truly are. By mistaking the peripheral for the self – our bodies, minds, and social constructs – we endow death with an illusory dominion.
The power of death lies not within itself but is granted by our own misconceptions. It can only claim the transitory, leaving untouched the depths of our being. If we believe that our essence is the clothes we wear or the body we inhabit, we unwittingly surrender to mortality.
Zen reminds us that by relinquishing all that has been ascribed to us – names, identities, knowledge – we rediscover our fundamental nature: innocence. It’s a metaphorical crucifixion and resurrection, the death of persona giving rise to the birth of purity. We return to the essence of a child, reborn.
Be it through the incineration of personality by life’s inevitable end, or the voluntary shedding of the superficial; this rebirth is the dawn of innocence. A person is truly Brahmin when he has transcended or voluntarily shed these outer layers to uncover the truth within.
Yet, we often opt for the shorter, less strenuous path – belief. We cling to the hope that vicarious vision can substitute for personal insight.
Maturity is then understood as the reclamation of our lost innocence, a return to the Eden of our beginnings. It is a rebirth, a divine renewal. Reborn, we gaze upon the world with newborn eyes, love once again animates our hearts, and in the silence of innocence, we delve into our innermost core. This is maturity – a serene awakening beyond thoughts and emotions, a journey to pure existence.
Krishna addresses this supreme knowledge with eloquence, positioning awareness as the path. Awareness is the crucible where maturity is forged. Imbibe more awareness, attain greater maturity. Thus, Krishna imparts the wisdom of awareness rather than preaching the outcome of maturity, for the latter naturally unfolds like a lotus in full bloom when nourished by the former.
Tags: Innocence Arises
