Satsang Meaning of sraddha

Satsang Meaning of sraddha

Posted by: "G. Balasubramanian"
*Dear Brothers and Sisters,*
Let us now take up the term Sraddha for elaboration.*

*What is meant by Sraddha? Sankaracharya defines this term as follows:-*
*"That by which one understands the exact import of the scriptures as well
as the pregnant words of advice of of the preceptor (Sastrasya Guruvakyasya
Satyabuddhi Avadharana) is called Sraddha by the wise( Sa Sraddha kathita
sadbih);by this alone does Reality become manifestly clear(Yaya
Vastoopalabhyate)."*
**
*Sraddha is the fifth of the qualifications found necessary in an aspirant.
Sraddha is not blind faith as it is generally understood. It is not a mere
static belief (viswas) swallowing everything that is said by another
authority without subjecting it to evidential tests. It is a healthy attempt
at a clear intellectual appreciation of the secret depths of the
significances underlying the words of the scriptures and the Spiritual
Master (Guru). It is an essential requisite for anyone trying to master the
truths of the scriptures. The scriptures give us ,through a technique of
suggestions, as clear a description of the Infinite Truth as possible,
through finite words . As such, the pure Consciousness which is the core of
Reality can not be defined or expressed in words and this supreme point of
human evolution can only be indicated by the scriptures. If the words
indicating Truth are to be correctly interpreted, understood and efficiently
made use of , an honest and sincere effort on the part of the students and
seekers is absolutely necessary. This capacity through sincere effort to
realise the words of the scriptures in all their suggestiveness is termed as
Sraddha.*
**
*In a man possessing Sraddha there is no room for frivolity, vascillation,
scepticism, arrogance and pretence. Devotion, adoration, oblation,
sacrifice and prayer become complete and blemishless, if only they are
performed with Sraddha , which sums up the God-receptive attitude of
man. Sraddha
is the warp and woof of man. The Gita says,"Man is man, only in the measure
of the Sraddha he poseeses (Sraddhaamayah ayam purushah yah yat sraddhah sa
eva sah). Sankaracharya provides another definition for Sraddha as Aastikya
buddhih, which when translated means,'the positive attitude oriented
reason'. In the Kathopanishad the student Nachiketa is presented as
possessed of Sraddha(shraddhaavivesa). He was in search of Truth and he
had a deep faith and firm conviction that the profound Truth lay behind the
diverse phenomena of nature and life. The basic positive attitude to the
unknown dimension of Reality is called Sraddha. It is the faith in our
capacity to unravel the mystery and for a sincere and sustained search in
that direction. *
**
*We can understand the meaning and significance of Sraddha better through
the opposite term for Sraddha, viz., Asraddha meaning no faith or
cynicism. Asraddha is the character of a cynic who has no faith in himself
or in the world around him. While Sraddha denotes a totality of positive
attitudes, a cynic is afflicted with a totality of negative attitudes.
Absecnce of faith spells the spiritual death of a man. It scorns all
values. Asraddha sets in when man is spiritually weakened through an
over-emphasis on material things and organ-based satisfactions and through
consequent neglect of the ever present datum of the divine Spark in man and
nature. One who is possessed of unflinching faith is called Sraddhavaan in
the Gita. He who lacks faith can never be regarded as qualified to receive
knowledge. Lord Krishna declares in the Gita, " One possessed of Shraddha
attains Knowledge,(Shraddhaavan Labhate Gyanam)". It is Sraddha that
gives impetus to one`s spiritual practice(Sadhana) and earnestness is the
test of Shraddha.*
*G.Balasubramanian*