REASON ARIGHT

Everything emanates from Self and dissolves into Self. It is because Self  is Brahmān, or the Cosmic Self, or the Absolute Existence, or the Absolute Reality. Sri Adi Shankaracharya bluntly proclaims,  "brahma satyam jaganmithyA jIvo brahmaiva nAparahanena vedyam sacchAstram iti vedAntaDiNDimah" (Brahma Jnanavali Mala, 20). It signifies Brahmān is the true reality;  it is impossible to categorise the world of appearances as real or unreal; and the Jiva (individual self) and Brahmān (Cosmic Self) are non-different. The crucible of all our searches, reasoning, endeavours, and destinations is to realise the Self through Self knowledge. Self is self-same, self-luminous, self-existent, eternal, complete, full, and imperishable. The essence is to remain free forever from illusions, attachments, desires, lust, greed, ego, bondages, and all other limited adjuncts. Every being is born free and cherishes his freedom because it is his birthright. Reasoning is right when it emanates from Self, grows, and dissolves in Self. But all forms of doubts and questions arise, according to sage philosopher Swami Krishnananda, on account of the prejudices of the mind. The mind sees only through blinkers. It passes its knowledge through a tunnel or a conduit pipe, through which only a certain amount of understanding can pass. No one can encompass, he contends, the infinitude of perfection, which is the essence of the cosmos. A finite being has never seen the creation of the world or judged its or the cosmos' nature. No one knows why or where the seed was created.

1. Outline 

According to Yoga-Vasistha (2.14.1), a person whose study of the Sastras (scriptures) increases and enlightens them has a duty to constantly discuss correct reasoning with an experienced guide. When refined by logic, understanding perceives the transcendent state. Reasoning is the sole effective remedy for the persistent and phenomenal worldly afflictions. The world resembles, Yoga-Vasistha (2.14.3) states, a forest of difficulties, sprouting limitless desires that, once severed by the blade of reason, will no longer regenerate. Our comprehension, it contends, is obscured by lack of consciousness during the loss of friends, moments of peril, and instances of tranquility. Reason is our sole companion. Only reason can save the wise and erudite from malice and achieve happiness. Our power, comprehension, courage, reputation, and the outcomes of our acts stem from our reasoning with the astute. Reason serves as a beacon to illuminate right from wrong and as a tool for achieving our aspirations; depending on sound reasoning, one can effortlessly navigate the vast expanse of the world. Unadulterated logic rends the colossal errors that devastate the mind's serene thoughts. Uninformed individuals' superior condition in life is solely due to the illumination their reasoning abilities provide. Domination, wealth, delight, and eternal salvation are merely the fruits of the celestial Kalpa plant of reason. The tides of adversity never submerge the intellects of distinguished individuals, enriched by reasoning. Intelligence rewards those who demonstrate rationality with its most generous benefits. The absence of reason blooms with sorrow and thrives in the thickets of ignorance, obstructing hopes and aspirations. Eliminate the inertia resulting from disregarding rational thought. This lethargy obscures vision and distorts thinking. The individual with sound discernment is unlikely to succumb to the extensive and perilous labyrinth of wrong; instead, he stands as a beacon of illumination in the darkness of ignorance. The reasoning faculties illuminate the mind; one who possesses such reasoning elevates their intellect to the Himalayan acme. With a dull intellect and no capacity for reason, the man perceives illusory visions around him, similar to the fleeting nature of lightning, much like children do. One must distance oneself from the ignoble and irrational being, who brings misery and mimics. All faults, misconducts, and misfortunes that confront humanity are manifestations of a deficiency in rational illumination, ensnaring him like spectres in the darkness. Steer clear of the unreasonable ones, as they are not beneficial. A mind imbued with reason and free from the impatience associated with worldly aspirations perceives the illumination of transcendent tranquillity radiating within the soul with the complete brilliance of the moon. When reason illuminates an individual, it bestows a serene elegance akin to moonlight upon their surroundings. The intellectual capacity of humanity, coupled with divine wisdom and the clarity of reasoned judgement, illuminates the darkness of night like moonlight. Men endowed with the virtue of reason emit a luminosity, illuminating their surroundings and dispelling the tentacles of materialism. Reasoning dispels the deceptive illusions of fallacies that manifest in the brains of youth. All phenomena in the world seem enchanting as if they were tangible; nonetheless, they are really illusions. Individuals are their own tormentors due to the deceptive fantasies of their minds; only the right reason may dispel this entrenched phantom from consciousness. The outcome of the elevated tree of intellect is the consistent, unimpeded, perpetual, and autonomous bliss known as Kaivalya (alone, or unattached). Through reason and its clear impact on the denial of pleasures, an unwavering and elevated disinterestedness emerges in the mind. Upon attaining perfection through the elixir of discernment within one’s intellect, one neither yearns for further possessions nor relinquishes what he already has. The mind, grounded in equanimity, detachment, and forbearance, experiences the unblemished light of truth inside, experiences neither decline nor ascendance, but revels in its perpetual interior expansion akin to that of a vacuum. An individual apathetic to the world, affirming Yoga-Vasistha, neither offers nor accepts anything nor experiences elation or despondency in response to events but observes all as a detached observer. He is neither lethargically chilly nor does he contemplate anything inwardly or outside. He is neither idle nor fully engaged in action. He dismisses the loss of anything and remains satisfied with his possessions; he is neither despondent nor euphoric but is as constant as the placid water. The elevated and ambitious yogis navigate the world with a sense of completeness, embodying liberation in their existence. These venerable sages, having resided on this earth for as long as they desire, ultimately relinquish it and attain kaivalya, the eternal state of union, following their physical demise. The discerning individual, according to Yoga-Vasistha, ought to reflect deeply on his identity, his lineage, his familial connections, and the company he keeps while contemplating the solution to his material existence. Reason, like a candle illuminating the darkness of night, must discern the principles and information derived from the Veda and Vedanta as the basis of our evidence. Even when observing distant objects, darkness neither obscures nor diminishes the keen vision of reason. A person who is impervious to reason is congenitally blind, while a deranged one elicits widespread sympathy; conversely, a rational individual is seen as having divine insight and achieving success in all endeavors he pursues.  Yoga-Vasistha recognises the extraordinary capacity of reason as a divine quality and a means to ultimate happiness, arguing that we should never overlook it. Even the illustrious revere the rational man, just as everyone finds the succulent and ripe mango appealing. Men enlightened by reason resemble travelers familiar with their path; therefore, they avoid the pitfalls of constant peril and suffering.  The sick man and the one afflicted by several adversities do not lament as profoundly as the uneducated one whose soul is bereft of reason (Yoga-Vasistha, 2.14.45). Prefer to leap like a frog in the mud, slither like a worm in the soil, or remain still like a snake in a shadowy enclosure rather than traverse like a man lacking reason.  Consequently, eliminating unreasonableness, which harbours all your perils, is condemned by the sagacious as the scourge of humanity and represents the culmination of all your misfortunes. Great individuals must consistently maintain complete command of their reasoning, since those lacking rational backing are prone to descend into the depths of ignorance.

2. Scriptures 

The scriptures say that one cannot stop the waves in the ocean of life. But one can learn to ride over them and emerge triumphant through right learning, right reasoning, right conduct, and right ways of life. These are guides to humanity for eternity. The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (4.4.5) says that self is indeed Brahmān. It also says that it is identified with the intellect, the Manas, and the vital force; with the eyes and ears; with earth, water, air, and the ether; with fire and what is not fire; with desire and the lack of desire; with anger and the absence of anger; with righteousness and unrighteousness; with everything. It is identified, as everyone knows, with what is seen and what is inferred. As it acts, it transforms; by doing good, it becomes good, and by doing evil, it becomes evil; it becomes virtuous through good actions and vicious through evil ones. Others, however, assert that the self is solely defined by its desires. Whatever it desires, it resolves, works out, and achieves. That self, which thus transmigrates, is indeed Brahman, the Supreme Self that transcends hunger, among other things.

Let each individual maintain mastery over their soul through reason, thus safeguarding the innocence of their mind from succumbing to the illusions of this world, declares Yoga-Vasistha. It asserts that reasoning bears the responsibility of logically scrutinising the causes of the disease known as worldliness. The dense fog of mistake solely perpetuates human suffering, dominating the unyielding minds of people rendered irrational by the absence of reason (Yoga-Vasistha, 2.14.51). The enlightened who adhere to the truth and reject all falsehoods in this world are nonetheless unable to recognise their genuine natures without the assistance of reason. 

3. Remarks

Reason is empowering, transforming, and liberating wisdom. Reason, according to Yoga-Vasistha, facilitates the acquisition of truth; truth engenders mental peace; and mental tranquillity alleviates human suffering. Evaluate all matters with the discerning perspective of reason, which will ensure one eternal blessing. 

-Asutosh Satpathy