“Vidya (Knowledge)” — The Eighth Characteristic of Dharma

 

“Vidya (Knowledge)” — The Eighth Characteristic of Dharma

Swami Dayanand has, at many places, strongly inspired people to acquire vidya (true knowledge).

• Ignorance should be destroyed and knowledge should be increased.

• The study and teaching of knowledge is the highest of all pursuits.

• One should never abandon svādhyāya (self-study) and pravacana (teaching/preaching).

• The firm resolve of the mind lies in a powerful effort to acquire vidya and other noble virtues.

• It is the foremost duty of parents, teachers, and relatives to adorn children with excellent knowledge, education, virtues, conduct, and character. Adorning a person with ornaments of gold, silver, rubies, pearls, or coral can never truly beautify the soul, because such ornaments only increase bodily pride, attachment to pleasures, fear of thieves, and even the risk of death.

• All other forms of wealth diminish when spent, and heirs take their share of them; but the treasure of knowledge has neither thieves nor claimants.

• When people study true knowledge, they will always live in happiness, because among all virtues, knowledge is the greatest.

• Knowledge alone protects dharma, for through knowledge one understands dharma and adharma, and thereby discerns what is beneficial and harmful.

Dayanand writes that the instruction of svādhyāya and pravacana is given because through them all the aforementioned characteristics of dharma are attained. Without knowledge, the true nature of any object is not clearly understood; it is through knowledge that we comprehend its real nature and decide whether to accept or reject it.

In this context, Dayanand repeatedly emphasizes that mere information is not vidya. Simply knowing the nature of things is not true knowledge; knowledge must also be applied in life. He states that the true fruit of vidya is that a person becomes righteous. If one knows, through the light of knowledge, what is good yet does not practice it, and knows what is bad yet does not abandon it, is such a person not like a thief?

It is essential to note here that although vidya is a characteristic of dharma, those who lack the capacity to study extensively can still become righteous if they sincerely wish to practice dharma. Through the company of the learned, inner purity, and moral integrity, they can certainly become virtuous. It is true that not everyone can become a scholar, but it is possible for everyone to be righteous. Even a person with limited knowledge, if they abandon immoral conduct and live righteously—eating, drinking, speaking, listening, sitting, giving, and receiving truthfully and appropriately—will never suffer sorrow anywhere or at any time. Conversely, one who has studied extensively but abandons noble conduct and engages in immoral deeds can never attain happiness. For this reason, vidya is included among the characteristics of dharma—to inspire everyone to pursue knowledge.

In reality, Dayanand does not even consider a person learned if they engage in unrighteous conduct. Knowledge teaches one to embody all the other characteristics of dharma in life and to live happily. If a person remains unhappy even after studying—if, in modern terms, they remain unable to live free from stress—then they do not deserve to be called learned. Only two kinds of people are truly happy and stress-free: the completely ignorant, and those who rise above themselves—who transcend the mind and attain the state of true knowledge (vidya). All others live amid various forms of stress and suffering.

There is a vast difference between the stress-free state of the ignorant and that of the learned. The freedom from stress of the ignorant is due to ignorance, whereas the freedom from stress of the learned reveals awakened consciousness. Therefore, one should strive to acquire vidya and live a life free from stress.

Source: The Nature of Dharma
Author: Prashant Vedalankar

Reproduced by Dr. Vivek Arya