Several websites guide us on packing essentials before leaving the house. Some also run interactive pages on social media platforms like ‘ultimate packing checklist’ as well as ‘must have in your suitcase’ list. The Kaivalya Upanishad too had a checklist for a different Yatra, to the inner world. On this inner journey of a meditator no suitcase or backpack is required instead, ‘Shraddha, Bhakti, Dhyana Yogad Avaihi’ – humility, devotion and meditation – are what one needs for journey from mind to soul, from the outer to the inner world.
But why do we need to take this journey towards our inner core? Because, a one-sided journey is like a tree without roots. As we grow into the outer world, the requirement to nourish the inner world increases manifold. But, because of our intense identification with the mind, our whole attention is focussed on outer world. We may spend our whole life wandering around in the outer world, without realising that our inner world remains an uncharted journey, and our presence there is much awaited.
The Shraddha, as mentioned in the Kaivalya Upanishad, is about our attitude towards the master and indicates that before we even step inward, the Guru’s guidance is required.
By Pratiksha Apurv