Q: WHAT IS SHAME?

Q: WHAT IS SHAME?

A: SHAME IS WITHDRAWING FROM ALL UNWORTHY ACTS. (Shame is the internal reaction to what is wrong within us. It is more towards inner focus. Shame is a word for the emotional experience that goes with thoughts that "I'm no good, inadequate, incompetent, not enough, stupid, unworthy, inferior, defective," etc. Not that “I did something bad”, but that "I am bad." – is an expression of shame. Another characteristic of shame is that it feels unbearable to be exposed. We want to hide and will go to great lengths to keep hidden those parts of ourselves which we reject and despise.

Any action which is not prescribed by our scriptures is an unworthy act. The action which takes us away from the Lord is an unworthy act. Lord says in Gita that we ourselves become an enemy to us when we take up such actions. When do we say a thing as unworthy? It is when the investment is big and the result is small. When Lord has blessed us with the gift of human birth, the actions which come out of this body should be able to express the divinity. Through the negative emotions one exhibits only the demoniac nature which is unworthy. Withdrawing from such actions, we become pure and have peace of mind. If we commit a mistake, even before anybody punishes, we start feeling for the act. We don’t want to share it with others. Whenever such topics are raised, we shrink within ourselves out of shame. To avoid mistakes, one needs to have sharp awareness of the place, time and role. We feel guilty for what we do and we feel ashamed of what we are.
A person who is diabetic feels like eating sweets more and when he loses control and is pointed out by someone, he feels ashamed. What Yudishtira says here: knowing the effect of a harmful action and also knowing that the action will end in guilty feeling, it is wise to withdraw from that action. Any action, be it speech, food, sleep if overdone leads one to shame. Anger uncontrolled leads to shame. A murderer or a thief even if not punished by the law will be punished by the conscience inside him. He lives in guilt and shame for the rest of the life. So it is better to withdraw from such negative actions which harm others as well as us.
Q: WHAT IS SAID TO BE KNOWLEDGE?
A: TRUE KNOWLEDGE IS THE KNOWLEDGE OF DIVINITY. (The purpose of human birth is to have the knowledge of who we are. This is an inward journey not an external search. Other knowledge is gained by attending schools, colleges, coaching centers (A great actor at the age of 80 is nothing for the world/ a great scientist in coma is of no use to research field/all external knowledge is subject to limitations of time). On the contrary, this true knowledge can be experienced only when one offers everything (body, mind and intellect) at the feet of the Lord. In Bhaja Govindam, Shankaracharya says that one may, in pilgrimage go to where the Ganges meet the ocean, called the Gangasagara, or observe vows, or distribute gifts in charity but if he has no knowledge of the divinity inside him (Jnanam), he gains no release from the sorrows.
Any other knowledge, even the knowledge of scriptures (without practicing it) is not considered as ultimate as it is only a part of one’s intellect. At best it can be termed as ‘knowledge about the knowledge’. As Shankaracharya says ‘all are taken away by the merciless time’. That which remains for ever is the knowledge that ‘I am Atman. I am a part of Lord Himself’. In Bhagavatham the Lord assures, “such a devotee who has surrendered his mind and intellect to Me, he goes beyond time and space”.
Any double Ph.Ds, Doctorates, and IIT etc – all these are nothing when one fails to develop Bhakthi towards the Lord in him.
One wants to know about his place of birth, about the grandparents, their Kula and Ghotra but fails to inquire about who is their real source of life?
The Pandavas wanted to go for a pilgrimage. They requested Krishna to accompany them. But Krishna pointed out to many elders in the family to join them. All of them had reasons not to join. The Pandavas came back to Krishna again. They again requested the Lord to come with them to the holy places. The Lord made it clear that He is not joining them but gave the Pandavas a bitter gourd to take along with them to the pilgrimage. And He asked them to dip it in all the rivers which they take bath. After the pilgrimage was over, the Pandavas gave back the bitter gourd to the Lord. The Lord asked Arjuna to bite it. As soon as Arjuna bit a small piece, his face changed due to the bitterness experienced. Lord told the Pandavas that the bitter gourd did not lose its nature after several dips in the rivers. Similarly the nature of the person does not change by taking bath in such great rivers unless and otherwise he gains the knowledge of divinity. That is the Maanasasarovar. The mind itself becomes the great river of purity and divinity.

SUMMARY:

The knowledge of the divinity will drive us away from all unworthy acts.
Life is all about focus. When we know what to focus upon, then we know where to invest our time. We cannot aspire to be a world champion in chess without investing enough time to chess. From the king to the beggar, from a person of super success to one of super failure, everybody has 24 hours in a day. All of us have the same time on hand.
The question to be asked is whether we are spending our time wisely to know what is important in this valuable human birth. The purpose is explained in great detail in the scriptures and in the talks of great Mahaatmaas. The focus will be clear if our mind is under our control. The mind under control will reveal the inner divinity, the only knowledge which is not taken away by time (Yama, the Lord of death).