What is enlightenment?
It essentially means understanding where to direct our heart's longing for love and directing it accordingly. The Bhagavad-gita (15.18) states that the enlightened offer all their heart's love to Krishna, understanding him to be the supreme person, the highest truth, the ultimate reality.
As compared to popular notions of enlightenment like seeing a dazzling light or feeling a pulsating current, the Gita’s definition is far more universal, beneficial and non-imitable. Let’s see how:
Universal: Love is the deepest thirst of all living beings. By explaining how enlightenment fulfills this universal thirst, Gita wisdom makes enlightenment intelligible for everyone, rejecting thereby the idea that it is meant for a select few.
Beneficial: Love, when misdirected, becomes the cause of our greatest sufferings. If enlightenment didn’t address our need to love and be loved, what would be the benefit of becoming enlightened? By explaining how the enlightened directing of our love towards Krishna will make us eternally, supremely and completely happy, Gita wisdom shows how enlightenment is practically beneficial.
Non-imitable: Gita wisdom explains that the enlightened express their love for Krishna by serving him and fulfilling his mission in this world. Krishna’s mission is to make all living beings eternally happy by reviving their dormant love for him. Therefore, the enlightened give up all worldly pleasures that militate against Krishna’s mission. So, we can recognize the enlightened by observing their characteristics: the values, purposes and activities of their life. As these cannot be imitated for long, pretenders soon become exposed when subjected to scrutiny. Additionally, these characteristics also provide us parameters for evaluating our own progress towards enlightenment.
Understanding enlightenment thus can inspire us to march confidently and enthusiastically along the Gita’s pathway to enlightenment.
Bhagavad Gita Chapter 15 Text 19
“Whoever knows Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, without doubting, is the knower of everything. He therefore engages himself in full devotional service to Me, O son of Bharata.”
Hare Krishna Prabhu
Dandavats at your lotus feet.
This understanding of enlightenment is very enlightening. Your realisations have enriched the reading of Bhagavad Gita, the head and heart are fully satisfied. Thank you Prabhu.
Your servant Muralidhara dasa