Value: Krishnaversation - December 2025
Third Week: Path of Knowledge
That is regarded as complete knowledge, which never faces any contradiction. Intellectual knowledge has a limited scope, since conclusions drawn from available data within a given period can be overturned by subsequent data. Most scientific theories and conclusions of every passing era face the same fate. However, the awareness of the Self that doesn't change its nature, nor is influenced by anything external to it, is the only knowledge that lasts forever without any contradiction.
Doing without knowing is like painting without a wall
Bhagavan Krishna advises Arjuna that practice without knowledge is inferior to practice that is informed by understanding. While consistently engaging in certain actions may lead to skill and efficiency, it does not necessarily result in growth or progress. To illustrate this point, wise individuals have often shared the following story:
An owner of a teakwood forest employed two skilled young men to cut wood for the local supply. Both were given similar axes to use. One of the men completed his job within the allotted six hours, while the other took over eight hours to accomplish the same task. When asked about the difference in their productivity, it was discovered that the first man sharpened his axe every morning before starting work, while the second man used the same dull axe for many days. The story concludes with the statement, "Efficiency is enhanced by improving the quality of the tools you use!"
Knowledge enhances the quality of your actions. With knowledge, you can also identify and eliminate actions that do not contribute to your growth and progress.
The end of darkness cannot be found in darkness
When we dwell in the darkness of ignorance, we often remain unaware of its dangers. When those around us also continue to live in ignorance, seeking only fleeting joys, we struggle to find a way out. It is only when we receive guidance from a compassionate soul that we begin to recognize how long we have existed in this darkness of ignorance, perhaps for many lifetimes. The end of darkness can never be found in the darkness.
Darkness is the absence of light, but light is not the absence of darkness
As we journey along the path of knowledge, we come to realize the significance of the light that guides us. Light serves as the only true remedy for darkness. Vedanta teaches us about the illusion of darkness; it is merely the absence of light. If darkness were real, it could not vanish in the presence of light.
On the other hand, light does not fade away in the presence of darkness, which demonstrates that light is real while darkness is not. This analogy applies to knowledge and ignorance as well. The absence of knowledge is ignorance, which is only an illusion that can lead to harmful consequences. In contrast, knowledge is real, and when it is fully established, there is no danger of ignorance.
