amānitvam adambhitvam
ahiṁsā kṣāntir ārjavam
ācāryopāsanaṁ śaucaṁ
sthairyam ātma-vinigrahaḥ
"Lord Krishna Said: Humility, pridelessness, nonviolence, tolerance, simplicity, approaching a bona fide spiritual master, cleanliness, steadiness and self-control; renunciation of the objects of sense gratification, absence of false ego, the perception of the evil of birth, death, old age and disease; nonattachment to children, wife, home and the rest, and evenmindedness amid pleasant and unpleasant events; constant and unalloyed devotion to Me, resorting to solitary places, detachment from the general mass of people; accepting the importance of self-realization, and philosophical search for the Absolute Truth-all these I thus declare to be knowledge, and what is contrary to these is ignorance"
Humility means that one should not be anxious to have the satisfaction of being honored by others.The material conception of life makes us very eager to receive honor from others, but from the point ofview of a man in perfect knowledge-who knows that he is not this body-anything, honor or dishonor, pertaining to this body is useless. One should not be hankering after this material deception. People are very anxious to be famous for their religion, and consequently sometimes it is found that without understanding the principles of religion, one enters into some group, which is not actually following religious principles, and then wants to advertise himself as a religious mentor. As for actual advancement in spiritual science, one should have a test to see how far he is progressing. He can judge by these items.
The Bhagavad-gita (13.8) mentions humility as the first among the twenty virtues that comprise wisdom. This indicates that humility is the doorway that enables us to enter the house of wisdom. Humility activates our awareness that no matter how much we know, there is so much more to know. Such humble awareness makes us gradually acknowledge that,just by our own speculative efforts, we can never figure out the world or our place and purpose in it. To gain reliable knowledge on this critical subject, we need to receive it from the maker of the world, Krishna, who alone knows it completely. We can connect with Krishna through his words, as given in scriptures like the Bhagavad- gita and explained by his erudite devotees.
When we assimilate and apply Gita wisdom, we see creation in new light: as demonstration of Krishna’s creative glory and beauty. This vision catalyzes within us an untiring willingness, even eagerness, to learn more about Krishna, which in turn makes us receptive to hear his inner voice. That divine voice guides our sights and thoughts so that our daily experiences serve to confirm the wisdom that we have learnt in the revealed scriptures. As our wisdom deepens by such realizations, we feel increasingly inspired to devote ourselves to Krishna. When we fall completely in love with him, we return back to his eternal abode, which has been the supreme aspiration of the wisest seers throughout history. Thus, humility transforms our life into a dynamic educational experience that reinforces our wisdom, enriches our devotion and finally catapults us to life’s greatest attainment.
.jpg)
