MONDAY MUSINGS SEASON 2 - EPISODE 342

1st December 2025

20 elements of knowledge

I shall continue the list of 20 topics described as the elements of knowledge in #BhagavadGita 13.8 to 13.12. I covered the first ten in the last episode; here are the rest.

Absence of egotism. Egotism is the conscious awareness of “I,” “me,” and “mine”. It is also called the aham chetanā (pride arising out of the sense of self).  We must first get rid of the pride of the self before we can learn. That is why this is included as an element of knowledge, pre-requisite for acquiring knowledge.

jaba maiṅ thā taba hari nathīṅ, ab hari hai, maiṅ nāhīṅ

prem galī ati sankarī, yā meṅ dwe na samāhīṅ (Saint Kabir)

“When ‘I’ existed, God was not there; now God exists and ‘I’ do not.  The path of divine love is very narrow; it cannot accommodate both ‘I’ and God.”

Keeping in mind the evils of birth, disease, old age and death. Consciousness about the evils of birth, disease and old age enables us to seek brahman, supreme Godhood.

Detachment. It means dispassion toward the world.  We have only one mind, and if we wish to engage it in pursuing our goals, we must detach it from petty pleasures and focus on the larger goals.

Absence of clinging to spouse, children, home, and so on. We have already seen the importance of detachment and why one more point on a specific detachment. Our mind easily gets attached to our spouse, children, and home because they linger there more often.   Hence, Lord Krishna gave a separate position for this. Excessive attachment begins to weigh heavily upon the mind and drag it away from achieving our goals.  Hence, if we seek immortal bliss, we must practice prudence in these interactions.

Lord Krishna is not suggesting that we not love the family or abandon them. ‘Balance of life’ is essential in the work. We must love our family and fulfil our duty toward it, without attachment, so that our goals can be achieved.

Even-mindedness amidst desired and undesired events in life. Pleasurable and painful events come without invitation, just as the night and the day.  That is life.  We must develop the ability to remain unperturbed by life’s reversals and also not get carried away with the euphoria of success. Gita repeats this at multiple slokas.

Constant and exclusive devotion toward Me. Mere detachment means that the mind is not going in the negative direction.  But life is more than merely preventing the undesirable.  Life is about engaging in the desirable, and engaging the mind on the supreme lord is desirable.

Inclination for solitary places. Aristotle, the legendary Greek philosopher, said, “Man is by nature a social animal” - an individual who is unsocial naturally and not accidentally is either beneath our notice or more than human. But to control and prepare the mind, solitude is essential. The phrase ‘solitary places’ here emphasises the importance of introspection and meditation.

Aversion to mundane society. The sign of a materialistic mind is that it finds pleasure in talking about worldly people and worldly affairs.  To rise above the ordinary, one must develop an aversion to dullness.

Constancy in spiritual knowledge. Knowing something theoretically is not enough.  One may understand that anger is a bad thing but may still give vent to it repeatedly. We must learn to apply spiritual knowledge in our lives practically.

Philosophical pursuit of the Absolute Truth. Even animals engage in bodily activities such as eating, sleeping, mating, and defending.  However, God has additionally blessed the human form with the faculty of knowledge.  That differentiates humans from animals, and we must use that special knowledge to seek absolute truth.

You may wonder that this list of twenty is virtues, habits and behaviours, but why are they referred to in #BhagavadGita as knowledge. They are essential prerequisites for acquiring, retaining, and developing knowledge. Lack of them cripple the development of self-knowledge.  Thus, Shree Krishna calls them ignorance and darkness in that same sloka.

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#PositiveNewsPage

Adapted from newindianexpress.com

Willpower is the biggest wealth says visually impaired cricketer from Karnataka

“Felt immensely happy to represent India. Nothing is impossible in this world. Willpower is the biggest wealth for any individual,” said Kavya V, a visually impaired cricketer who was among the players of the Indian women’s blind cricket team that scripted history by winning the inaugural Women’s T20 World Cup 2025 for the blind.

The Indian team won the first Women’s T20 One-Day International World Cup by defeating Nepal by seven wickets in Colombo on Sunday. Kavya is a resident of Ripponpete of Sagar taluk and a B1 cricketer, who contributed to the team’s win by her all-round performance.

Kavya hails from Baruwe village in Hosanagar taluk. She was completely blind from birth, but the disability did not stop her from attending the local school till Class 4. In 2009, her family found that she was facing difficulties continuing her education. A teacher at the school suggested that she go to a special school in Shivamogga.

Even though her family initially disagreed, the teacher convinced them and sent her to the Sharadadevi Andhara Vikasa Kendra at Gopala where she completed her studies till SSLC. It was the teachers at this school who encouraged her to participate in sports events.

In 2016-17 Kavya participated in the state-level match in Bengaluru – her parents were not initially willing to send her out of the village, but her friends convinced them. Later, she completed her PUC and degree at Samarthanam Trust, Bengaluru. The Trust supported her in pursuing her education and in participating in many cricket camps. At present, she is pursuing MA at Jnanabharathi Education Society, Bengaluru.

Kavya said she has played four national tournaments since 2022. She also played two international games, and it was the first time that she was selected to play in the World Cup.

“When I was in my school days, my teacher used to tell me that I play cricket very well. He used to ask me not to have an inferiority complex and fear inside of me. My seniors used to tell me that I play well and constantly pushed me to do better. They encouraged me a lot,” Kavya said, adding that she hailed from an impoverished family where her parents used to make their livelihood by doing odd jobs.

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