What is True Knowledge?

Hoodwinked by our minds we know the world and ourselves only through our thoughts. Opening a new dimension Pujya Gurudevshri explains that we can truly know our Self only when we become free from the conditioning of the thoughts.

There are two directions for seeking truth – one, of thinking and the other, of experiencing. The path of thinking is cyclic. There is movement but no destination is reached. You get trapped in reading, memorising, discussing, arguing, assuming and opining. To live in intellectual ideas and fanciful thoughts about the Self is like a blind person contemplating on light, but light is a matter of seeing, not thinking.

Opinion is different from truth. Opinion is an idea while truth is an experience. Thought leads to opinion and experience to truth.

Thoughts Hinder the Experience

The path of thoughts is a borrowed one. You may collect others’ thoughts and present them in a unique style but there is no originality in the thoughts. Only experience can be original, because it is born out of one’s inner wisdom. You can realise the truth only in the space of consciousness free from thoughts.

Thoughts are helpful in the field of science but mere thinking cannot give the touch of experience of the supreme truth, the inner core. The smoke of thoughts veils the truth and makes seeing the reality of the Self difficult. The human consciousness, when in association with the world, creates thoughts-reactions and gets lost in them. But it is important to know that if you are free to bind yourself, then you are free to sever the bondages too.

Awareness and Silence

An aspirant of Self-realisation tries to remove the thoughts of non-self through two means: awareness and silence. In the fulfilment of these is the attainment of the truth.

Awareness and silence supplement each other. Practice of awareness brings silence and practice of silence enhances awareness. In their absoluteness, the consciousness undergoes an unimaginable revolution like vision to the blind transforms his whole life.

With this, the aspirant gets established in the Self and experiences indescribable tranquillity. He realises his Self as truth-consciousness-bliss. The death dies and the immortal is experienced. The darkness dissolves and a true life begins. Life becomes blissful.

Though born with the right and capacity to make his life happy, man suffers. Instead of soaring the height of divinity, he gets lost in the valley of animalism. This is because he has not realised his true nature. He claims to know everything but he doesn’t know his Self. Such knowing is not true knowledge. What is the value and use of knowledge that illumines the world but not his own being?

Know the Self

The first step of knowledge should be in the direction of the Self, for that is the ultimate goal of knowledge too. As much as a seeker knows his Self, that much he becomes free from sorrows.

That by which the essence is understood, the mind is silenced, and the soul is purified is knowledge; not scriptural information which too creates waves in the mind. Knowledge attained through diving in the Self alone is transformative. Superficial informative knowledge changes the language and creates an illusion of transformation but that is deception.

Seeing Mulla walking through the bazaar holding a pillow tightly behind the head, someone asked why he did so. Mulla said, because he had a heart attack, the doctor had advised him not to take his head off the pillow.

This is the story of those who take information from scriptures but neither experience it, nor cultivate their own discrimination. With borrowed information, they consider what they have understood as right. But how can someone’s experience become another’s living truth?

From the spiritual perspective, more scriptural knowledge is not true knowledge. Only when the Self is realised can you say that you have attained knowledge. Forgetful of the Self, one’s attention wanders outside. Only when the focus turns within, the Self is realised.

Mind Creates Bondage

Realisation means experiential knowledge. With this knowledge, the mind that creates relationship with the outside, comes to a halt. As long as the mind creates relationships, bondage prevails. When an ignorant sees an object, say a car, the mind creates a relationship between him and the car. The car may be gone but the mind follows, ‘May I also have a car like this’ and so on. For the Enlightened One, such relationship does not arise and so the car passes by without creating any bondage.

Every moment, mind is creating ties with things and beings. Therefore, an ignorant is also referred to as ‘multi-minded’. He is tied with the car, tied with the house, tied with the wealth, in this way, bondages keep arising like waves in the ocean. Due to this, he keeps running outside and doesn’t return home.

Silencing the mind means there is no relation created with what is known, no wave arises, no sense of I-ness, no my-ness, no doership, no enjoyership, no past, no future, no memory, no plans. Just being in the present. Where the mind is silent, there is purity, Self-knowledge.

Wisdom Dawns from Within

Wisdom cannot be gained from the educational institutions. That which comes from outside is called information. Therefore, the Enlightened Ones have shown the path of inner journey for Self-realisation.

Many try to become wise by reading, memorising and talking about the Self. But this parroted knowledge does not last long. Borrowed intelligence bears no real fruits. For that, you must light the fire of knowledge within.

Collected information is not capable of removing ignorance. It can fortify memory but cannot silence the mind. Until then, nothing significant has happened. On the contrary, this informative knowledge which one speaks, and in unawareness, considers his own, creates ego.

The Enlightened Ones have experience of the Self. When that experience flows out in the form of words, to Him, it is knowledge but for the listeners it is mere information. The problem arises when you listen to someone’s experience and consider it as your knowledge. Just as milestones are beneficial only if you move forward in that direction. But it will be your loss if you take that as your goal. The words of the Wise in the scriptures are mere indicators. Having received these indicators, if you feel grateful for finding the right direction, become inspired to move towards the truth, and increase the thirst for experiential knowledge; only then you have truly utilised the information. But if you consider it as your knowledge, you will be at loss, and attain no realisation.

The Test of Knowledge

If you say you know a lot and if that knowledge cannot make you free from attachments, then that knowledge is just another delusion; borrowed and stale information. Do not value such information. The test of knowledge is not how much you can remember, but how much have you become free from attachments.

The sense of my-ness towards anything or being is attachment. To live in a house is one thing and to consider it as ‘my’ is another. To consider other as ‘mine’ is ignorance and to know other as ‘other’ is wisdom. Attachment causes bondage. More the attachment, greater is the darkness, stronger is the bondage. As these clouds of my-ness scatter, the light of the Self begins to manifest. You start realising who you truly are. In the inner space completely free from clouding thoughts, dawns the sun of Self-realisation.

Satsang, Bhakti & Meditation

The first Satsang, Bhakti, and Meditation evening of the year left attendees feeling energised and inspired, setting a powerful tone for 2025.

The evening began with the uplifting energy of Bhakti, followed by a thought-provoking Satsang by Pujya Gurudevshri on ‘Unfolding Your Life’. Participants reflected on their personal goals, identified inner challenges and strengths, and embraced the journey of self-growth. The session concluded with a heartfelt meditation, radiating love and positivity for the New Year.

Shri Shatrunjay Tirthyatra

Pujya Gurudevshri, along with over 500 devotees, embarked on the holy pilgrimage to Shri Shatrunjay Tirth. The yatra commenced with darshan at Shri Navkhanda Parshvanath Tirth, Ghogha, where devotees rejoiced in bhakti. Following this, the group proceeded towards Palitana. Here, a grand shobhayatra took place, after which Pujya Gurudevshri performed the Pratishtha ceremony at the Shrimad Rajchandra Satsang Shikshan Aarogya Seva Kendra.

The next morning was filled with excitement as devotees, both young and old, followed the Master on the sacred journey to Shri Shatrunjay Tirth. They performed puja, engaged in bhakti, and immersed themselves in devotion, creating an atmosphere of spiritual joy.

The Master’s incessant grace flowed as He proceeded to Surat, where a Pratishtha was performed at Shree Babulal Roopchand Shah Mahavir Hospital. Pujya Gurudevshri further blessed devotees with padhramanis, leaving them with countless life-changing memories to cherish.

SRM Wallpaper 125

Patrank – 903

Dharmanu Yatharth Swaroop

Shri Mohan Bhagwat at Dharampur Mega Medical Camp 2025

Param Krupalu Dev blessed the land of Dharampur with His divine presence for 35 days, forever sanctifying it. As a tribute to this profound 125-year-old legacy, the 2025 edition of the Free Mega Multi-Speciality Medical Camp in Dharampur was organised between 2nd and 5th January, honouring the spirit of seva envisioned by Param Krupalu Dev and guided by Pujya Gurudevshri.

Pre-camp Preparation and Flag Off

The foundation of the camp was built through over a month of meticulous fieldwork. With the support of over 1,200 village health workers from NGO partners such as Bhansali Trust, Jashoda Narottam Public Charitable Trust, and camp’s outreach teams, extensive door-to-door awareness sessions covered 4.5 lakh people across 700 tribal and underprivileged hamlets in Gujarat and Maharashtra.

On 2nd January, the ceremonial lamp lighting at the site was conducted by Shri Mohan Bhagwat, Sarsanghchalak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He distributed assistive aids such as artificial limbs, arise wheelchairs and solar tricycles to differently-abled patients, providing transformative support. He even took a tour of the camp, appreciating the doctors and infrastructure facilities.

Shri Mohan Bhagwat also flagged off three new vans to bolster the region’s healthcare infrastructure – a cancer awareness van sponsored by Kotak Mahindra Bank, a general ambulance sponsored by the BJ Modi Foundation, and a blood donation van.

A Unique Hub of Healing

The camp brought together a stellar team of 150+ medical professionals, including super-specialists from cities across India such as Mumbai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, and Vadodara, as well from countries like the USA, UK, Australia, Singapore, and Kenya.

The doctors offered services across 20+ specialties, including general medicine, general surgery, paediatrics, gynaecology, oncology and oncosurgery, cardiology, ENT, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, dentistry, neurology and neurosurgery, urology, nephrology, and plastic surgery. Doctors had access to a wide range of diagnostic facilities at the Shrimad Rajchandra Hospital and Research Centre, enabling accurate and timely care.

Patients identified for major surgeries, such as paediatric cardiac surgeries, emergency bypass surgeries, neurosurgeries, complex cancer treatments, and hip or knee replacements were either immediately admitted to the hospital or noted for follow-up surgeries. These surgeries will be scheduled over the coming months, with many doctors generously offering to return and perform them free of cost. During the camp patients were screened for anaemia. Hearing aids and spectacles were also distributed free of cost through the generous support of Shri Manubhai and Rikaben Shah from ShahHappiness Foundation.

The IT-enabled Camp streamlined operations with an advanced registration system that tracked patient data from initial screenings to diagnostics and treatment. Chronic conditions requiring long-term medication were assigned to health workers for ongoing management, transforming this Camp into a foundation for lifelong health care.

To ensure accessibility, 100–120 vehicles transported patients from remote areas daily. Recognising patients’ long journeys, free meals were also provided. In addition to physical treatments, mental wellness was addressed through sessions on art therapy, suicide prevention, and stress management – reflecting a holistic approach to health.

A Community of Compassion

Besides the medical professionals, hundreds of volunteers – aged 10 to 80 – contributed selflessly to ensure the camp’s success. Doctors, paramedics, government authorities, volunteers, and patients expressed how this camp exceeded all their expectations of scale and significance.

As Pujya Gurudevshri says, seva is not only a way to offer love to others but also a means to cultivate virtues within ourselves; a sentiment echoed by all volunteers. The grace of Param Krupalu Dev is truly beyond our imagination! As His humble sevaks, all we can say is ‘Thank You!’

Impact

The Multi-Speciality Mega Medical Camp in numbers:

Over 4.5 lakh patients screened

Over 22,500 consultations done

Over 6,000 appointments for surgeries, long-term treatments, radiological investigations given

1,500 blood tests done

1,750 upper and lower limb aides for physically disabled and spectacles distributed

Over 54,000 medicines given for free

Cuppa & Catch-Up Session