Spirituality Makes You Dumb Stupid And Lazy
वाग्मिप्राज्ञमहोद्योगं जनं मूकजडालसम् । करोति तत्त्वबोधोऽयमतस्त्यक्तो बुभुक्षुभिः ॥
This awareness of the Truth makes an eloquent, clever and energetic man dumb, stupid and lazy, and therefore Truth is avoided by those whose aim is pleasure. (Askhtavakra Gita, Verse 15.3)
In this verse, the Truth is the realization of being. You can call it Spiritual Awakening.
Ashtavakra speaks of a profound truth: pursuing the pleasures of the world often leads one astray from the path of spiritual realization. The eloquent, clever, and energetic individuals who strive unconsciously for worldly success often become blind to the Truth, and their pursuits leave them feeling terrified and anxious for their whole life.
Eloquent Becomes Dumb!
The spiritual journey can be challenging, demanding a deep surrender of one’s ego and worldly desires to the inner being. The eloquent speaker who was once full of words may find that the Truth silences them, revealing the foolishness of their speech. The experience of Truth can leave one speechless, feeling that their words are meaningless.
Clever Becomes Stupid
The clever individual may realize the limitations of their smartness, and their cleverness becomes a hindrance rather than a help on the path of spiritual realization. However, the world often sees only two states: cleverness and its absence, which is mistakenly equated with stupidity. In contrast, the spiritual path does not require cleverness; even a simple-minded person can reach Truth. Those with a lot of belief in their tricks, methods, personal wisdom, and intellectual strength will never attain it.
Energetic Becomes Lazy
Similarly, the energetic person may see the futility of their constant striving and find rest in stillness. This does not mean they have become lazy but have found restfulness. The world may view this rest as laziness, but rest and laziness differ. There is a restful stillness that may look like laziness to the world.
Spiritual Awakening is the greatest service you can offer to the world.
The spiritual person may appear useless to the world, but in reality, they have become more useful than ever before. Spiritual Awakening is the greatest service they can offer to the world. They have discovered a deep and abiding joy transcending the world’s fleeting pleasures. This joy does not come with sorrow or require constant striving. The spiritual person is no longer a slave to worldly desires, but he already realized the master within that created the whole universe.
Do not fear the spiritual journey; it leads to the joy that surpasses worldly pleasure. Those who cling to worldly pursuits may view the spiritual person with disdain, but the spiritual person has found eternal joy and fulfillment.
