Question:

I am a humble learner with a multi-variate interest in scriptures and vedas since my school days. There was this Shastrarth that took place between sage Astavakra and Acharya Bandi in presence of King Janaka. Can I assume that at this point Janaka did not know Astavakra? In the Astavakra videos by Sri Sri, in the very first video, it’s mentioned that when king Janaka got curious someone around told him about sage Astavakra. I see a conflict between this event and the first one?

Requesting you to please throw some light.

Answer:

If you have noticed, none of our scriptures have dates on them. There is a deep reason for the same.

Scriptures are a medium of instruction to help an individual reach enlightenment.

• • Enlightenment means gaining the exceptional awareness and intelligence to go beyond Maaya.
  • Exceptional awareness means going beyond mind.
  • Going beyond mind means going beyond words.
  • Going beyond words means entering silence of the Self.
  • In the Silence of your Self, lies asleep your Enlightenment!

If there were dates on scriptures or even authors or biographies of authors, that would only get the mind even more trapped in the Maaya of words, leaving behind no chance for going ‘beyond the mind & intellect’ or ‘diving into the Silence of the Self’.

So, if you want to honor this ancient wisdom:

Drop this tendency of the mind to think of scriptures like history trying to figure out the time & age, that really does not serve any purpose dear. The real purpose of words must be to take you from Sound to Silence and that’s exactly what the Scriptures do. So change your perspective, change your focus and experience the higher Truth of Life!

Focus on the main goal of existence….. get enlightened in this very lifetime dear! No body knows if there is another opportunity available again on the other side of death!