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THE QUALIFIED PUPIL
The Qualified Pupil
THE ATTITUDE of the Indian pupil toward his subject, no matter what it may be, is conveniently illustrated in the special field of orthodox Brāhman philosophy by the first few pages of a little treatise for beginners, dating from the middle of the fifleenth century A.D., known as the Vedāntasāra, “The Essence (sāra) of the Doctrincs of Vedānta.” 2 Of course one may read this translated text precisely as one reads any essay of Locke, Hume, or Kant; but it should be borne in mind that the stanzas were not intended to be assimilated this way. In fact we are warned at the very outset by being confronted with a discussion of the preliminary question: "Who is competent, and consequently entitled, to study the Vedānta in order to realize the truth?” The question may be readily answered, so far as we ourselves are concerned: “Not wc Westerners. Not intellectuals." This much will soon be very clear.
The "competent student" (adhikärin), when approaching the study of Vedānta, should feel an altitude not of criticisni or curiosity, but of utter faith (śraddhā) that in the fornulac of Vedānta, as they are about to be communicated to him, he shall discover the truth. He must furthermore be filled with a yearning for freedom from the encumbrances of worldly life, an earnest longing for release from the bondage of his existence as an individual caught in the vortex of ignorance. This is known as
2 Vedāntasära of Sadananda, translated with introduction, text, and comments by Swami Nikhilānanda, Mayavati, 1931. For "Vedānta," see supra, p. 18, Editor's note. 8 Vedāntasära 24.
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