VERSE 1

A person may be well read; he may have command of many languages; he may be an adept in making discourses wonderfully. Yet, if he is the victim of delusion and attachment, he cannot be said to have acquired Jnaana. In accordance with the kural teaching: "As one by one, you detach yourself from the things of the world, you save yourself from pain in respect of it."

One should get rid of the attachments by degrees. Jnaana is not a short cut enabling us to bypass the, need for giving up our desires. The state of mind free from desires, is what is known as Jnaana. Some people hold that Jnaana is a separate and superior means to liberation.

This is a delusion. If desires are vanquished and eliminated, Jnaana will arise of itself. One who has not got rid of his desires cannot become a Jnaani. As in a pond, the mire sinks down to the bottom and the water at the top becomes clear, so too, if desires go, the heart will become pure and true knowledge will come into being.

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