Narada: My knowledge has not brought me peace or joy. It does not help me overcome my fear of death, and thus its value is compromised. I'm tired of knowing and drowning in misery. Take me beyond knowing to where I may find freedom.
Everything I have learned so far seems to be means of exercising my skills or gaining worldly recognition. How can the knowledge I have obtained through years of arduous study have real value when I will lose it at death and have to start all over again in the next lifetime?
Sanat Kumara: The problem is that you confuse true knowledge, which is gained directly from within, with mere information, which is gained through words and sentences. All the branches of art and science that you mentioned are mere collections of words-they have no substance. You learned them in the form of words, and you pass them on to your students in the form of words.
Your knowledge of these disciplines gave you the means of maintaining your existence on this earthly plane, which is why most people master these subjects. It is the nature of our economy that some are employed as teachers and others are students even though what they are teaching and learning fails to bring true happiness.
But the book of life remains unread, and the part of you that is destined to unveil the mystery of life prompts you to open this book and read attentively. While you are engaged in mundane activities, you are ignoring the call of the soul. Thus, you create a ground for inner conflict. This inner conflict, which arises from ignoring the soul's constant reminder of the goal of life, results in frustration, destroying your peace and happiness.
You may be able to hide yourself from the rest of the world, but you cannot conceal yourself from yourself, from your inner soul. Without achieving true happiness from within, you cannot convince yourself that you have found peace without. The only way to achieve real peace and happiness is to know yourself at every level.
Source: The Tradition of the Himalayan Masters Pandit Rajmani, Ph.D. Tigunait