Some time ago a casual acquaintance hinted to me that though I was no longer young I was still immature. I forget the exact words but that is not important.
What does being mature mean?
I looked up the dictionary and this is what I got: to become more developed mentally and emotionally and behave in a responsible way. So obviously my acquaintance thought that I do not behave in a responsible manner.
Basically I think it boils down to the fact that I have always been something of a rebel. I do not conform to the expectations of society. I am also somewhat western in my temperament since all my reading since I left school has been in the English language. These books were mostly written by westerners. Add to that my philosophy books – especially Emerson – that preach the virtues of the road less travelled by.
There is no question of my being able to conform to a society whose values I do not share. And I am now past the age of 60. It is universally accepted that a person’s character, personality and nature are formed in the first 7 years of his life.
I must be true to myself and if that has certain disadvantages like people not liking me and so on then I must simply accept the same.
But there is another meaning given to what it means to be mature according to Vedanta. It is interesting. I will quote the relevant passage:
The Mundaka Upanishad says:
Having analysed the worldly experiences, achieved through effort, a mature person gains dispassion, discerns that the uncreated (limitlessness) cannot be produced by effort.
Introduction to Vedanta : Dayananda, Swami: Amazon.in: Books
Limitlessness or wholeness is moksha. Limitlessness is also what all of us are seeking. Maybe a better word is adequacy or a feeling of wholeness. Seeking adequacy is the basic human problem.
And adequacy cannot be achieved through effort. All efforts are limited. Being limited themselves, efforts can only produce limited results.
So that means that all that can be achieved through effort – that is kama (pleasure) and artha (security) – cannot give us lasting adequacy.
It is the realisation of this that is termed as maturity by Vedanta.
By definition I am not completely mature but I think I am more mature than the acquaintance who criticised me. He is welcome to his opinion of course but I think I will just continue doing what I am doing.
I highly recommend the above book (Introduction to Vedanta). There is enough food for thought in this small book of 112 pages to keep you busy for one year at least. And also to turn your life upside down if you have a conventional lifestyle.
At the very least the book will give the seeker of kama and artha some amount of perspective. He will know that whatever worldly success he gains, he will not get lasting fulfillment. So this insight will enable him to be more detached as he seeks his goals in life.
I am looking for paid consultancy work. If interested please email me at nikhil dot gangoli at gmail dot com. Do not use the Comments or Contact Me forms.
I hope you liked this article. Please share it on WhatsApp, X and FB and let me have your comments. Feedback from my readers keeps me going.