What is meaning of Darshan?

The word ‘darshan’ means ‘to see’. But how to see? We actually have to learn how to see and what to see. We have to learn how to read and understand what is going on within me and outside. That needs proper education. That is why the vedic knowledge is called darshan or philosophy.



Darshan means a proper reading of one’s own self and the environment. And one can come to this understanding as a result of real or proper education. Therefore education must be vedic.



The purpose of education is to extend our vision, to extend our darshan beyond this covering of maya, beyond this area of misunderstanding. Our vision must extend and rise and penetrate the layers and clouds of illusion and reach to the upper level. Our vision must reach to the revealed truth.



We must hear the transcendental philosophy and then accept the revealed truth and then disregard material knowledge, which is actually based on false calculations of imperfect people with imperfect senses – subject to mistakes.



What is false calculation? What is material knowledge? It means the concept that ‘this belongs to me and that belongs to you’.



Isopanisad explains that actually everything and all things and everyone and all persons belong to God.



isavasyam idam sarvam

yat kinca jagatyam jagat

tena tyaktena bhunjitha

ma grdhah kasya svid dhanam



isa--by the Lord; avasyam--controlled; idam--this; sarvam--all; yat kinca-- whatever; jagatyam--within the universe; jagat--all that is animate or inanimate; tena--by Him; tyaktena--set-apart quota; bhunjithah--you should accept; ma--do not; grdhah--endeavor to gain; kasya svit--of anyone else; dhanam--the wealth.



Translation by Srila Prabhupada: Everything animate or inanimate that is within the universe is controlled and owned by the Lord. One should therefore accept only those things necessary for himself, which are set aside as his quota, and one should not accept other things, knowing well to whom they belong.



I also belong to God. My relation with God is eternal and the eternality of my relationship with God is based on service. So when I begin a life of devotional service, of bhakti for the happiness and pleasure of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and I perform that service with a loving mood and a favourable mind, then I will actually see the truth and then I will actually have darshan, Krsna darshan. This is the meaning of seeing the truth, tattva darshan
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