Self-knowledge, often called self-actualization, is not a fundamental necessity of human life. Unlike essential needs such as food or breath, which are required for survival, many people go through life happily without ever pursuing or attaining self-knowledge. This fact sets self-knowledge apart as something beyond mere necessity or comfort.
Beyond Necessity and Comfort
The concept of "necessity" fundamentally misunderstands self-knowledge. It is best described as an ultimate aristocracy (अत्यंतिक अभिजात्य) of the soul—a rare, elevated quality rather than a basic need. Just as shelter is necessary but grand works of poetry and art are not, life proceeds without the pursuit of self-knowledge. Food alleviates hunger and sustains life, but it does not guarantee bliss (आनंद). True bliss comes when an individual transcends the world of necessity and connects with what is truly purposeless (प्रयोजन शून्य).
The search for self-realization is therefore absolutely non-essential (गैर जरूरी) and utterly meaningless (निरर्थक) in a practical sense. Yet, paradoxically, it holds the ultimate essence of human experience. It is sometimes referred to as सच्चिदानंद—Existence, Consciousness, Bliss. If this ultimate truth were truly necessary for life, economic ideologies such as socialism or communism, which focus on bread and housing, would have urgently included it in their manifestos. But they do not.
The Meaning of Dharma and Spirituality
The terms "Dharma" and "Spirituality" (अध्यात्म) are deeply significant in this context and should not be lightly or unnecessarily attached to self-knowledge.
Dharma (स्वभाव): This does not mean religion or sect (मजहब or संप्रदाय); rather, it signifies one’s ultimate nature, the fundamental essence of who a person is. Sects like Christianity or Hinduism are simply paths (मार्ग) leading toward this essential nature.
Spirituality (अध्यात्म): This refers to one’s inherent, private self (निजता), the knowledge arising from within when inner consciousness awakens. This is distinct from any external knowledge borrowed from scriptures, teachers, or schools.
Awakening and Its Challenges
When the light of the ultimate truth descends upon an individual, profound disturbances occur. Existing life structures shake, foundations uproot, and one is compelled to rely on the "sky" rather than the "earth"—a metaphor for trust in the intangible rather than the concrete. Self-realization is not a given or a mechanical process; it is a rare, extraordinary event—a supernatural (अति प्राकृतिक) miracle.
Given the rarity and difficulty of awakening, a master’s role becomes essential. The master observes the disciple holistically: who they were in the past (अतीत), who they are in the present, and who they can become in the future (भविष्य).
The master’s tasks include:
Freeing the disciple from the burdens of the past.
Preventing projections of past conditioning onto the future.
Bringing the disciple into alert awareness of the present moment.
The master employs various tests (परीक्षाएं) to confirm genuine awakening. This is necessary because the ego (अहंकार) can easily become deluded by prematurely accepting identities like being Brahman (God-like), or by clutching onto ideas of being a mere 'witness' (साक्षी) in ways that can become self-destructive.
Conclusion
Self-knowledge is the highest aristocracy of the soul—an extraordinary gift, not a basic need. It transcends all necessities and comforts, revealing an ultimate connection to existence, consciousness, and bliss. True awakening is rare and difficult, requiring guidance, testing, and a deep transformation that frees one from the weight of past conditioning and anchors one firmly in the present.