The Hindu Article - Attachment, cause of all ills

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Date:21/08/2003 URL:

http://www.thehindu.com/2003/08/21/stories/2003082100140900.htm

 

Miscellaneous - Religion

 

Attachment, cause of all ills

 

CHENNAI AUG. 21 . "Can love be boarded up with a lock and key?" asks

Poet Thiruvalluvar. This universal phenomenon of emotional bonding,

coupled with feelings of attachment often lends to unhappiness that

somehow seems larger than life. A father feels slighted if his son

stops handing over his pay after his marriage, while a dutiful son

feels that despite being an ideal offspring, his father prefers his

brother, who is given to selfishness.

 

Sri T.G. Narayanaswamy said in his lecture that attachment can be an

aberration on occasions. Due to self-imposed evolutionary pressures

human beings tend to get caught in difficult situations and then carp

for peace of mind. A way out of this difficulty is to rationalise our

relationships. For example we are all careful while handling a glass

jar fearing it can break any moment. Similarly we should address the

anatomy of attachment carefully. A scholar's advice is to "live like

the guest in a house."

 

Ramana Maharishi offers a practical tip — be like a bank cashier, who

despite handling thousands of rupees a day treats it with detachment;

once the ledger is balanced at the end of the day, he forgets about

it. When trouble of one sort or the other occurs we all look outwards

for help. An employee who has lost his job tries to get it back by

propitiating gods or resorting to similar step. Instead we should

become professional, introspect and try to improve our work culture

by ethical practices. Genuine leaders teach only such survival skill.

 

How do I raise my children if I were to practise detachment, a person

may ask. A great preceptor often categorised four types of struggles.

Like fish, which when caught in a net dies, some fold up. Others

struggle to escape feebly and fail; a few put up a fierce fight and

escape. There are a select few who do not get caught in the net at

all, enjoying freedom in the truest sense. Adi Sankara was one such

great man, showing the way to true achievement in life, which is

rising above attachment.

 

A mango or coconut stays firm in the tree when raw. Once it becomes

ripe the tree eases its hold and the fruit can be plucked easily.

Likewise a parent should protect his children only until they learn

to be independent. Then it is time to step back. When his duties are

over, a man should turn his thoughts towards a higher state of mind.

Adi Sankara's "Bhajagovindam" highlights the need for detachment

while living in this world.

 

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