Gita's perspectives on Attachment and Detachment

[Guest guest]

Namaste:

 

During our biweekly Gita Satsangh, one of the members ask for an

explanation to 'Detachment.' In our day to life, how do we live

detached? How can we be detached and at the same time express our

compassion and kindness to our children? Gita's solution to this

apparant paradox is quite simple but very profound. When we conduct

an action such an giving a helping hand to a needy person, Gita asks

us to complete the action spontaneously without looking for rewards.

This is detachment and any help that we do should be done with the

yagna spirit.

 

According to Bhagavad Gita, attachment is the bond of desire we form

with the objects of the world. All works are being done by the

Gunas (or the energy and power) of nature, but due to delusion of

ego people assume themselves to be the doer. (3.27)

(See also verses 5.09, 13.29, and 14.19)

 

Chapter 14 of Gita provides how the personality of an individual is

revealed through the Gunas. In Gita, Gunas are classified as Sattva,

Rajas and Tamas and they bind the soul due to attachment.

 

Sattva, which is pure, without impurities binds the soul through

attachment with happiness and knowledge (14.6).

 

Rajas which is full of passion and born out of intense desire binds

the soul through attachment with action (14.7).

 

Tamas represents darkness and impurity of the mind born out of

ignorance binds the soul through recklessness, indolence and

laziness (14.8).

 

One develops attachment to sense objects by thinking about sense

objects. Desire for sense objects comes from attachment to sense

objects, and anger comes from unfulfilled desires. (2.62)

 

Delusion arises from anger. The mind is bewildered by delusion.

Reasoning is destroyed when the mind is bewildered. One falls down

(from the right path) when reasoning is destroyed. (2.63)

 

The above verses of Gita describe how the attachment can ruin the

personality of an individual and eventually destroy the person. The

individual, thinking of sense objects, develops attachment with

them. From attachment are born various desires. From desires arises

anger. From anger comes delusion, and from delusion arises confusion

of memory. From confusion of memory comes loss of intelligence and

when intelligence is lost the breath of life is also lost.

 

The subtle message of Gita is that we should pursue a purposeful

life with the ultimate goal to achieve peace and eternal happiness.

The eternal happiness is an internal experience. The illusive

happiness of sensual pleasures derived from the material objects is

temporary. The same objects that yielded the happiness at one time

will likely bring sorrow at other times.

 

Gita recognizes the fact that it is impossible for us to get freedom

from attachment. Lord Krishna provides us a solution to this puzzle

by asking us to adapt a spiritual path with nobler causes. Gita

recommends two ingredients for spiritual seekers (sadhakas) to gain

permanent happiness - shraddha (single minded faith) and Sadhana

(self efforts).

 

Gita identifies the roots of the basic problem as the desire for the

fruit of ones actions. Lord Krishna declares that our desires for

the fruits of our action are responsible for our bondage to the

cycle of birth and death. Gita reminds us the fact that our right

is to work only, not to the fruit of our actions (2.47). Therefore

by abandoning our attachment to the fruits, we should perform our

work with the Yagna spirit (2.48). When we learn and adapt to Karma

Yoga (as stated by the above two verses) we will be able to abandon

temporary pleasures and learn to seek the permanent happiness. Every

action that we perform always produce a result and most of the time,

they are not necessarily the result that we desired. By cultivating

the Yagna spirit, we learnt to become unselfish and our actions

become spontaneous. Gita declares the attitude of such a yogi as

the one with the `prasada buddhi.' The Bhakti to the Lord can only

be expressed through the service to everyone and everything around

us. That is True Devotion (Bhakti) and the devotee who does such

selfless service to the universal community will become the True

devotee (Bhakta).

 

Do your duties as an obligation to the society and accept the

results of your action as the prasadam from the Lord! The true

karmayogi shakes off all attachment while performing his/her actions

(5.11). As a karmayogi we can derive the eternal bliss while

conducting the actions instead of waiting for the fruits of those

actions.

 

Hinduism and specifically Vedanta puts heavy emphasis on the need to

turn inwards, to withdraw oneself from the sense objects and look

into ones own inner world, where alone one can find true solace. The

shift in emphasis from the body consciousness to soul consciousness

becomes possible only when learn to recognize the fact that the

apparent physical self is not the true self, but just an outer

covering of it. Detachment from ones own outer self (body, mind and

intellect) is the first step, detachment from all external

relationships either with the people, kith and kin and things of the

world is the next step.

 

Detachment from the very concept of God and the idea and desire of

attaining salvation, is in fact the final step. When one becomes

completely free from all manners and modes of attachment, even

attachment with God, one becomes truly qualified to enter the world

of eternal freedom. The Vedantic philosophy of life explained

through Gita provides the wisdom to use our `intellect' to go beyond

the intellect! It is just like the pole-vaulter who uses the pole to

jumps over the pole!! (this example is taken from Swami

Chinmayanandaji's Gita discourses)

 

Warmest regards,

 

Ram Chandran