Vairagyam VI

[Guest guest]

Vairagyam VI

Namaste Sadhakas,

 

The Bhagavadgita, 13th chapter teaches the Atma-gunas, that is, the

qualifications necessary to enter the enquiry of Brahman. This is done in the

verses 7 to 11. Herein in the verse 8 vairagyam is mentioned and the means to

secure it:

Absence of attachment for objects of the senses….perception of evil in birth,

death and old age, in sickness and pain.

 

Evil in birth: The evil here lies in having to dwell in the womb and to issue

forth through the uterus. Maybe, people might say there are modern methods of

conception and pregnancy and the need to lie in the womb and issue out of the

uterus could be avoided. Nevertheless, there is immense suffering connected

with birth. A friend's baby overstayed in pregnancy and it seems the baby

started consuming orally the dirty liquid inside for want of food. Upon being

delivered by caesarean, the baby was found to be very underweight and had to be

placed under the specialised care of another hospital over ten kilometres from

the place where it was delivered. My friend, the father, had to make several

trips to the two places every day and twice the baby was treated for jaundice

and went close to death. The ordeal of the parents was extreme. The friend's

mother spoke to me one day and wept: My son pleaded with us to leave him alone.

It was we who forced him into wedlock. Now

when we see this ordeal of our boy, we feel we made a mistake.'

 

Even otherwise, to think of 'us' in the form of some food grain consumed by

the father and being converted into semen and being deposited into the womb of

the mother through the ugly tube in the penis and start growing, first in the

form of some lump of foam and then a lump of flesh and slowly sprouting out

hands and legs and fingers and forming the slits for the eyes, nose, ears, etc.

and being inside a congested place and finally issuing out through the uterus

along with dirty liquids – is it not disgusting? Vedanta teaches we are the

unbroken Pure Consciousness, all pervading like space, ever free. Oh ! what a

contrast ! Would anyone who gives a deep thought to this contrast ever like to

go through the ordeal of birth again ? …Punarapi janani jathare shayanam…

 

Death: The pain of death is described elaborately in some smritis. It would

be worthwhile contemplating on the pain related to death. Again, we have

instances to relate from our own lives. A boy of 26, was sent to Canada for a

three month project by his employers, Infosys. At the end of the term, he

arranged with his friends in Bangalore, to visit Shivasamudram, a tourist spot a

little away. Soon after arrival, as planned, the party left for the picnic

spot. Spotting a rock in the middle of a huge lake, the boys decided to be

there and take photographs. This boy, while posing for a photo, suddenly

slipped and fell into the waters. The body could be recovered only after three

days with a large diving team deployed at enormous cost. His mother told me

that they had to carry the heavily decomposed body virtually in a huge bucket.

He was their only son. And fortunately, not married.

 

Old age and Disease: The evil of old age consists in the decay of

intelligence, power and strength, and in being treated with contempt. The

problems related with disease have various ramifications. In a family known to

me, both the parents, in their eighties, remained in bed for more than seventeen

years put together. In this they were both simultaneously in bed for over seven

years. Both had suffered paralytic strokes. The ordeal that family went

through is unimaginable. They had to do the nursing job themselves as they

could not afford a professional. Several relatives and friends helped them by

contributing whatever they could. Even old clothes like dhotis and saris were

donated to that family as the patients defacated and urinated in bed. Even with

the best sanitation, bedsores were another problem to manage.

 

I came across a case of a mother and her two teenaged daughters, all the there

of them afflicted with cancer. The man of the family, the sole earner, could

not afford the heavy medication bills and chemotherapy charges. He literally

begged from known and unknown people.

 

The Bhagavadgita verse asks us to undertake a deep contemplation on these

miseries attached to embodied life. The Acharya says: From this perception of

the evil of pain in birth, etc, there arises indifference to the pleasures of

the body and of the senses; and then the senses turn towards the innermost Self

to obtain a glimpse of the Self. Because the perception of the evil of pain in

birth, etc., conduces to knowledge, it is itself spoken of knowledge.

 

Bhartrihari says in his Vairagya shatakam 38:

 

Old age looms ahead frightening men like a tigress; different diseases afflict

the human body like enemies; life is flowing away like water running out of a

leaky vessel; still, how wonderful, that man goes on doing wicked deeds!

 

And in verse 36 he says:

 

Life is changing like a big wave, beauty of youth abides for a few days;

earthly possessions are as transient as thought; the whole series of our

enjoyments are like occasional flashes of autumnal lightning; the embrace round

the neck given by our beloved ones lingers only for a while. To cross the ocean

(of the fear) of the world, attach your mind to Brahman.

 

Again he says in verse 37:

 

In the womb man lies within impure matter in discomfort with limbs cramped; in

youth enjoyment is tainted with the intense suffering of mental distraction

arising from separation from our beloved; even old age is undesirable, being the

object of contemptible laughter from women. Oh men, say if there is a particle

of happiness in the world.

 

Pranams to all,

subbu

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Dear Sri. Subbu,

 

At the outset, let me congratulate you on your excellent posts. I am

sure all the members of this forum, like me, appreciate the effort you

put into your posts.

 

I would like to state a different perspective.

 

Your examples notwithstanding, life and nature are still very beautiful.

I believe it could be so, even for those who are caught on the wrong

side (as in yuor examples). For every moment of misery there will be a

thousand happy ones without misery.

 

We tend to not count the happy moments but only the miseries. When

someone cries about a lost son, they forget the years of happiness they

enjoyed with the son. We focus on the suffering of diseases but not on

the rest of our disease-free life.

 

I believe the womb is a very safe and comfortable place for the child.

 

Pain and suffering during death is inevitable, but we can always pray

for "anAyAsEna maraNaM, vinA dainyEna jIvanaM" (easy death and a life

free from indignity).

 

I believe old age is beautiful (with just a wee bit of attitude

adjustment)(I am not that old myself - early 40s). If women laugh at old

people, the old can laugh right back :-)

 

Beautiful sights, lovely music, pleasant frangrance, tasty food, loving

companionship -- who wouldn't want all these? To negate these would be

against human nature. Enjoying what the lord has given is fine in my

book, as long as it is done without a sense of attachment. My son is not

mine for keeps, but I could enjoy (and at times suffer) his company when

life keeps us together.

 

I don't believe that our scriptures reject the beauty of life or deny

enjoyment of the same. Lord Krishna tells Arjuna to win the war and

enjoy the earth.

 

In summary, though I can understand what Bhatrhari is saying, I am not

able to empathize with him fully.

 

Best regards,

Ramachandra

 

 

On Wed, 2006-04-19 at 00:21, V Subrahmanian wrote:

> Vairagyam VI

> Namaste Sadhakas,

> ...

[Guest guest]

Dear Sri Ram,

 

You said:

I don't believe that our scriptures reject the beauty

of life or deny enjoyment of the same. Lord Krishna

tells Arjuna to win the war and enjoy the earth.

 

Response:

Your point indicates that you think that the statement

that this samsara is full of sorrow and is worth only

'rejection', is very interesting. And you are lucky,

Vedanta has a solution to this problem just as

Buddhism does.

 

In fact, in one place in the Canon, the Buddha is

asked the question "How can one say that all in this

world is sorrowful?". He argued in a similar manner to

you and says that many things are pleasurable. The

Buddha told him that that is not the statement, and

showed him what exactly is sorrowful.

 

It is important to know that neither Buddhism nor

Vedanta say that "This world is sorrowful.". Instead

they say "clinging to this world produces sorrow." In

fact the sequence of paticcasamuppada as outlined by

the Buddha explains verily this fact that it is desire

and attachment [which originates from ignorance] that

causes suffering. So if one clings to the sensual

pleasures one is trapped in ignorance. Instead if one

decides to be equanimous [a Sthitaprajna or Thitapanno

in Buddhism] and decides not to cling to them, he will

be peaceful for ever.

 

In the Gita, Sri Krishna also says:

"maatraa-sparshaastu kaunteya, sheetoshna

sukhadukkhadaah...."

 

Clearly Krishna does not criticze the world, but only

says that the contact of senses with dualities like

heat and cold produces happiness [craving] and

unhappiness [aversion]. He tells Arjuna to give up

this desire [craving and aversion are forms of want or

desire] which are but always changing.

 

In fact never does Dharma teach one to reject the

world. Rejection in itself is a product of aversion.

It only teaches one to develop dispassion for the

world.

 

Again, he says:

"Raaga-dvesha vimuktaistu, vishayaan

indriyaishcaran...."

 

So while Arjuna is told to enjoy the earth, he is also

told to maintain equanimity in victory or loss.

 

You are correct in saying that "we remember the

disease, but forget a long disease-free life." But it

is this desire that says "I don't want disease or

pain", that causes trouble. Also, the craving "I want

to be disease free." is causing trouble. When one is

free of illness, one is so occupied with other

pleasures and wants that one forgets his great health.

 

 

Do you think great men like Bhagwan Ramana ever cared

if he suffered from any illness. In fact he got a

surgery done without anasthesia.

 

That is why one needs to understand paticcasamuppada

properly to know what causes misery and what, when

changed can remove the cause of sorrow/stress.

 

It might be your opinion that dispassion or vairagya

begins with a pessimism. But this is not true. The

path of Dharma/Dhamma promises bliss/Ananda and

Nibbana or moksha from all miseries. An enlightened

Buddhist monk says: "I can only now, truly see the

brightness and glory of this universe." While one is

told to develop dispassion for sensuality, one is

promised a much deeper sense of satisfaction that goes

beyond the senses.

 

Thus, enlightenment as many might misunderstand is not

meant only for one who is totally lost, the old and

the weak, but for anyone who aspires for unfathomed

happiness and bliss. Ironically, it is dispassion for

even such a bliss as Nibbana that actually leads to

Nibbana eventually. It is with this sense of

dispassion and desirelessness for even Nibbana that

even Nibbana is not said to be self or "mine" or "I"

in Buddhism.

 

Even in Advaita Vedanta [as far as I understand it],

dispassion for moksha has been advocated. Please

correct me if I am wrong.

 

I am sure, you must be knowing most of what I said

here. Still perhaps to remind myself and to explain

that the very notion of dispassion or vairagya is not

a pessimistic one, I tried to point out in the above

words.

 

I have been closely following the posts on Vairagya

and have enjoyed it well. In fact Bhartrhari's

'vairagya shatakam' is really inspiring. The learned

members of this group are surely doing a great job of

posting such inspirational posts. Please continue your

efforts in this direction.

 

-Bhikku Yogi

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

advaitin, "K.B.S. Ramachandra" <ram

wrote:

>

> Dear Sri. Subbu,

>

> At the outset, let me congratulate you on your excellent posts. I

am

> sure all the members of this forum, like me, appreciate the effort

you

> put into your posts.

>

> I would like to state a different perspective.

 

Namaste,

 

This perspective may again need re-evaluation after

meditating on : (Taittiriya Upanishad - Brahmananda-valli)

 

http://www.geocities.com/advaitavedant/taittiriya.htm

 

II-viii-1-4: Out of His fear the Wind blows. Out of fear the Sun

rises. Out of His fear runs Fire, as also Indra, and Death, the

fifth.

 

This, then, is an evaluation of that Bliss:

 

Suppose there is a young man – in the prime of life, good, learned,

most expeditious, most strongly built, and most energetic. Suppose

there lies this earth for him filled with wealth. This will be one

unit of human joy.

If this human joy be multiplied a hundred times, it is one joy of

the man-Gandharvas, and so also of a follower of the Vedas

unaffected by desires.

If this joy of the man-Gandharvas be multiplied a hundred times, it

is one joy of the divine-Gandharvas, and so also of a follower of

the Vedas unaffected by desires.

If the joy of the divine-Gandharvas be increased a hundredfold, it

is one joy of the manes whose world is everlasting, and so also of a

follower of the Vedas unaffected by desires.

If the joy of the manes that dwell in the everlasting world be

increased a hundredfold, it is one joy of those that are born as

gods in heaven, and so also of a follower of the Vedas untouched by

desires.

If the joy of those that are born as gods in heaven be multiplied a

hundredfold, it is one joy of the gods called the Karma-Devas, who

reach the gods through Vedic rites, and so also of a follower of the

Vedas unaffected by desires.

If the joy of the gods, called the Karma-Devas, be multiplied a

hundredfold, it is one joy of the gods, and so also of a follower of

the Vedas untarnished by desires.

If the joy of the gods be increased a hundred times, it is one joy

of Indra, and so also of a follower of the Vedas unaffected by

desires.

If the joy of Indra be multiplied a hundredfold, it is one joy of

Brihaspati and so also of a follower of the Vedas unaffected by

desires.

If the joy of Brihaspati be increased a hundred times, it is one joy

of Virat, and so also of a follower of the Vedas untarnished by

desires.

If the joy of Virat be multiplied a hundred times, it is one joy of

Hiranyagarbha, and so also of a follower of the Vedas unsullied by

desires.

II-viii-5: He that is here in the human person, and He that is

there in the sun, are one. He who knows thus attains, after

desisting from this world, this self made of food, attains this self

made of vital force, attains this self made of mind, attains this

self made of intelligence, attains this self made of bliss.

Expressive of this there occurs this verse:

II-ix-1: The enlightened man is not afraid of anything after

realising that Bliss of Brahman, failing to reach which, words turn

back along with the mind.

Him, indeed, this remorse does not afflict: "Why did I not

perform good deeds, and why did I perform bad deeds ? He who is thus

enlightened strengthens the Self with which these two are identical;

for it is he, indeed, who knows thus, that can strengthen the Self

which these two really are. This is the secret teaching.

 

 

Regards,

 

Sunder