Vairagyam VII

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Variragyam VII

 

The Prahlada charitram shines as a resplendent jewel in the Srimad

Bhagavatam. Prahlada, a devotee par excellence, displays the most

laudable qualities of a bhakta, a karma yogi, a Jnani, all rolled

into one.

 

Here is a selection of those verses from the Canto 7, Chapter 9, 10

and 15 of the Srimad Bhagavatam. that conveys a message on various

aspects of vairagyam. These have been copied from the material

available at the following link:

http://sanskrit.gde.to/ . My thanks to Sri Sundar ji for providing

this link to me long ago.

 

Bhakta Prahlada addresses Lord Narasimha:

 

9.43 Sure I am from being absorbed in the broadcasting of Your sweet

ocean of glories not worried, o Supreme One, about the hard to cross

Vaitaranî that is this world; I rather lament, despite of them being

fools, for the ones missing the liberation who, for the good of

their senses, plan for illusory forms of happiness and duty [see

also 6.17:28].

 

O best of the great personalities, I am not at all afraid of

material existence, for wherever I stay I am fully absorbed in

thoughts of Your glories and activities. My concern is only for the

fools and rascals who are making elaborate plans for material

happiness and maintaining their families, societies and countries. I

am simply concerned with love for them.

 

(45) The concern of sex indeed is trivial like the itch relieved by

rubbing one's hands; the ones falling short with this find,

suffering all kinds of misery, the different feelings of sorrow

never satisfied in it, but if one learns from that, recognizing it

to be a figment, is one a sober person that is able to bear the itch

[see also B.G. 7.14].

 

Sex life is compared to the rubbing of two hands to relieve an itch.

Grihamedhis, so-called grihasthas who have no spiritual knowledge,

think that this itching is the greatest platform of happiness,

although actually it is a source of distress. The kripanas, the

fools who are just the opposite of brâhmanas, are not satisfied by

repeated sensuous enjoyment. Those who are dhira, however, who are

sober and who tolerate this itching, are not subjected to the

sufferings of fools and rascals.

(46) Silence, vows, vedic knowledge, austerity, study,

dutifulness, explaining the scripture, living alone, prayer and

absorption, belong to the path of liberation, but often are they

with them who do not control their senses the only way of living, o

my Lord, and so one must say that in this connection it is nothing

but false pride [see also 6.1.16].

 

O Supreme Personality of Godhead, there are ten prescribed methods

on the path to liberation--to remain silent, not to speak to anyone,

to observe vows, to amass all kinds of Vedic knowledge, to undergo

austerities, to study the Vedas and other Vedic literatures, to

execute the duties of varnâs'rama-dharma, to explain the s'âstras,

to stay in a solitary place, to chant mantras silently, and to be

absorbed in trance. These different methods for liberation are

generally only a professional practice and means of livelihood for

those who have not conquered their senses. Because such persons are

falsely proud, these procedures may not be successful.

 

Text 5:

10.5 A person for himself desiring material benefits from his

spiritual master is not really a servant nor is the master really of

service who for his own prestige desires to bestow material profits

upon his servant [see also 10.88.8-10].

A servant who desires material profits from his master is certainly

not a qualified servant or pure devotee. Similarly, a master who

bestows benedictions upon his servant because of a desire to

maintain a prestigious position as master is also not a pure master.

 

Text 7:

If You want to give me anything to my desire for a blessing, then I

pray for the benediction from You, o Lord of All Blessings, that no

desire for any material happiness will grow in my heart [see also:

Siksâstaka verse four].

O my Lord, best of the givers of benediction, if You at all want to

bestow a desirable benediction upon me, then I pray from Your

Lordship that within the core of my heart there be no material

desires.

 

Text 8:

>From one's very birth on are the senses, the mind, the life-air, the

body, the religion, ones patience, intelligence, shyness, opulence,

strength, memory and truthfulness overrun by lusty desires.

O my Lord, because of lusty desires from the very beginning of one's

birth, the functions of one's senses, mind, life, body, religion,

patience, intelligence, shyness, opulence, strength, memory and

truthfulness are vanquished.

 

Text 9:

Only indeed when one gives up all the desires that one of human

association finds in ones mind is one fit for an opulence equal to

that of You, o Lotus-eyed Lord.

O my Lord, when a human being is ale to give up all the material

desires in his mind, he becomes eligible to possess wealth and

opulence like Yours.

Sage Narada to Yudhishthira (while relating the Prahlada charitram

to him at the Rajasuya Yaga):

Text 18:

Or, o King, why should a person of peace not live happily on even a

bit of water, when from the genitals and tongue one in one's

struggling becomes a man as good as a household dog?

My dear King, a self-satisfied person can be happy even with only

drinking water. However, one who is driven by the senses, especially

by the tongue and genitals, must accept the position of a household

dog to satisfy his senses.

 

Text 19:

For sure will of a discontented man of learning, because of his

greed, gradually dwindle the strength of his senses, his education,

austerity and fame and will his spiritual knowledge vanish.

Because of greed for the sake of the senses, the spiritual strength,

education, austerity and reputation of a devotee or brahmana who is

not self-satisfied dwindle, and his knowledge gradually vanishes.

 

Text 20:

For someone who is hungry and thirsty do the lusts come to an end

indeed, of anger vented there is a relief, but a person will not get

over his greed enjoying to conquer all the directions of the globe

[see also B.G. 16: 21].

The strong bodily desires and needs of a person disturbed by hunger

and thirst are certainly satisfied when he eats. Similarly, if one

becomes very angry, that anger is satisfied by chastisement and its

reaction. But as for greed, even if a greedy person has conquered

all the directions of the world or has enjoyed everything in the

world, still he will not be satisfied.

 

Text 21:

O King, many scholars, persons of varied experience, many an expert

in legal advice, or many a candidate for the office even, has fallen

down in hell simply from that single lack of contentment.

O King Yudhishthhira, many persons with varied experience, many

legal advisers, many learned scholars and many persons eligible to

become presidents of learned assemblies fall down into hellish life

because of not being satisfied with their positions.

 

Text 22:

With determination lust should be overcome, anger by means of

forsaking the object of desire, to greed one must consider the

accumulation of wealth that gives the trouble, and fear is overcome

by contemplation of the truth.

By making plans with determination, one should give up lusty desires

for sense gratification. Similarly, by giving up envy one should

conquer anger, by discussing the disadvantages of accumulating

wealth one should give up greed, and by discussing the truth one

should give up fear.

 

Text 25:

By the mode of goodness can a person, in devotional service unto the

spiritual master, easily conquer all this passion, ignorance and the

goodness itself that one also should leave behind. (The gunas,

sattva, rajas and tamas are spoken of here).

One must conquer the modes of passion and ignorance by developing

the mode of goodness, and then one must become detached from the

mode of goodness by promoting oneself to the platform of s'uddha-

sattva. All this can be automatically done if one engages in the

service of the spiritual master with faith and devotion. In this way

one can conquer the influence of the modes of nature.

 

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Sannyasa an Vairagya go hand-in-hand. Vairagya is the essence of

spirituality. Acharyal, Sri Abhinava Vidyateertha Swamigal, never

failed to stress the need to cultivate vairagya. He Himself led a

life of supreme contentment and dispassion. His life is a great

lesson on the practice of vairagya.

 

Late one night, Acharyal woke up from sleep, ate a small, shrivelled

plantain that was kept on the windowsill, drank some water and went

back to bed. I, who was watching the scene, felt very bad that He

ate the banana, which was fit to be thrown away. When I had the

opportunity to talk to Him next morning, I gave vent to my feelings

and said, 'Why did Acharyal choose to eat the fruit that was in such

a bad state?' 'Why not?', asked Acharyal. 'There are boxes full of

luscious grapes from Australia that were submitted to Acharyal. Why

did Acharyal have to eat 'that' banana?' I queried. Acharyal

said, "It is advised that one has to eat something when he feels

pain due to peptic ulcers. The banana served the purpose

adequately. Just because better quality fruits are available today,

do I have to eat that? Do you know what 'virakti' is? It is not the

dispassion that you have towards an object in its absence. Even

when the object of desire is in front of you and is also rightfully

yours, you should not enjoy it. Even the thought 'I want it' should

not be there in your mind. That alone is true 'virakti' ".

Acharyal continued, 'Even though I may not attempt to procure the

object, if I were to entertain a desire for it, the very longing

will remain in My mind as a residual samskara. On a different

occasion, such a samskara may impel Me to act even without My being

conscious of it. For instance, let us suppose someone comes and

places a delicious fruit in front of Me and I too am in need of it.

Let us also suppose that I had earlier entertained a desire for it.

in such a situation, I may at once consume the fruit without a

second thought. So, 'true mind control' is that state of mind,

where you do not even entertain the thought that you need

something."

(As told by Sri Rajagopala Sarma and excerpted from the

book 'Exalting Elucidations')

 

Om Tat Sat

subbu