Detachment, key to spiritual progress

March 7, 2005

Hare Krishna. Pranam to all Vaishnavas,

A general misconception that is prevalent about spiritual life is that it can be pursued in the evening of life when all worldly responsibilities are over. But one who is serious about realising Bhagavan Krishna , the Supreme Godhead must pause and think why the spiritual efforts cannot be postponed to old age. For one, habits which have not been formed in youth cannot be cultivated in old age when one's faculties are failing and infirmities torment the body. A verse in the Bhaja Govindam of Adi Sankara bemoans that even in this pitiable condition when the hair has turned grey, teeth have fallen and it has become difficult to walk upright and death knocks at his door, man continues to entertain desires and seeks to fulfil them.

In this hymn Sankara tellingly portrays the predicament of the worldly people who waste the precious opportunity of a human birth by frittering it away in materialistic pursuits and do not make any attempt to reform. He points out that even a beggar reduced to penury who does not know from where his next meal would come, sleeping under the shade of a tree, exposed to the elements, does not develop discrimination of mind by eschewing desires. This hymn also gave practical guidance on spiritual life. Some who take to spiritual life follow all the religious rituals without fail but do not seem to develop the discriminative capacity which only wisdom can endow about the evanescence of worldly life and hence they do not get release from the cycle of transmigration. Though they are religious they fail to understand that all actions must be performed with detachment - without expectation of result. So even after 100 births they remain entangled in the web of Karma without attaining liberation.

Unless a spiritual aspirant develops detachment towards material comforts his dependence on them will impel him to action and thereby fuel his desires. So it is imperative that one desirous of liberation learns to live with minimum creature comforts required for sustaining his life in the world.

On the contrary, one who has surrendered to Sri Krishna will by nature be indifferent to his station in life. He will accept with equanimity of mind both the state of renunciation and a luxurious life. He can live in total isolation and in the company of his kith and kin ; irrespective of such extremes his mind revels in the joy of his devotion to Bhagavan Krishna by chanting His divine names and listening to His glory.

Bhagavan Krishna says in Gita, Chapter 4, Sloka 11,18 & 23 :

ye yatha mam prapadyante / tams tathaiva bhajamy ahammama vartmanuvarttante / manusyah partha sarvasah

karmany akarma yah pasyed / akarmani ca karma yahsa buddhiman manusyesu / sa yuktah krtsna-karma-krt

gata-sangasya muktasya / jnanavasthita-cetasahyajnayacaratah karma / samagram praviliyate( O Partha! As all surrender to Me and perform My bhajana, I reciprocateaccordingly. Everyone follows My path in all respects.

One who sees action in non-action and non-action in action is truly wise among men and he is transcendentally situated, even though he himself performs all sorts of actions.

One who is devoid of material attachments, and whose mind is situated in true knowledge , is liberated. All the fruitive action of such a person who performs his every action for the worship of Me (Paramesvara) , is completely dissolved. Thus he attains the state of akarma. )

OM NAMO BHAGAVATE VASUDEVAYA!!!

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