Sridhar Swami says in his commentary about the word ‘Vairagya’
(Renunciation) that one cannot get immersed in the
contemplation of God and relish the divine bliss of His pastimes until he
develops Vairagya (indifference to material world). Attachment to worldly
possessions and people is the cause of impurity of heart that does not let the
Jivatma achieve divine bliss.
Vairagya
means detachment, disinterest or indifference to body and everything related to
it. One develops disinterest in body and material world when he realizes that
everything in this world (including this body) is temporary; it didn’t exist
before nor it will exist in future, it exists only in the present. Such a
temporary thing can never give pleasure to the eternal Self. It only causes an
illusion of pleasure to give disappointment in the future. Attachment to
such things does not allow us to progress in bhajan and experience divine
bliss.
The
master – servant relationship between God and the Jivatma is eternal but this
attachment to the material world inhibits the Jivatma from realizing that
relationship. This is not the fault of the Jivatma. It is its innate quality
due to association with Prakriti (nature made of five elements). It has become
its nature from time immemorial.
Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te.”
(Bhagavat Geeta 7.14)
Meaning:
My divine energy Maya, consisting of the three modes of nature, is very
difficult to overcome. But those who surrender unto Me cross over it easily.
The
conscious Self (Ātmā) is sheathed by Māyā, the delusional energy of God, and
controlling all its activities through the false ego. Just like when a person
is afflicted by a ghost, all his actions are controlled by the ghost. At that
time, the person does not behave normally, instead he screams and acts weirdly
due to the ghost inside his body. Similarly, the conscious Self is afflicted by
Prakriti and all his actions become abnormal to his true nature. He forgets his
true relationship with God and also the purpose of human birth. He gets
attached to things and people which he has no relation with.
At
that time, God mercifully sends His true devotees in the form of Guru to bring
him on the right path, just like the people who take the ghost-afflicted person
to a Tantric practitioner to get rid of the ghost. The Tantric practitioner has
to be powerful enough to defeat the ghost and send him away from the afflicted
person. Similarly, the Guru has to be powerful enough to defeat God’s Maya and
save the Jivatma. In other words, nobody less than a devotee who has achieved
oneness with God or perfection of Prem Bhakti can be a Guru. With the mercy of
such Guru, the Jivatma is able to detach himself from Maya and immerse in the
Bhakti of Radha Krishna, gradually.
Vairagya
does not mean going to the forest. Neither a devotee
living in the forest is a renunciate, nor a devotee living in Grihastha Ashrama
is a sensual person. One can be a perfect renunciate even in the Grihastha
Ashrama and one can be a perfect sensual person even while wearing Sadhu’s
clothes.
If
a householder is detached from the material world while performing his duties
and contemplates on Radha Krishna in an uninterrupted way, he is a Vairagi
(true renunciate). If
a person wearing Sadhus clothes is attached to material things, money or
people, he is a sensual person.
Nirdvandvo hi mahā-bāho sukhaṁ bandhāt pramuchyate.”
(Bhagavat Geeta 5.3)
Meaning:
The karma yogis, who neither desire nor
hate anything, should be considered always renounced. Free from all dualities,
they are easily liberated from the bonds of material energy.
Vairagya
is a mental attitude. Its physical manifestations are the consequence of this
mental attitude. In the above-mentioned verse, Krishna says that one must
consider a person free from all worldly actions and reactions when he neither
desire any material gain nor hate anything. Normally, if something pleases
one’s senses, it becomes a desirable object for him. And when something does
not give pleasure to his senses or inhibit him from enjoying desirable things,
he starts hating it. Same can be also said about the people. One who is free
from the duality of (worldly) love and hate is a true renunciate.
‘Dualities’
means opposite situations in life like happiness & sadness, honour &
dishonour, warmth & coldness (of weather), gain & loss, etc. Such
opposite situations come in the life of every living entity. This is the nature
of this material world. No creature constantly lives in happiness, nor anyone
lives in constant misery. When miseries come in life, the devotee contemplates
on the temporary nature of all worldly matters and become detached or
disinterested in it.
Nowhere
in the scriptures has it been said that when one worships God, the devotee does
not have to experience the results of his bad actions. In fact, the results of
our bad actions start forthcoming one after another when a person starts doing
bhajan. A sadhak must not think that since he chants so much Harinaam, now no
illness will come in his life, there will be no monetary problems, no one will
disrespect him, he will never be cheated or experience any loss, no relative
will die etc. It is not like this. The results of one’s bad actions will
definitely come, but the devotee doesn’t get mentally stressed over them. Or,
when the results of good actions come in his life in the form of desirable
objects or people, he doesn’t get attached to them. Gradually, when a
devotee becomes absolutely unmoved by any kind of external circumstances, he is
said to be a true renunciate.
The
scriptures show the way for a sadhak to achieve God. A sadhak must always abide
by the scriptures. When a sadhak disregards the scriptures and wants to
progress in Bhakti according to his own intelligence, he or she has to face
many difficult obstacles in the Bhakti path. Sometimes, their path gets
absolutely obstructed until an enlightened Soul (Sadhu/Guru) shows them the way
based on the scriptures.
The
scriptures say that women should not live independently. She must always live
under the shelter of her father, husband, brother, son or an Acharya. If
a woman thinks that she will leave her home and family like Sannyasis and live
independently to do bhajan, she will disregard the scriptures and create
obstacles in her Bhakti path.
A
person is born into a situation (gender, family, financial situation, etc)
according to his or her actions in the previous births. For women, there are many
rules in the society for their security and they have to accept these rules and
abide by them.
But
one must never think that a woman cannot do intense bhajan, develop intense
Vairagya and/or achieve God in this lifetime. Many people think that women
bodies are impure (due to menstruation cycles) and not fit for worshipping God.
This is not true.
Striyo vaiśhyās tathā śhūdrās te ’pi yānti parāṁ gatim.”
(Bhagavat Geeta 9.32)
Meaning:
O son of Prtha, those who take shelter in Me, though they be of lower birth - women,
vaisyas [merchants], as well as sudras [workers] - can approach the supreme
destination.
Bhakti
can be performed by anyone, irrespective of their gender. Perfection of Bhakti
does not need a physical preparation, but rather a mental preparation. Bhakti
cannot be achieved by just wearing renunciate clothes, keeping dreadlocks, wearing
big Tulasi bead necklaces or Tilak. These external manifestations of Bhakti are
auspicious and have their own importance, but can also bring Bhakti Jata
Anarthas (see here).
If
a woman thinks that she will go to a secluded place, live independently and do
bhajan, she is in a great delusion. There is only danger for her in every
corner. The solitude of mountains, riversides, forests, etc will not bring her
Bhakti or peace of mind. She needs to live under the shelter of her father,
husband, brother, son or an Acharya, and go inside her heart (immerse in the
contemplation of Guru and Radha Krishna).
Close
your eyes! There is nothing in the beautiful
scenery of mountains, riversides, forests, etc where you want to go and do
bhajan in solitude. Create solitude in your own home by closing the door of
your room and close your eyes! Bhakti is not outside; it has to be found
and developed within your heart. What did Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu say?
Amāni mānada haña Krishna nāma sadā labe,
Vraje Rādhā Krishna sevā mānase karibe.”
(Chaitanya Charitamrita 3.6.236-237)
Meaning:
Do not listen or speak idle talk. Do not eat tasty food, nor wear nice clothes.
Do not expect honour for oneself, but always give honour to others. Always
chant the holy names of Lord Krishna and serve Radha Krishna in Vrindavan mentally.
Make
your heart Vrindavan. Serve Radha Krishna in mental Vrindavan day and night. If
a sadhak is physically in Vrindavan, but his heart is not Vrindavan, then he
will not benefit much from his stay in Vraja Dham. Yes, here there is Yamuna
Maharani, the same dust that had been walked on by Radha Krishna, Gopis and all
the enlightened Sadhus who used to live here, Giriraj hill, the association of
dedicated Sadhus, etc. Many rare and divine things are present here and the
sadhak might gain a lot by their association, but there is also the fear of
Aparadhas. Dham Aparadha, Vaishnava Aparadh, etc can also totally uproot your
Bhakti creeper sometimes!
That
is why, if someone has the opportunity to stay in Vraja Dham, it is beautiful,
but it is more important to make one’s heart Vrindavan. Vrindavan as well as
Radha Krishna are omnipresent. There is a physical form of Vrindavan which
can be seen through mundane eyes. And also, there is the omnipresent divine
form of Vrindavan which can be found in your own heart. Close your eyes,
try to visualize the divine Vrindavan and Radha Krishna seated within its Kunjas.
Serve Them there day and night. You will achieve the same result of physically
living in Vrindavan Dham in this way.
In
this way, women can also get the benefit of staying in Vraja Dham, in case she
is not able to physically stay in Vraja Dham. If possible, she must definitely
come to stay in Vraja Dham with her parents, husband, brother or son. She can
also stay under the shelter of an Acharya but renunciate Sadhus cannot live together with women. They can live separately but under the Acharya's guidance.
But
this does not mean that women cannot reach perfection of their Bhakti path in
this lifetime. Although they have to live amidst their family members and
perform their duties towards them, a female sadhak must try to develop true Vairagya
in her heart by contemplating on Guru and Radha Krishna.
Now,
a female sadhak might think, ‘I have to live amidst my family members. I cannot
leave Grihastha Ashrama and become Sannyasi like men. Then, how can I do
bhajan? I will never be able to become detached from material world, nor will I
ever engage in intense bhajan because I have so many responsibilities towards
my family.’ But this is not right!
They
can definitely do intense bhajan and become detached from material world while
living amidst their family members. It is a delusional idea that to develop
Vairagya and Bhakti one needs to go to the forest. One only needs to surrender
at the lotus feet of God and devote the mind to His contemplation. This is true
for everyone, not just women. In this way, one can please God and achieve His full
mercy.
The
sadhak needs to fulfill his or her duties towards family members, society,
nation, etc physically but know in his heart that he/she is a servant of the
master of all universes, God.
(Bhagavat Geeta 9.18)
Meaning: I am the Supreme Goal
of all living beings, and I am also their Sustainer, Master, Witness, Abode,
Shelter, and Friend. I am the Origin, End, and Resting Place of creation; I am
the Repository and Eternal Seed.
The word “bhartā”
means sustainer as well as husband. In Vedic culture, the husband is the sustainer
and protector of his wife. But God is the supreme husband, that is, the husband
of all living beings. To please Him, one only needs to surrender oneself. In
the heart, there should be only the Supreme husband.
Since we have a body,
we also have duties towards the relatives of the body. So, men and women alike
have duties towards family members. But one must not think that he cannot do
bhajan while living amidst his family members. Maya does not exist in family
members, buildings, expensive things etc. The attraction/ attachment to all
these things and people is Maya. It resides in the heart of the sadhak. If
one lives away from family, it does not free him from Maya. Mukti (freedom from
Maya) can also be achieved in the heart itself. Living near family members
does not inhibit one from achieving Mukti.
If
one takes up the Sannyāsa order of life but is not able to control the mind, he
will think of objects of sense gratification namely family, society, expensive
house, etc. Even though he goes to the Himalayas or the forest, his mind will be
attached to the objects of sense gratification. In this way, gradually one’s
intelligence will be affected due to which he loses the original taste of getting
immersed in the contemplation of God.
The sadhak must try to
chant Harinaam always and in every situation. He must try to chant while
sitting, standing, eating, working, all the time. Along with that, he must try
to contemplate on Guru and Radha Krishna all the time. In this way, even if he is
not able to perform any other devotional services, he will achieve God solely
with the mercy of Harinaam. Guru and Radha Krishna only want your heart. They
do not care where you stay physically.
A sadhak must try to keep his detachment towards the material world secret while living in Grihastha Ashrama. He must show love and compassion to all and know that his family members are servants of God. He must not show off his Vairagya to them, otherwise they will feel hurt and there will be quarrels among family members.
Many people leave
Grihastha Ashrama ‘in order to develop detachment from family members and
material world’. This is not how Vairagya is achieved.
Mat-kathā-śravaṇādau vā śraddhā yāvan na jāyate.”
(Srimad Bhagavatam 11.20.9)
Meaning: As
long as one has not become free from desires and awakened his taste for
devotional service by listening to and singing about the divine pastimes of
God, one has to act according to the regulative principles of the Vedic
injunctions.
Therefore, when a
sadhak leaves Grihastha Ashrama while he still has even very subtle desires in
his heart, he is not able to develop true Vairagya (due to defying Vedic
instructions).
When true Vairagya
matures into a state where the sadhak is simply unable to follow even Vedic instructions
because of his immersion in the contemplation of God, only at that time he must
leave Grihastha Ashrama. Srila Rupa and Sanatan Goswamis, Meerabai
and many other devotees are examples where they didn’t lack any favourable
conditions for bhajan, but they still couldn’t continue to perform their duties
to the world anymore (Meerabai was given special section of the palace to
herself for engaging in bhajan. Srila Rupa and Sanatan Goswami could also have
stayed in Grihastha Ashrama and engaged in bhajan. But they simply could not tolerate
living amidst worldly matters anymore. They could not perform any duties to
their family or the society anymore. Srila Gadadhar Bhatta Goswami left
Grihastha Ashrama on reading the letter sent by Srila Jiva Goswami while he was
just wearing a towel. He left for Vrindavan at the very moment while immersed
in a divine contemplation).
This is true
renunciation. This kind of renunciation is not taken after intellectual analysis
of a sadhak’s eligibility. It just happens by the will of God when the sadhak
is immersed in a divine state.
Therefore, Vairagya is a very deep topic. It is not enough to achieve just physical manifestation of Vairagya. Rather, true detachment from the material world is real Vairagya. This cannot be forced or developed at will. As the sadhak deepens his attachment and contemplation of God, his heart gets detached from the material world on its own, gradually. Then, the devotee blooms like a lotus in the mud and stays unaffected by worldly matters always.
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