It has been experienced by all of us that everything that we are seeing is disappearing. The world that we see at present is vanishing. It is not steady even for one second. We get into the duality of attachment (likes) and aversion (dislikes) because we think that it is stable –
ichchhā-dveṣha-samutthena dvandva-mohena bhārata
sarva-bhūtāni sammohaṁ sarge yānti parantapa.
(Gītā 7/27)
The pairs of opposites such as attachment and aversion are the root cause of delusion. Coming under the sway of duality, the entire mankind is unable to understand this reality. This delusion of opposites produces infatuation. Hence, man is unable to understand the real essence (tattva). When man believes the perishable body and world to ‘exist’ and that they are secure, attachment and aversion, pleasure and pain are born. It is experienced by all that everything is transitory. Saints have said –
Kanchi kaya man athir, thir thir kaam karant,
Jyo-jyo nar nirdhadak fire, tyo-tyo kaal hasant.
Maharaj Yudhistir has said –
Ahanyahani bhootaani gacchantih yamaalayam |
Sheshaah sthaavarmicshaanti kimaashraryamatah param||
(Maha. Van. 313/116)
What can be more surprising than this that all beings pass from sight, going to Yamraaj’s house (death), still they desire to live here forever. The stability which will never stay, stability which doesn’t exist and stability which is disappearing. We have come here only to serve. Use your body, mind, voice, possessions, intellect, designation, power etc. to help others, make others happy, for well-being of others – this is the work we all need to do. The major bottleneck in this is – accumulation and enjoyment which means infatuation to hoard and to enjoy pleasures. God says –
bhogaiśwvarya-prasaktānāṁ tayāpahṛita-chetasām
vyavasāyātmikā buddhiḥ samādhau na vidhīyate.
(Gītā 2/44)
Due to desire for worldly pleasure and accumulation of wealth, one cannot have firm determination in the resolution that ‘I have to only attain God’. This determination has more power than any other spiritual practice ‘saadhan’. Chanting of Lord’s name, singing praises of the Lord, Satsang, self-learning, religious austerity, worshipping at religious places, fasting etc., these spiritual practices are great. As such all these spiritual practices seem appropriate and uplifting, however, a determinate and single-pointed intellect in God stands foremost among all spiritual practices. It has paramount significance and value. God says –
api chet su-durāchāro bhajate mām ananya-bhāk
sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ samyag vyavasito hi saḥ
(Gītā 9/30)
An aspirant is sinless and good natured. But the sinful – one who are entirely engaged in evil activities, if he too worships the Lord with full devotion, without any dependence on other person or means, then he should also be considered as saint – ‘Sadhurev sa mantavya’ – this is God’s order. When God considers him as sinful, an evil doer, then how can we consider him as saint? Then he says – ‘samyag vyavasito hi saḥ’ means he has taken a firm resolve of exclusive devotion towards God. This is the ultimate and root of all spiritual practices. This will correct everything automatically. Like if one decides that he must go to Badrinarayan then how to go? What’s the route? How far? etc. questions automatically come to the mind. Automatically curiosity is raised. When you look for it, you will find people to tell you and help you. As one proceeds, he will get all the required material for going forward and doubts will be resolved. Everything will happen. Hence, just by firm-resolve, all things happen smoothly and in right direction. When does such a firm-resolve happen? When one sees the transitory nature of the world. One wrongly sees stability in the world and gets associated and resolves to stay here. But so far, who-so-ever has come here, nobody has been able to stay. Great saints, prophets, hermits, sages came, but they too had to leave. God also when incarnated as human did not break this rule. He too had to leave. There is no rule to stay here, one must leave this place. If one develops this sensibility, then it will surely bring benefit.
Like when one goes to the office for work, he knows that once the work is completed, he will return home. One does not need to remember it, or continuously think about it or repeat it. But still this thought is engraved in his mind. Likewise, the thought that we have come to stay in this world is in fact false and we must leave this place is the correct thought. We must accept the truth. Nothing else needs to be done. When one accepts it inevitably, then he doesn’t need to think about it. Agreeing to this thought is of immense benefit. All the spiritual practices are based on this thought. This is the foundation of all practices. Whether one is an atheist or devotee, who-so-ever one is, this is right for everybody and experienced by all. It is not like, one believes in it because it is written in religious texts, then one who has faith in them will believe in this and one who is faithless will not believe in this. This is not related to faith. This is self-evident that our childhood is gone. Even if we search for it, we can never find it again. And the same trend is continuing.
We have come in this world only to attain God. We must attain Him only. But this can only happen when we consider this world as unattainable. The World has not been attained by anyone so far. We are stationary – nityaḥ sarva-gataḥ sthāṇur achalo ’yaṁ sanātanaḥ (Gītā 2/24) while everything else is changing.
When we associate with changing things, we treat ourselves as moving and changing too. Though being immovable, one is unable to feel the immutable. Just like when we are going by train, and the train stops at a small station, since another train in coming from the front side, now that the train stops on another track, but when we are looking at that train, and when it starts moving, we feel that we are moving as well, even though our train is stationary. Like the train, the body too is moving and when we are looking at it, we think we are changing, getting old etc. It looks like we are changing, but actually only the body is changing. Hence, we consider this body and world as stationary and ourselves as moving or going away. By considering body-world as stable, one develops delusion of opposites and this leads to infatuation. Hence, one who is free from the delusion of the opposites, worship me with a firm resolve in everyway.
te dvandvamohanirmukta bhajante mam drdhavratah (Gītā 7/28)
Person who is free from attachment and aversion, gets happily liberated from worldly bondages –
nirdvandvo hi mahā-bāho sukhaṁ bandhāt pramuchyate (Gītā 5/3)
dvandvair vimuktāḥ sukha-duḥkha-sanjñair
gachchhanty amūḍhāḥ padam avyayaṁ tat. (Gītā 15/5)
That’s why God orders us to be free from all dualities –
trai-guṇya-viṣhayā vedā nistrai-guṇyo bhavārjuna
nirdvandvo nitya-sattva-stho niryoga-kṣhema ātmavān (Gītā 2/45)
How can one be free from dualities? When one considers body and world as unstable, then attachment and aversion will not sustain –
Arab Raat milne ko nisdin, milai rahat manu kabuh mile na.
‘Bhagwat rasik’ rasik ke baate, rasik bina koi samujhe sake na.
Narayan! Narayan! Narayan!
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