Srimad Bhagavatam – day 689
A spiritual aspirant must strive to distance from attachments and pride
Śrikrishna Srihari
“The wise spiritual aspirant gradually distances himself from attachments and feelings of ‘I-ness’.”
Every person should strive to give up egoism and attachment. Towards this, daily practice is a must as it cannot be accomplished with efforts of just a day or two. Just because Swamiji has stated that they should be discarded, don’t assume that they have gone away from you. By next morning, they will be back within you. Only through gradual practice, they should be eliminated. As and when a situation arises, discard the arrogance or ‘I-ness’ found in it. Destroying arrogance does not mean killing it. It means to abandon it.
It is attachment that gives rise to egoism (I-ness). In turn, it is egoism that throws us into many complications. Thus, we can conclude that attachments are the ultimate cause behind all problems faced. ‘Oh, I cannot live without this object. How am I to survive after giving this up?’- such fear arises from attachment. ‘Somehow or the other I will protect it and ensure it is not lost’- this thought reflects the person’s egoism. ‘If necessary I will go to the extent of taking loans, but I will protect it at all costs’- this is the thought process of the person whose wisdom has been depleted due to his egoism.
Remember that you are still swimming in the shallow waters of the pond and are drifting towards that pitiable situation wherein you will suffer due to exposure to Sun’s heat. Since there is no more water to cover your body, you are bound to suffer. Your pond has no depth. Here it implies, that in the depths of your mind there is no place for the Supreme Lord. This single factor has caused you to be trapped in bondages.
Attachments inflate egoism and egoism in turn boosts attachments. Net result is an increase in troubles of all kinds which in turn lead to poverty. Poverty and helplessness cause a person to abuse the Lord saying- ‘Why did you push me to such pitiable situations? Why did you do this to me?’
Will the Lord ever cause you to fall into trouble? Your own actions were responsible for it. The Lord remains an eternal witness. It was He who was watching you when you abandoned attachments; it was He who was watching when you got trapped in attachments and it was He who was watching you when you turned egoistic. Remember this always.
On the other hand, true spiritual aspirants who are filled with wisdom gradually try to give up their attachments and egoism.
“Just as the wise spiritual aspirant gradually distances from attachments and arrogance, during autumn the land gradually discarded its water, the trees discarded their foliage while the raw fruits gradually abandoned their unripe state.
When the mind moves away from fruitive activities, the spiritual aspirant who is engrossed in recapitulation, shifts his mind from the fruitive actions prescribed by the Vedas (karma kanda) towards that portion of the Vedas which preach Spiritual Knowledge (Jnana kanda)”.
The wise person, who is engaged in spiritual practices intelligently shifts his mind from fruitive activities. This shift is best begun even when the person is sunk in troubles. Troubles cause him to go deeper towards the Lord. At times, it appears as if difficulties are for the good.
During happy times i.e. during absence of difficulties, the person will never turn towards spirituality. Troubles cause the mind to go inwards. The person realises the impermanency of the situations. He realizes that he still remains in the same financial position as he was before he had taken the loan and wasted off the money.
Even after having been reduced to this state, at times arrogance does not permit the person to realize the reality. Such a person continues to demand that he should still be pampered and spoon fed by others. He expects that people who feed him should also supply him with money for all his needs. Is it correct to expect this? Out of compassion others are feeding you so as to protect your life. But why will they pamper you by giving you money without any reason?
A true wise person will instead gradually shift his mind towards Spiritual Knowledge. He will accept that all actions and the resultant experiences he is undergoing are all part of his fruitive activities (karma kanda). The intelligent person will thus set them aside and tune his mind towards knowledge.
“With the onset of autumn, the waters in the ocean, that were turbulent thus far, now turned motionless and silent. Just as the Yogis maintain absolute control over their senses in order to prevent the Spiritual Knowledge from flowing out through them, the farmers built embankments all around their fields in order to prevent the water from flowing out”.
We should gradually make attempts to prevent the inner bliss from flowing out.
“Self-knowledge dispels the afflictions caused by body identification and attachments”.
One should gradually progress to this stage. We should sow the seeds of Spiritual Knowledge and then prevent it from flowing out by building embankments. It is ego that causes us to believe that our self-respect and self-esteem have all been destroyed. After all, our ego (I-ness) is most invaluable for us. From where did this ego arise? It emerged from attachments (mine-ness). ‘How can I let go off this object? How can I live without that one?’- the person is desolate. However the truth is that you have to let go of them. You have no choice. If attachments are abandoned, automatically egoism will vanish.
“Just as Self-knowledge dispels the afflictions caused by body identification and attachments, Śrikrishna, the bestower of liberation, returned to Brindavan dispelling the affliction of Yashoda and other cowherd-women, that was caused due to his going to the forests”.
Krishna’s absence from Brindavan was painful to the women-folk there. They could not stay even a second without him. When he returned from the forests, all of them were elated.
“With its cooling rays, the Moon dispelled the suffering caused to the living entities by the autumn Sun. In a pure sattvik mind, the essence of the Vedas, which are the form of the Lord, illumine. At that time, the Self-luminous form of the Lord, who resides within us, is seen filling our minds with bliss just as, during autumn, the clear skies illumine with the pure rays of the Stars.
Just as Śrikrishna, the Lord of the Yadavas, illumined in the midst of all the Yadavas, in the clear skies of autumn, Moon, who is the Lord for the stars, with his complete form illumined divinely in their midst”.
In autumn, the skies are clear and pleasant. Likewise, your mind will also become calm and pleasant once all the inner turbulences vanish. It will bless you with peace. All forms of agitations have disappeared now. Poverty and helplessness have vanished. The mind is in tranquil. It paves the way towards God. He blesses with that coolness and calmness. Therefore, we should practise this calmness.
What is the use of practising a little and again immersing the mind with feelings of arrogance? Meditating a little and then filling it with attachments. Again a little spiritual efforts and again allowing turbulence to take control over the mind. If your practices are limited to this, then even after many births you will remain unsuccessful in your efforts. Begin your efforts while in this body. Learn to give up your attachments and egoism even when you are entangled with your worldly bondages. Do not ponder whether it is possible. Just begin your efforts. Gradually you will understand. It is beyond me to explain how it would be possible. Your own experience will teach you that it is possible.
Here, they are drawing a parallel between external Nature and our mind. The happiness of the Gopikas upon seeing Krishna represents the happiness experienced by our mind. All these comparisons explain our spiritual journey. The turbulence of the rainy season explained the state of our mind when the Lord distances from it. Famine implies that the God’s grace is missing. Disappearance of famine implies His grace has been showered. All this is a result of one’s fruitive activities. The degree of famine corresponds to the degree of one’s past actions. It is destiny. The person was destined to face it. A heavy shower of rain implies that you have been blessed by the Lord with knowledge.
Srihari Krishna