Swami Nikhilanand In the last article, it was ex plained that by attaching our mind to God instead of the world, we not only improve our ability to perform our duties but also awaken all the godly qualities in our mind. This leads to a wider sense of compassion for all living beings, instead of only caring about those to whom we are attached.
A common example of how someone can perform his/her duty without attachment is that of a school teacher. The teacher is not attached to the children the way the parents are, and in many ways this enables the teacher to care for them more professionally and to make more reasoned decisions about the welfare of the children.
A good doctor cares for all of their patients, but is not attached to any of them. Thus, he/she is able to make decisions regarding their patients’ health with clinical logic. This is only possible because they are not attached to the patients – if they were attached to a particular patient, they would probably ask another doctor to take over, out of fear that their attachment would cloud their judgment, and thus cause them to make decisions not in the best interest of the patient.
Thus, we see that attachment can impede one from being able to do one’s duty, but by attaching our mind to God instead of the world, we can better observe our responsibilities. This is the karm yog of the Gita.
Attachment root cause of all our mental afflictions
There are additional problems created by harboring worldly attachment, of which you may not be aware (Chapter 2, verses 62, 63). The Gita tells us that worldly attachment is created by repeatedly dwelling upon a person or thing as a source of happiness. From that attachment, desire for that thing is born in the mind.
That desire, if fulfilled, leads to greed for more (because a fulfilled desire does not end, it multiplies), and if unfulfilled, leads to anger.
Anger causes us to lose our sense of discrimination, thus leading us to do many wrong things. This can lead to the total downfall of a soul.
Therefore, attachment is in fact the father of all the mental defilements we harbor. Attachment leads to desire, greed and anger, which give rise to all the other mental ailments like jealousy, hatred, dishonesty, arrogance, etc. If you wish to reduce these ailments of the mind, instead of trying to cure them one by one, you only need to reduce your worldly attachments, and they will all reduce in equal proportion.
When your attachments are eliminated, all of these mental defilements will have automatically been eliminated, and replaced with all the good qualities of the mind (as described in the previous article). Now we have a better understanding of why Shree Krishna emphasizes on reducing attachments in the world by transferring those attachments to God.
What do we really need – world or God?
At this point in the discussion, it is very common for another doubt to arise in the mind: do we not need this world? After all, God has put us here, He has created this world, and He has given us 5 senses with which to enjoy the world – then why is it wrong to become attached in this world? This is a basic misunderstanding which affects all of us. Let’s clear it up here. We already have the knowledge required to resolve this doubt, based on what we have learned in Chapter 2 of the Gita.
In fact, we do need this world – but we need it for the maintenance of our body, not for the attainment of happiness. We know that our true self is the Divine soul. As a soul, we inhabit a material body. That body is not our true self, but is merely a temporary possession, like a house we live in, or a car we use to get around. The soul is eternally related to God, and our body, being a product of maya, is a part of this world.
Thus, the soul needs God, and our body needs this world. Our ultimate goal is to experience Divine happiness by attaining God. But to reach this goal, we must live in a material body, in this material world.
If someone believes they will find happiness in the material world, it means they have forgotten their true identity as a Divine soul – how could a Divine soul be satisfied with material pleasures? Due to this ignorance, they will search in vain for perfect happiness in this world, thus creating more and more worldly attachments, and fostering all the mental ailments discussed above.
God has not created this world as a source of happiness for us – He has created it to support our body. We are meant to use our 5 senses to perceive this world, not to indulge in it. In the words of Jagadguru Shree Kripalu Ji Maharaj, “Yah sansar hamare upyog ke liye hai, hamare upbhog ke liye nahin.” (This world is for our use, not for our indulgence.) If we live in the world with this wisdom, then we are using the world the way it was meant to be.
Conversely, if someone who desires to attain God thinks that they don’t need this world, then they are also mistaken. As long as we are on this earth, we have basic physical requirements which must be met. If we do not care for our body with proper food, exercise and rest, then we will develop health problems.
These health problems will disturb our mind and cause difficulty in attaching our mind to God. Then we will not be able to attain our ultimate spiritual goal. In fact, even a God realized Saint must continue to maintain his physical body for as long as he inhabits the earth.
Thus we see that the physical things of this world have an important place in our life, but enjoying them is not the primary goal of our life. They are secondary and supportive to our goal of God realization. We should practice to attach our mind to God alone, who is our true eternal relative.
Disciple of Shree Kripaluji Maharaj:
Swami Nikhilanand Ji is a Canadian born Hindu spiritual leader based in Austin, Texas. He is a sanyasi disciple and pracharak of Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj.
Attracted to the teachings of Hinduism from a young age, Swamiji eventually let his deep spiritual longing lead him to India, where he was most fortunate to come under the guidance of Shree Kripaluji Maharaj. Thereafter, living in the ashrams of JKP, he extensively studied Hindi, the philosophy of the prime Sanskrit scriptures (Vedas, Darshan Shastras, Gita, Bhagwatam), and practiced meditation in the tradition of raganuga bhakti. In 2003, he was given sanyas.
Swamiji conducts weeklong Family Gita classes across various cities in the U.S. Through these enlightening sessions, Swamiji imparts the true knowledge of the Hindu heritage, tradition and universal principles to children and adults alike.
For more information regarding upcoming Family Gita classes in your city, please visit http://www.familygitaclass.org/.
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