Viveka or discrimination and Vairagya or indifference to the
objects of the world are among the rarest qualities found in humanity! Irretrievably
bound in maya, Man is fond of wealth and woman. He does not realize the
foolishness of pursuing them. Life itself is considered ephemeral---‘ vidyuth
chalam jivitham’ Beauty of the skin for which man is ready to die is after all
transitory. Woman’s charms, looks and beauty do not last long. But yet man is
unable to resist it. “ Beauty provoketh
thieves sooner than gold” says Shakespeare. Adi Sankara says, “ Nari
sthana bhara naabhi desam drushtwa maga
moha vesam etan maamsa vasaadi vikaram
manasi vichintaya varam varam” Behind is a combination of flesh and blood, skin
and bones, fat and marrow, entrails, urine and excreta! Wealth and women can
never be the be all and end all of life. It is to understand this aspect that
one requires discrimination!
What is Viveka?
It means sifting of the real and the unreal, the good and the bad, the truth
and the false and the beauty from the ugly! It is to understand what is
permanent and what is evanescent. Through discrimination one can avoid
temporary things and concentrate on the permanent. For spiritual progress
Viveka or discrimination is sine qua non requirement. Viveka a and vairagya do
not come easily or suddenly. Women and
wealth have to be given up physically and mentally! Is it possible? Yes, it is
through what the Gita describes as ‘ Abhyasa yoga’ ---continuous practice of
meditation. Senses and lust can be
subjugated through slow and steady practice. Lord Krishna chose Arjuna as his
disciple and gave Gitopadesa because Arjuna had this rare quality! He refused to wage war and kill
his teachers, kith and kin and eat the bloody meal. He is ready to beg rather
than perform this evil and sinful act!His yearning for the Real and the Good
impressed the Lord to answer Arjuna’s many doubts on spiritualism. The Gita
dwells on the indestructible, eternal, everlasting
Atma and its attributes!
Bound in the
inextricable meshes of maya, man becomes blind and cannot come out of it though
the way lies open! We realize that worldly life is unreal. The cycle of birth and
death cannot be broken. “Punarapi jananam
punarapi maranam punarapi janani
jatare sayanam” How many births we have seen, how many fathers, mothers and
children! Many of our men, relatives and others have vanished before our own
eyes! Still we think we will live for ever! Dharmaraja tells the Yaksha that
the greatest wonder is that man thinks he will never die in spite of seeing
people die every day! What is Vairagya? It can be defined as indifference to
the objects of the world! Sometimes we are faced with the question
“who am I who enjoys all this?” Samsara or worldly life is like a forest
full of thorns, bushes and brambles! There are just two ways to cross this
forest. Either you satisfy all your desires or give up all your wants! The
former is impossible as more and more desires crop up one after the other! So
it is better to have a ceiling on desires. Contentment with what little God has
given shall help man to live happily!
There are
different types of Vairagya! Unable to experience the acute pains of worldly
misery, one turns to Vairagya! In the second, there is a realization that all
worldly blessings within one’s reach are transitory and unworthy of enjoyment! Two other types of
vairagya are the Intense and the Moderate. Sri Ramakrishna says, “ Intense
Vairagya is like digging a large tank in one night until it gets filled with
water then and there. Moderate Vairagya is slow in its growth and
procrastinating. There is no knowing when it will become complete.” A person
going to take a bath heard that somebody was vasthu bhayanvitam bhuvi
nrunam vairagya me vabhayam!” becoming a sanyasin by renouncing the
world. He felt it was the highest model of life. He decided to become a sanyasi
immediately and went away never to return home! This is an example of Intense varagya.I
Is there
anything in the world not enveloped by FEAR? No says the poet! It is only
Vairagya that is fearless! Luxurious life is beset with the fear of a variety
of diseases. High Caste is afraid of failing in its principles. The Rich are
afraid of the king or government. Moralists fear of losing their morals. The
sturdy and the strong are afraid of the challenge from their enemies. Beautiful
men and women are wary and afraid of old age and senility. Eminent scholars are
afraid of their challengers in debates. The good are afraid of the bad elements
The body is always afraid of death! The poet concludes that all objects in the
world are engulfed in this fear complex! The only fearless thing is Vairagya! “
Sarvam vasthu bhayanvitam bhuvi nrunam Vairagyameva bhayam."
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