Monday, July 13, 2015

WHAT IS VIVEKA AND VAIRAGYA?



                                                                       
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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