Hare Krishna!
Nowadays, modernization has given us an option to escape from our duties or responsibilities by giving several excuses. There is a popular saying “DO OR DIE!” “Who cares for it? Let us give it up and make merry!” People excuse and earn fame by showing off so-called detachment.
Let us dive deep into this topic getting valuable jewels of knowledge from Bhagavad Gita:
According to the Bhagavad Gita where Lord Krishna describes in Bg. 5.29;
bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ
sarva-loka-maheśvaram
suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati
Translation:
A person in full consciousness of Me, knowing Me to be the ultimate beneficiary of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods, and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attains peace from the pangs of material miseries.
In its support where Srila Prabhupada writes,
“The conditioned souls within the clutches of the illusory energy are all anxious to attain peace in the material world. But they do not know the formula for peace, which is explained in this part of the Bhagavad-gītā. The greatest peace formula is simply this: Lord Kṛṣṇa is the beneficiary in all human activities. Men should offer everything to the transcendental service of the Lord because He is the proprietor of all planets and the demigods thereon.”
So the basic principle we need to understand is that in reality the Supreme Personality Of Godhead, Krishna is the original proprietor, controller and enjoyer of everything and all the manifestations are coming from Him only, and nothing is ours already. So we cannot falsely give up something because nothing is ours already, everything is our Supreme Father’s property, so our duty is, as His sons, to engage everything that we possess in His service only and dovetailing ourselves,our relationships in relation to Him, keeping Him in centre, that is true detachment. Understanding our position, as His eternal servants and He is our eternal and loving Master and working for His pleasure according to the transcendental knowledge given in Bhagavad Gita and not whimsically, then we can derive real benefit in our human life. Artificially rejecting something and suppressing our desires will eventually cause frustration. But by engaging in His transcendental devotional service will gradually purify our hearts and we will become truly blissful and progress in our spiritual life.
In Bg. 15.7, The Lord says,
mamaivāṁśo jīva-loke
jīva-bhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ
manaḥ-ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi
prakṛti-sthāni karṣati
Translation:
The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal fragmental parts. Due to conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with the six senses, which include the mind.
Purport:
“In this verse the identity of the living being is clearly given. The living entity is the fragmental part and parcel of the Supreme Lord – eternally.”
So we can understand from here that our true duty is to work for the pleasure of the Lord and seeing everything in connection to Him is what will make us truly happy in any condition of life.
In Bg. 5.2, Lord Krishna says;
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
sannyāsaḥ karma-yogaś ca
niḥśreyasa-karāv ubhau
tayos tu karma-sannyāsāt
karma-yogo viśiṣyate
Translation:
The Personality of Godhead replied: The renunciation of work and work in devotion are both good for liberation. But, of the two, work in devotional service is better than renunciation of work.
In Purport,Srila Prabhupada writes,
“Fruitive activities (seeking sense gratification) are cause for material bondage. As long as one is engaged in activities aimed at improving the standard of bodily comfort, one is sure to transmigrate to different types of bodies, thereby continuing material bondage perpetually. Therefore, jñāna (or knowledge that one is not this material body but spirit soul) is not sufficient for liberation. One has to act in the status of spirit soul, otherwise there is no escape from material bondage. Action in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not, however, action on the fruitive platform. Activities performed in full knowledge strengthen one’s advancement in real knowledge. Without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, mere renunciation of fruitive activities does not actually purify the heart of a conditioned soul. As long as the heart is not purified, one has to work aon the fruitive platform. But action in Kṛṣṇa consciousness automatically helps one escape the result of fruitive action so that one need not descend to the material platform. Therefore action in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is always superior to renunciation, which always entails a risk of falling. Renunciation without Kṛṣṇa consciousness is incomplete, as is confirmed by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī in his Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.258).
Renunciation is complete when it is in the knowledge that everything in existence belongs to the Lord and that no one should claim proprietorship over anything. One should understand that, factually, nothing belongs to anyone. Then where is the question of renunciation? One who knows that everything is Kṛṣṇa’s property is always situated in renunciation. Since everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa, everything should be employed in the service of Kṛṣṇa. This perfect form of action in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is far better than any amount of artificial renunciation.”
In Bg.(Text 9.27), The Lord says,
yat karosi yad asnasi
yaj juhosi dadasi yat
yat tapasyasi kaunteya
tat kurusva mad-arpanam
Translation:
O son of Kunti, all that you do, all that you eat, all that you offer and give away, as well as all austerities that you may perform, should be done as an offering unto Me.
So, true renunciation starts from offering our results of works or activities for the service of the Lord.
Sacrifices and charity are meant for purification. It is not a matter of getting fame on YouTube, Facebook and on various social media platforms. Many people acknowledge leaving bad habits e.g., intoxication, gambling, meat-eating etc. but by escaping does not actually provide any solution for our problems in life. Surrendering ourselves at the lotus feet of the Lord and acting according to the transcendental teachings that are given by Him in the form of knowledge,i.e., Bhagavad Gita, under the guidance of His representative or bonafide devotees will actually bear fruit in our life. Hence, merely renouncing everything will not provide us any better engagement or results, that would effortlessly make us suppress the bad habits or the painful condition of life.
In Bhagavad Gita (Text 2.59), Lord Krishna says:
“viṣayā vinivartante
nirāhārasya dehinaḥ
rasa-varjaṁ raso ’py asya
paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate”
“Though the embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, the taste for sense objects remains. But, ceasing such engagements by experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness.”
When we do not get a much better relishable and better engagement or a higher taste, we wander or look over here and there, continuously experimenting our whole life,by ourselves. It is only an artificial suppression over mind, body and senses.
‘Indifference’ or ‘Artificial suppression’ always results in vain and no pleasure, and gradually we will be again drawn towards the mundane pleasure because originally the nature of soul is that of blissfulness, if the soul does not get the divine or higher taste, it will be automatically attached to the lower or mundane taste.
So, we cannot suppress ourselves from doing anything ,as our nature as a soul is to be always active? It is not possible.
Rather, we can move ourselves towards positive and relishing engagement. ‘Detachment’ simply means engaging ourselves in activities by being God-centric. It is not a synonym of hatred towards anyone or everyone.
For example, we can engage ourselves in performing activities like performing sankirtana yagya, which was started by Lord Chaitanya who is Krishna Himself, 500 years ago, for the benefit of all the conditioned souls. By this sublime process one can very easily attend to the supreme perfection of life, remaining in one’s occupational duty, specially in this age.
ŚB 11.5.32
kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ
sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam
yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair
yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ
Translation:
In the Age of Kali, intelligent persons perform congregational chanting to worship the incarnation of Godhead who constantly sings the names of Kṛṣṇa. Although His complexion is not blackish, He is Kṛṣṇa Himself. He is accompanied by His associates, servants, weapons and confidential companions.
It is for the one who is sincerely searching for the true happiness of life, irrespective of the bodily designations like nationality, gender, caste, creed or religion,etc., relishing Prasaditarian diet, dancing with Hare Krishna kirtan tunes, reading ‘Back to Godhead’ magazines, visiting Summer and Winter Retreats with devotees and many more.
For what are you awaiting?
Let us join and relish the divine bliss!
Hare Krishna!
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