Miscellaneous - Religion   

Overcome attachment

CHENNAI: : It is not possible for the majority of people to renounce the world to pursue the goal of liberation. But, at the same time, they cannot neglect this objective, as the very purpose of human birth is to realise God and thereby put an end to bondage. So they have to find a via media that will enable them to follow the spiritual path amidst their worldly preoccupations. Such spiritual seekers used to approach Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa for advice and he recommended chanting the Divine name, seeking the company of the devout and developing devotion, said Swami Gnanadananda in his discourse.

The example of a turtle helps in understanding how a seeker must have concentration on his objective. After laying eggs on the shore the turtle returns to the ocean but its mind will constantly think of the eggs till they hatch. Similarly, a devotee's mind must always dwell on God amidst his day-to-day activities. The mind can be compared to milk and the world to water. Just as milk will mix with water completely, the mind will become totally absorbed in the material world.

When milk is allowed to set to become curd, it can then be churned to get butter. Unlike milk, butter will not mix with water; so also the mind, which is trained in meditation will not be distracted by the world.

A devotee should have the conviction that only God is eternal and everything else fleeting. Hence, spending an entire lifetime in the pursuit of worldly goals and amassing wealth become self-defeating, as the pleasures one gets through them are transitory. Adi Sankara in his hymn Bhaja Govindam says with candour, "Wealth does not give happiness; it only increases sorrows. If one has too much money there is fear of guarding it; lack of money is also a problem. A wealthy man suspects everyone including his own son." One can command creature comforts with money but wealth cannot help one to realise God.

A devotee must weep for God with longing in his heart according to Sri Ramakrishna; then only can one envision Him. Man, on the contrary, cries only over his worldly relations and sorrows. Instead, if the devotee disengages from his worldly attachments and directs them to God, he can realise Him.

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