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Spirit of renunciation

CHENNAI : Spiritual life is rooted in renunciation and sacrifice. Lord Krishna explains at length to Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita the nature of true renunciation when one is able to give up desire for any worldly object and there is no longing in the mind even though one is in the midst of it. Desire and anger are shown to be the root cause of all sorrows. To Arjuna's query regarding the general trend in people who seem to be impelled to commit sin as if by force, even against one's will, the Lord's clear answer is that even though it appears that one is forced to do things against one's will, there is an undercurrent of willingness in it.

Prakriti or the nature of a person draws one to its course only through attachment and aversion. Lord Krishna says that craving and wrath are the most sinful and devouring and hence should be feared most. This insatiable fire of desire easily masks the perception of true knowledge and only the wise understand its powerful sway.

This spirit of renunciation is exemplified in the case of Bharata and Valmiki unravels the depths of his thought, mind and emotions to reveal his selflessness and forthright honesty, said Sri Ravi Sarma in a lecture.

That he never intended to accept the kingdom even in the remotest corner of his heart is explicit beyond doubt. When destiny drove him to a tight situation, facing the twin tragedies of loss of his father and of being forced to shoulder a kingdom that he did not want, he followed Lord Rama to the forest with the hope of entreating Him to come back to Ayodhya and accept the responsibilities of a king.

Bharata was easily misunderstood by Lakshmana and Guha. The Lord was fully aware of Bharata's inner feelings and pacified Lakshmana's anger and dispelled Guha's suspicion appropriately to clear the enmity towards Bharata. Both Lord Rama and Bharata stood by dharma and have shown how important it is to renounce when they both refused the kingdom at that point of time. Bharata's sacrifice is greater than Lord Rama's since he gave up the kingdom and adopted a hermit's life for fourteen years when there was no compulsion.

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