Viveka & Vairagya (Anapanasati Series) –3– What Is Vairagya?

Welcome to "Unconditional Love – Viveka and Vairagya: Yoga of Liberation, an Anapanasati audio-guided 39 meditations."

Viveka, in Sanskrit, is the discernment between the real and the unreal, the eternal and the transient. It involves understanding the impermanence of the material world, distinguishing spiritual truth from worldly illusions, and seeking self-realization and liberation through wisdom and clarity.

Transcript

Vairagya,

A Sanskrit term,

Can be broken down into vai,

Meaning to dry up,

To be dried,

And raga,

Meaning color,

Passion,

Feeling,

Emotion,

Interest,

And so forth.

The implied meaning of drying up of passions gives vairagya the general sense of ascetic indifference,

The things that typically engender passionate attachment in most people.

It implies the complete cessation of desires,

Attachments,

And personal cravings in the process of attaining a state where one is not subject to the influence of raga or dvesha beyond dualism.

Vairagya is the cultivation of indifference to the transient objects of worldly possessions as well as to the selfish mind,

Ahankara,

Which is the primary cause of attachments in the first place.

It is a dispassionate attitude towards life that creates the strength of renunciation,

Tyaga,

Allowing the yogi to seek true reality,

Saat,

Rather than the illusions of the world,

Asat,

The eternal nitya,

Rather than the ephemeral anitya or anicca in Pali.

When one develops a sufficient amount of viveka,

Discerning intellect,

The temporary fleeting nature of the world and its objects becomes evident,

And the lack of attraction to them begins naturally.

One who has subdued all passions and desires is called a virajika.

Maharishi Patanjali defines vairagya as drstha anusravika visaya vitrishnasya vasikara samjhana vairagyam,

Implying a conscious and controlled state of mastery,

A special state of mind that manifests in one who does not crave for objects that can be experienced through special sense organs such as sight or hearing.

Swami Sivananda says,

Vairagya is a purely internal state of mind.

He adds,

A person can remain in the busy world amidst various luxuries and still possess perfect vairagya,

While a sadhu living in a cave in the remote regions of the Himalayas may be deeply attached to his kamandala,

Staff or piece of cloth.

This concept can be clearly understood through the story of King Janaka and Sukhacharya.

Sukha,

Being a young rishi,

Once went to King Janaka to learn how a great king living in immense luxury could be recognized as a yogi of outstanding level.

While Janaka was engaged in a reception,

He asked Sukhacharya to walk around the palace,

Balancing a pot of oil on his head with the condition that not a drop should fall to the ground.

When Sukha returned many hours later,

Janaka asked him to describe what he saw in the palace.

Sukha replied that he saw nothing because his attention was fully focused on the pot of oil and preventing even a single drop from falling to the ground.

This,

Exclaimed King Janaka,

Is what I do even when all my royal duties are performed by me with a mind focused only on the divine.

It can be argued that vairagya is the sole means of attaining moksha.

In the Yoga Sutras,

Maharishi Patanjali asserts that vairagya and abhyasa,

Constant uninterrupted practice of a higher nature,

Are the two keys in our efforts to tame the fluctuations of the mind.

Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita also recommends that vairagya as a key means to control the restless mind which is as fickle as the wind when he says Unbridled and uncontrolled feelings and mind give rise to uncontrolled and unnecessary thoughts that sow the seeds of desires and needs.

When our desires are not fulfilled,

Disappointment and frustration arise,

And if this is not put to an end,

These feelings gradually turn into anger,

Krodha.

A person mastered by anger cannot perceive things accurately as their vision is clouded with inasha.

In such a state,

Decision making becomes difficult as the ability to distinguish the real from the unreal,

The true from the false,

Is impaired.

This state of confusion,

Characterized by the inability to analyze correctly,

Ultimately leads to downfall.

What we need to let go of is precisely the desire for a specific object or result stemming from the internal sense of need.

This internal sense of need is the driving force behind this vicious cycle,

And the only way to rid ourselves of it is through vairagya.

To live without the internal sense of need,

Isn't that vairagya?

If not,

The cycle of desire is revived and a new spiral descent begins.

Maharishi Patanjali provides excellent guidance on renouncing even the highest ambitions.

Renunciation of the world is achieved through aparavairagya,

But he also suggests renouncing even the desire for moksha itself.

This is paravairagya.

Only then can we become that.

He says that only through the development of non-attachment,

Even to our aspirations for the highest state,

The root of our enslavement is destroyed,

And then comes kaivalya.

Only when we completely let go can the highest state happen,

And until then,

As long as even the slightest trace of I want is present,

It cannot happen.

According to the Rig Veda,

The first book of mankind,

Yoga serves as a means to gain mastery over the mind and senses that seek the external.

Yunjate mana ayyutye yunjate diyo vipraviprasya brahato vipashchitah vihotrah dadhye vayunavidehka indmahidavasya savituh paristhutiye Thirukural,

The revered Tamil text by Thiruvaluvar,

Known for its timeless values,

Underscores the same thought.

Thiruvaluvar develops the idea of vairagya in verses 341 to 350 of chapter 35,

Asserting that renouncing desires frees us from torment,

Leading to ultimate realization.

Mastering the senses with higher reason is the path to renunciation.

He emphasizes that inability to overcome desires leads to constant oscillation between happiness and sorrow.

Thiruvaluvar further underscores that those unable to free themselves from worldly bonds and desires will experience disappointment and suffering,

While true renunciates are esteemed.

Unrestricted desires draw people into a world of fantasies demanding control over them for a peaceful and fulfilling life.

Trishna,

Characterized by intense desire,

Arises from constant enjoyment of the object,

Turning into acute longing.

Maharishi Vasishta,

In the Yoga Vasishta,

Warns Lord Rama that destroying desires is harder than performing giant feats,

As desires are the seeds of worldly existence which can only be overcome by vairagya.

Detachment,

Vairagya,

Faith,

Sraddha,

And love,

Prema,

Are the pillars of peace,

Shanti.

Vairagya,

In particular,

Makes our spiritual practice,

Sadhana,

Effective,

Helping us to be content,

Santosha,

As we begin to understand that nothing happens against the will of God.

The perspective of Lord Buddha is simple,

Overall,

Life is suffering,

But Anjali expresses a similar thought when he says,

Dukkha meva sarvam vivekina,

Indeed,

Everything is truly painful for the discerning wise.

It is important to understand that this viewpoint is not just the philosophy of pessimists but carries within it a beautiful optimism for the universe,

Capable of awakening a deep sense of vairagya within us.

This helps to divert our consciousness from sensual pleasures and inspires us to direct our attention and awareness towards the divine,

Ultimately leading to the realization of eternal infinite bliss,

Nitya ananta anandam.

It is said that the divine power assumes numerous forms.

In the devout it shines as jnana agni,

The fire of wisdom,

While in the non-devout it burns as krodha agni,

The fire of anger,

Or kama agni,

The fire of desire.

Nowadays man harbors this fire of anger etc.

In his heart and becomes a victim of fear and delusion.

The practice of vairagya is a reliable means to extinguish both kama and krodha.

In the Bhagavad Gita,

Lord Krishna explains that yoga is a state of harmonious balance – samatvam yoga ucyate.

Such a state,

Where a person is unaffected by either success or failure – siddhyo siddhyo samo buddhva – can only be attained with an indifferent and detached attitude towards the world.

It is emphasized that a person is truly rooted in the state of yoga when they are detached from material desires and established only in the Self.

In Sanskrit,

Yada vinivartante siddham atmanyeva vasatisthate nisprih sarva-kamevyo yukta iti ucyate tada.

In Adhyatma Upanishad,

We can find these words about vairagya.

When desires do not arise,

Even in the face of the objects of enjoyment,

Know it as the state of vairagya – non-attachment,

Desirelessness.

And when the ego ceases to rise,

Know it as the highest state of knowledge.

When the moods that have become extinct do not arise again,

That state is known as one of the indifference.

And the sage whose wisdom has become steady attains eternal bliss.

One whose mind has dissolved into the Supreme becomes innocent and inactive.

And the moods of the mind then dissolve in the unity of the Supreme Self,

And the purified individual self remains choiceless and in a state of pure consciousness.

This state is called wisdom,

Or pragya.

And one who has attained this wisdom throughout is called jivanmukta – one free in life itself,

One who has no egoistic feeling in respect of his body and the senses,

And besides has ceased to think in terms of me and mine in respect to other objects,

Is called a jivanmukta.

When desires do not arise,

Even in the face of the objects of enjoyment,

Know it as the state of vairagya – non-attachment,

Desirelessness.

And when the ego ceases to arise,

Know it as the highest state of knowledge.

Definitions of certain states of inner exploration,

Termed in-search,

Serve a vital purpose.

When delving into oneself,

Solitude prevails.

To navigate this introspective journey,

Specific definitions and criteria are necessary to discern the unfolding of one's inner landscape.

In the realm of in-search,

Solitude is constant.

To navigate this internal terrain effectively,

Clear criteria are indispensable.

The inner realm remains uncharted,

Devoid of any readily available map.

Even if maps do exist,

They are not inherently applicable to individual seekers.

As Buddha elucidates,

His inner journey is unique to him and may not align with another's path.

Every person begins their inner journey from a certain point of view,

Rendering universal maps obsolete.

Each person charts their course uniquely.

No map can serve as a definitive guide.

This sutra does not offer a fixed map.

Instead,

It provides fluid definitions to help individuals perceive their own path and internal occurrences.

These definitions offer insight into one's progress,

Direction,

And proximity to their goals.

The initial definition concerns vairagya as it marks the threshold of this inner odyssey.

Without detachment from the external world,

One cannot traverse inward.

Vairagya,

Or non-attachment,

Acts as the gateway.

It necessitates a turning away from worldly attachments to orient oneself towards the inner core.

But what constitutes this detachment?

One can forcibly induce detachment,

Mechanically shifting focus inward.

However,

Mere physical detachment isn't sufficient.

The mind may still linger in worldly preoccupations.

Departing from the world physically,

Whether by retreating to remote locales or renouncing possessions,

Isn't arduous.

Yet,

The mind may remain entangled in worldly affairs.

True vairagya entails a state where desires fail to arise,

Even in the presence of worldly temptations.