Lessons in Vedanta

Lesson-26

2. Ihaamutra phala bhoga viraaga

This long name simply means Vairagya (detachment). Detachment from what? Detachment from the pleasures of this and the next world!

What is Viragya? Vairagya is nothing but absence of desires.

Why do desires arise? When we see an object or hear about it, if we develop a feeling 'this object is real and is useful to me', a desire to acquire that object arises in the mind.

Two friends were strolling along a beach on a sunny day. One of them saw something shining like silver at a distance. He was thrilled that he had spotted a piece of silver and jumped with joy. His friend asked him as to why he was so happy. The first friend said 'look there. I have spotted a piece of silver. I am going to take it'. Then the other friend said 'it is only a seashell. Because of the sunlight which is falling on it, it is shining like silver'. The first friend did not believe his words. He went near it and found out that it was not silver, but only a seashell. His joy evaporated. He had no interest any more in that shiny object. Why? Because he has now found out the truth. He has realised that the 'existence' of silver in that shiny object was not real. Therefore he has lost all interest. This is Vairagya. What caused this Vairagya? Realisation that the silver which he 'saw' is not real.

Let consider another example.

A smart child enters your office. He has a ripe mango in his hand. He wants to give it to you. You are fond of mangoes. You also like smart children. When you are about to take the fruit from the boy, your telephone rings. The caller is your friend, who is a police officer, who says "a bomb is hidden in the mango which is going to be given to you by a small boy. Someone wants to kill you. They have used this as a ploy"

Now, after having known the ploy, do you still want to take the mango or play with the boy who brought it? No.

As long as you think that the mango is very sweet and tasty, you will be longing to eat it. Once you come to know that the mango can spell death to you, your desire for it vanishes in to thin air. This is Vairagya. What caused this Vairagya? Realisation that the object (in this case, a mango) is harmful to you.

When we realise that all objects in the universe are as unreal as the illusory silver on the beach and as harmful as the mango, we will acquire real Vairagya.

Fruits of action are of two types. 1. That which we experience in this world (Iha loka phala) and 2. That which we experience in the other world (Para loka phala or Amutra phala).

The fruits of action and the experiencing of those fruits in this world are dependent on the effort we put in. If one works hard in the fields, one gets good harvest. But the fruits of action, like the grains that one grows, will be spent after some time. To replenish it, one will have to work hard again.

Happiness in the other world also depends upon the amount of merit earned by us in this world. More the effort, more the merit and more the happiness. With more and more effort, one might become eligible to go to Vaikuntha or Kailasa or Brahma loka. But it must be remembered that even this merit is like a bag of grains. It will be exhausted sooner or later.

In this world, there is a possibility to preserve a part of the harvest for producing crops again. In other words, here it is possible to experience happiness as well as to strive hard to earn merit. It is not so in the other world. There, it is not possible to earn Punya while enjoying the fruits of merits earned previously. One will have to experience happiness completely, exhaust his merit, and then return to this world to earn more Punya.

By this, we can realise that the happiness of the other world is not only temporary, but is also troublesome to us because it drains us of our merit and sends us here to strive hard again and again.

When this knowledge sets in, you will automatically lose interest in the pleasures of this and the other world. The detachment should be so strong that even if someone offers you heaven, you should turn it down and look upon it with disgust.

To reject a cake when the stomach is full does not constitute Vairagya. Real Vairagya is that state in which an individual shows no desire for any sort of pleasure - here or hereafter.