The True Detachmen
(Vairagya)

      The Holy Scripture of Gita deals with the subject of detachment in a new philosophical manner. Detachment, or vairagya, is not so much the relinquishing of the fruit of one’s actions but rather an inner transformation, so that we may feel infinitely more happy and joyful through positive feelings in our mind by the performance of the virtuous and spiritual deeds, rather than through any material possessions. Detachment is essentially the act of giving up something lower so we can be free to grasp the higher.

     Desires are the cause of all unrighteous and sinful behavior. Freedom from all sensuous and worldly desires would bring an end to all vices, such as anger, covetousness, pride, jealousy, fear, and sorrow. According to Hindu philosophy, material possessions only bring temporary pleasure, which is often smeared with impure, violent, and destructive means to acquire such effects. Spiritual conduct, on the other hand, brings more lasting and permanent inner happiness of joy (ananda). Detachment comes to man through meditation, when the vibrations of the Divine are awakened within. Actions (karma), reincarnation (punar-janam), and salvation (moksha) form the trio of Hindu philosophy. But it is detachment, as taught by the Lord in the Bhagavad Gita would become the remedy for millions of people for all their worldly stresses and strains.

 “Your right is to work only, but never to be attached to the fruits thereof. Let not the fruit of action be your object, nor let your attachment be to inaction.”
—Chapter 2, verse 47
 This is one of the most quoted verses of the Bhagavad Gita. The Supreme Lord exhorts man that he should let go of attachment to the lower self and material gains, and instead, unite with the Divine. Working vigorously for a spiritual duty, without any selfish motive, is regarded as the most worthy achievement in life.

“Therefore, having controlled the senses and collected the mind, one should sit in meditation, devoting oneself, heart, and soul to me. For the mind of the man whose senses are mastered has become stable.”
—Chapter 2, verse 61
The lower mind is swayed by many emotions and sensual feelings. It needs to be transformed into the higher mind. Restraining the senses is the key to the gate of spiritual realization.

“The man who dwells on sense objects develops attachment; from attachment springs desire, and from (unfulfilled) desire ensues anger.”
—Chapter 2, verse 62
“From anger arises delusion; from delusion arises confusion of memory; from confusion of memory arises loss of discrimination (buddhi); from the loss of discrimination the individual perishes.”
—Chapter 2, Verse 63
In the above two verses, the ancient Hindu sages have described, in a very clinical manner, the chain of events that lead to the mental stress and deterioration associated with sensual passions and desires.

“But a man of disciplined mind, though moving about amongst the objects of the senses but with his senses under control, is free from likes and dislikes, and thereby attains tranquility.”
—Chapter 2, verse 64
“With the attainment of such tranquility of mind, all his sorrows come to an end; and the intellect of such a person of placid mind, soon withdrawing itself from all sides, becomes firmly established in God.”
—Chapter 2, verse 65
In these important verses, there is a clear directive of how a person may attain peace of mind by controlling the sensual desires, and then how to move further toward surrendering oneself to the Divine. Devotion to God (bhakti) is considered an essential tool for the final emancipation of the soul.

“Man does not attain freedom from action by abstaining from work, nor does he attain perfection by mere renunciation of action.”
—Chapter 3, verse 4
In the Vedas, the fourth stage of human life is described as the stage of renunciation, or sanyasa. From this stage, man goes to the highest spiritual development of liberation, the moksha. In the Gita (the song of the Lord), many new attitudes and qualifications have been added. Renunciation has been redefined, very clearly and boldly. Merely avoiding work would not be enough to uplift mankind spiritually. On the other hand, the scripture of the Bhagavad Gita is considered in many respects to be the finest manual of the philosophy of work in the world.
“Surely none can remain inactive even for a moment; everyone is helplessly driven to action by nature-born qualities.”
       —Chapter 3, verse 5
“He who outwardly restrains the organs of action but mentally dwells on the objects of the senses is a man of deluded intellect, a hypocrite.”
—Chapter 3, verse 6
In these two verses, the Lord has explained most perfectly the very genesis of work. Work is not merely the outward performance by the body. The mind is infinitely more important. Our thoughts, when we are working and when we are not outwardly working, make us what we really are. We now know that man is what he thinks. Hindu sages have gone to the ultimate depths of this understanding.

“The virtuous that partake of what is left after sacrifice are absolved of all sins. Those who eat for the sake of nourishing their bodies alone eat only sin.”
—Chapter 3, verse 13
Work has been assigned as duty in Hindu scriptures. In Vedic rituals, food offerings were distributed among all, and the hosts, who sponsored the sacrifice worship, or yagna, then ate the leftovers. In the Gita, this point has been again elucidated. Our daily work is also to be taken as a form of worship—the yagna. Whatever we earn from our work may then be distributed as a divine offering (prasad) to others. Only after this distribution may the one who performed the work consume the leftovers. This philosophy is based on the spiritual principle that we all are but one family. As in the home, the householder first takes care of the needs of other family members before paying attention to his own needs. Here, the Lord instructs us very clearly to serve others as a sacred duty.

“For whatever a great man does, the same is done by others as well. Whatever standard he sets, people follow.”
—Chapter 3, verse 21
This is a very important verse. Those who are the elders in the family and community, those who are teachers, and those who are leaders have an additional responsibility to set a good example for others. They need to perform good and noble acts so that they may inspire others to do likewise.

“ The senses are said to be great; greater than the senses is the mind, greater than the mind is the intellect, but greater than the intellect is He (the Self ).”
—Chapter 3, verse 42
In this very important verse, the Gita clearly outlines the seat of power, which belongs to the Spiritual Divine. Modern science still struggles to define this, even though many eminent scientists individually acknowledge the limitations of science and the absolute authority of the Supreme God.

“O Bharata (Arjuna), whenever there is the decline of righteousness, then I manifest Myself.”
—Chapter 4, verse 7
This is the most famous verse of the Gita. It is the Lord’s assurance to mankind that, in the end, God always intervenes to safeguard against sin and immorality. Indeed, inside every man the struggle between right and wrong continues. Sin, however, would not be the ultimate winner—the Holy Scripture of the Bhagavad Gita distinctly makes this clear.

“O Paramtapa, sacrifice in the form of knowledge is superior to sacrifice performed with material things, for all actions, without exception, culminate in knowledge.”
—Chapter 4, verse 33
The sacrifice or offering of spiritual knowledge to others is far more superior than offering any material help. The highest bliss to man comes from divine knowledge.

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