A fisherman casts his net and catches all kinds of fish. There is one kind of fish though that always eludes him. A few fish struggle and manage to swim away. Others strive to get out but remain imprisoned . The majority in the net relaxes. They are not even aware that they are in a life-threatening situation. They do not feel the danger. A few moments later they are dead.
There are four types of people . Most belong to the fourth category . Caught in the net of maya, delusion, they are oblivious of dangers. They, the bogies, are content in the bondage of worldly life. There are some who have awakened to a higher dimension and are aware of lifes pitfalls .
They make sincere attempts to free themselves. They are the yogis. A few, the sanyasis are able to free themselves. Rare is the person who, even while living in the world, remains out of it ever free, the nitya mukta, the jnani.
The Gitas fifth chapter describes three types of spiritual aspirants who remain liberated even while transacting with the world and enjoying its offerings. A yogi is a spiritual novice who is not yet free of desires. He has to tread the path of action.
A sanyasi has divested himself of most desires and is ready for contemplation and meditation . He is unaffected by pairs of opposites. Liberation is within his reach. However, one has to plough through karma yoga, the path of action, to be fit for meditation .
Krishna underscores the importance of action before plunging into meditation. A jnani has purified his soul, overcome his mind and subdued the senses. He sees himself in all. He remains unscathed even while acting.
How do the yogi, sanyasi and jnani act in the world A jnani is a dynamic actor but maintains his objectivity right through. He thinks "I do nothing at all" while actions are going on.
A sanyasi dedicates all actions to Brahmn. As the lotus leaf is untouched by water despite being in constant touch with it, a sanyasi is detached from the world despite living in it, transacting with it and giving of himself to it. He is anchored in the thought of atman while fulfilling worldly obligations. A yogi is focused on self-purification while acting with detachment. Renunciation is not life denying, it is life enabling . It is the turning away from a trivial now for a more significant future. A sportsperson , for instance, who turns his back on the trophy gets the trophy and enjoys the celebration.
Renunciation is not giving up action. It is acting in a spirit of renunciation . Renunciation is preventing the clutter of inconsequential things from interfering with the more important aspects of life. It is intelligent waste disposal . You dont have to give up things that are dear to you. It is evolving to appreciate far more fulfilling avenues of enjoyment. Then your own erstwhile preoccupations seem petty.
Renunciation is not keeping away and living a life of seclusion . It is learning to live a life of inclusion by weeding out that which comes in the way of a fulfilled life.
Ultimately, renunciation opens the doors to realisation. Life then becomes one in which you are not hampered by the limitations of body, mind and intellect . You sail aloft, unaffected by the finitude of the world and enjoy the realm beyond.
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(source- toi)
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