The Final Gateway To Enlightenment

 Sanyasa, renunciation, is a concept central to the Bhagwad Gita. The image that comes to mind is a person in ochre robes who has given up wealth and family, abandoned duties and responsibilities, and retired to the Himalayas. In the sixth chapter of the Gita, Krishna defines a sanyasi as one who does what one ought to do, fulfils one’s duties and responsibilities fully, without depending on the fruit of action. A sanyasi is not one who does not have a higher ideal, nor is he an inactive person. Sanyasa is the essential prerequisite to meditation and realisation. There are four types of people. The vast majority belong to the bhogi category. Their only mission is to enjoy the world. They believe you only live once and must indulge in the senses to maximise enjoyment. They are outward-looking and seek objects of desire. A small minority understand that life is more than mere sense indulgence. They look inward and upward to find deeper and more meaningful avenues for happiness. Of these, the spiritual initiates are yogis who still have desires for the world but strive for happiness within. As they shed desires through karma yoga, path of service; bhakti yoga, path of devotion; and jnana yoga, path of knowledge, they become sanyasis who are knocking at the doors of enlightenment. They have few, sublime desires – for freedom, to serve humanity and repay their guru-guide. They only need to meditate to overcome the last hurdle to enlightenment. Meditation is the highest spiritual technique that needs to be practised diligently and devotedly by qualified practitioners. The essential prerequisite for meditation is a calm mind. A mind burdened with desire and attachment is unable to take off into subtler realms. Step by step, Krishna takes us through the preparatory disciplines for meditation. He also gives the disqualifications for meditation. This is followed by the test of enlightenment. A realised soul feels one with all beings. A body-conscious person sees only physical things. An emotional person looks for kindness, affection and gentleness in people. An intellectual looks for clarity of thought. And a spiritual person sees Atman everywhere. He goes beyond worldly differences and sees all beings as reflections of himself. In the end, he experiences God in every living being. Arjuna, like us, is afraid of leaving the safe confines of his present existence to discover the unknown realm of the Infinite. He asks Krishna – what is the fate of those who commit themselves to spiritual life but die before realisation? Krishna says, “One who is righteous will never come to grief. Either now or in the future.” Your efforts will not go in vain. You will carry forward the credits to your future life. A spiritually evolved person who falls short of realisation will either be born in the home of the happy and wealthy or in the family of wise yogis. There, endowed with the wisdom acquired in previous lives, he will strive even more to attain enlightenment. Among all yogis, one who worships with a pure heart and clear intellect, who maintains the goal at all times and strives consistently, is most united. Thus any person, literate or illiterate, elite or commoner, irrespective of caste, race or background, is assured of the ultimate state of infinite happiness.

Source: Times of India, 4/10/18