Can Spirituality Not Wait Till Retirement?

In the Vairagya Prakarana of Yoga Vasishta, Sri Ramji is explaining to Sage Vishwamitra why he is disillusioned with the world.

We completely misunderstand the material world.
Everything in the material world is made up of the pancha bhutas, in varying proportions.
A wise man when he looks at the world would see only the pancha bhutas.
He wouldn't see something as beautiful and something else as ugly.
He wouldn't see something as valuable and something else as worthless.
He wouldn't respect something and disrespect something else.
If that is the case, then how do you deal with the world?
With this kind of attitude is it possible to have any kind of practical interaction with the world?
A hot object will still burn you.
A snake can still bite to kill.
Even the wise men would get scared if they see a lion coming towards them.
But then, these things happen in dreams also.
Does it mean that the objects and incidents in dreams are real?
Relinquishing attachment to the material world, can we not do this some time later, when you are retired, free from responsibilities?
It is never going to happen.
By that time, you will be so addicted to the world, like a drug addict, like an alcoholic, like a smoker, you would not even think or you would have forgotten that something other than this illusory world is even there.
Your brain will be so hard wired by then.
Today's man is like a tree growing in a deep pit.
Its fruits, flowers or even shade are not of use.
In his entire lifetime, a man who is attached to the material world would use his intelligence, knowledge, effort, money, and everything else only to pamper himself.
You may see people who are helpful, who are generous, but it still doesn't mean that they are wise.
Sri Ramji says, God is lifeless.
No one with life can be so merciless as to unleash so much misery producing ignorance in the world.
For what purpose?
There is not a single act in the world which does not produce misery either immediately or eventually.

• The world is misunderstood because it’s nothing but a mix of the five elements — earth, water, fire, air, and space — but we give it emotional value that it doesn’t actually have.

• A wise person sees the world as it truly is — just elements — without attaching judgments like beauty, worth, or respect.

• Even though this understanding is clear, the world still appears and behaves as if it were real, much like how things seem real in a dream.

• Physical interactions still affect the body — fire burns, snakes bite — but that doesn't mean the perceived world is fundamentally real.

• Delaying dispassion until old age is dangerous, because worldly habits become deeply ingrained, making detachment nearly impossible later.

• By the time one retires, addiction to pleasure, comfort, and ego gratification becomes so strong that escape feels unnatural and even undesirable.

• Most people, however intelligent or kind they seem, spend their lives only to serve and please their own bodies and egos.

• A person trapped in worldly attachment is compared to a tree stuck in a pit — useless to others and unable to rise.

• The so-called divine design appears harsh, because life is set up to produce suffering through ignorance — and no act seems free from eventual pain.

• What does it mean to say the world is made of just pancha bhutas?
  It means everything we see — objects, people, places — are only forms of the five basic elements: earth, water, fire, air, and space. What makes something seem valuable or beautiful is our mental projection. Without that bias, there's no real difference between gold and clay.

• If everything is just elements, then why do things feel so different — like silk vs. thorns?
  That's the power of perception shaped by conditioning. Two people can see the same thing but react differently based on what their mind believes it to be.

• Isn't it dangerous to say beauty and worth are illusions? Don’t they motivate people to act well?
  Acting well doesn't need illusion. A wise life flows from understanding, not falsehood. Illusions may feel pleasant, but they also chain us to suffering.

• How can something unreal still hurt us — like fire burning or a snake biting?
  Because the world functions on a consistent illusion. Just like in a dream, when something scary appears, your heart races. It doesn't have to be 'real' in the ultimate sense to affect your experience.

• If a lion runs at me, I’ll still run. Doesn’t that prove the world is real?
  No — it only proves that the illusion is deep and immersive. Your reactions are real, your suffering is real — but the root assumptions behind what you’re reacting to may still be false.

• Isn’t this splitting hairs? If I feel pain, does it really matter if it’s ‘ultimately real’?
  Yes, because understanding the illusion reduces the grip of fear and craving. You still act in the world, but with a calm clarity, not as a slave to it.

• Why can't I postpone detachment until later in life?
  Because habit becomes identity. The longer you engage with worldly cravings, the harder it is to break free. Addiction isn't just to substances — it's to sensations, roles, and ego-boosting routines.

• What if I’m disciplined enough to turn to spiritual life after retirement?
  That’s rare. By then, the mind is tired, the body is weak, and desires are more stubborn. Early practice builds inner strength when it’s most needed.

• Isn’t this just spiritual fear-mongering — pushing urgency where it isn’t needed?
  No — it’s just practical. Postponing till later assumes life and health will cooperate, and that habits can be changed at will. Both assumptions are risky.

• How does attachment distort intelligence?
  It makes intelligence serve selfish ends. Knowledge is used not to grow or liberate but to decorate the ego — to impress, control, or indulge.

• But aren't people with wealth and knowledge doing good things too?
  Yes, but action doesn’t equal wisdom. A truly wise person acts without ego and doesn't seek reward or validation from others.

• So generosity doesn't count unless it's from detachment? Isn’t that too strict?
  It’s not about discrediting generosity. It’s about recognizing that even noble actions can be rooted in ego unless there's inner freedom.

• What does the analogy of a tree in a pit mean?
  It means a person obsessed with worldly life may grow, flower, and bear fruit — but none of it benefits others or uplifts the soul. The potential is trapped.

• Can’t someone still be of use to others even if they’re worldly?
  Yes, to an extent. But spiritual value is different from practical utility. Only someone who rises above the pit of ego can truly uplift others.

• Isn’t this a pessimistic view of society? Most people live in the world — are they all doomed?
  It’s not about doom. It’s about waking up. The message isn’t judgment — it’s a call to rise higher while we still can.

• Why does the passage say God is lifeless — isn’t that blasphemous?
  It’s a sharp metaphor to express frustration — that a living, conscious being wouldn’t design a world so steeped in suffering and confusion. It’s a cry of pain, not denial.

• Is the world really that cruel? Isn’t there joy too?
  There is joy, but it’s fleeting and often followed by loss or fear of loss. Lasting peace doesn’t come from the world — it comes from going beyond it.

• Isn’t suffering just a part of growth? Why reject it outright?
  Growth is real, but so is the trap. This view challenges us to rise above the cycle where even growth gets weaponized by desire and illusion.

Ramaswamy Sastry and Vighnesh Ghanapaathi