Only A Fool Would Get Attached To Worldly Life

We are looking at the Vairagya Prakarana of Yoga Vasishta.
Lord Rama is telling Sage Vishwamitra why he is disillusioned with the world.
Our lives are like how fresh leaves appear on a tree and after some time, they die and fall down.
But in between whatever we do in between, all the hard work, they are also not worthy of anything.
We work throughout the day to make ourselves happy or others happy.
To make the parents happy and proud.
To meet the demands of the wife, husband, children.
To meet their needs.
They are just needs of the body and mind.
Needs of ego.
You work hard to make others feel good about you, great about you.
But what happens to all these at the time of death.
Are the results of your hard work going to be eternal?
No.
You work hard to satisfy the hunger of someone.
But how long does the result of your hard work last?
A few hours.
Till the time he is hungry again.
You work hard and send your child to the topmost school or college spending all your savings, lacs, or even crores, sometimes borrowing, sometimes selling your house.
But how long its effect is going to last?
Maybe maximum his or her lifetime.
Not anymore.
None of these results are permanent, neither for you nor for the beneficiary.
We know only to do these kinds of things.
We don't spend time with intelligent people.
We don't do intelligent things or stay away from things using intelligence and discretion.
Once you are in this trap of work-work-work, your intelligence is gone, your discretion is gone.
Even when you have made a lot of material gains, you have money and properties all around, you have destroyed all your competitors, all your rivals.
You are at peace, you don't have to work anymore, you are ready to enjoy all that you have created around you, then death comes.
It's all gone.
This is the nature of materialistic life.
Only a fool would get attached to worldly life.
Only a fool would fall into this trap.
Says Lord Rama.
People suddenly walk into this stage called the world.
They are all very busy.
Everybody is busy.
Eager to do things.
Doing things.
Nobody has the time to sit down and contemplate.
They don't have the patience to sit down and contemplate.
They are moving here and there.
They are running here and there.
Suddenly they walk out of the stage with the same eagerness.
It is so sudden.
They leave behind work half-finished.
They come in in a hurry.
Do something in a hurry.
And when it is half done, they go out in a hurry.
It's like waves in the sea.
They come towards you.
It would look like they have a purpose.
They will do something.
No, they just crash and disappear.
We don't know where all these people are coming from.
We don't know where all these people are headed to.
We can only see the stage.
The world is like a poisonous creeper with beautiful flowers.
The bees get fascinated by their beauty.
They approach.
But the honey is poisonous.
The poisonous honey kills the bees.
This is what happens with us also.
The world around fascinates us with all its beauty, fun, enjoyments, great positions to achieve, great places to go to.
But then you are trapped.
It's just hard work and struggle to get where you want to.
Not only that, it is just hard work and struggle to stay there.
The world is like people who stay together for a few hours or a few days at a place of pilgrimage, like Kumbh mela.
They are strangers to each other.
But then they create for themselves the illusion called mother, father, son, daughter, neighbor, friend, boss, subordinate.
Then the mela is suddenly over.
They go elsewhere.
Can this illusion be trusted?
Asks Lord Rama.
Nothing is reliable in this world.
Nothing is trustworthy in this world.
People think that the world around us is real.
No.
It is not.
The world is thankless.
Look at a tree.
It doesn't demand anything from you.
It is nourished by the rains, sunlight, air, nutrients from the soil.
All that it does throughout life is to give fruits and the comfort of its shade.
But we have no problem cutting it down, to fell it whenever we want.
This is only what we can expect from the world.
Those who help others, they also die.
Those who do not help others, they also die.
Those who harm others, they also die
Those who do not harm others, they also die.
Those who neither help nor harm others, they also die.
Only death is certain in this world.
Your own people around you, your own friends and relatives, your favorite objects, which you either possess or yearn to process are getting you caught in this trap, making you stay in this trap.
Not your enemies, not what you dislike.
Look at the irony.
Apparently your well-wishers.
But they are the ones responsible for your bondage.
Nobody can be trusted, nothing can be trusted.
Says Lord Rama.

• Life follows a cycle like leaves on a tree — born, active for a while, then gone. The in-between effort doesn’t leave anything lasting.

• We toil daily to satisfy physical, emotional, and ego-driven needs — our own and others’ — but the effects are always temporary.

• Even monumental efforts like educating a child or building a career produce results that barely outlast one generation.

• All material achievements — money, fame, power — vanish the moment death arrives. Nothing is truly secure.

• The more deeply one gets caught in worldly activity, the more intelligence and discrimination fade away.

• People enter the world hurriedly, chase tasks, and leave just as suddenly, leaving things half-finished.

• Human life resembles waves that rise, appear meaningful, but crash and vanish without trace.

• We don’t know where people come from or where they go — we only see their brief presence on the stage of the world.

• The world appears beautiful and tempting, like a flowering creeper, but its rewards are poisonous and trap the seeker.

• Relationships and roles — mother, son, friend — are temporary constructs, like strangers meeting at a fair and then dispersing.

• The world betrays even those who serve it selflessly. Nothing is returned with certainty or fairness.

• Death doesn’t differentiate between good, bad, helpful, or harmful people. It treats all the same.

• The ones who bind us most — family, desires, possessions — are the very things that deepen our bondage, not our enemies.

• The world cannot be trusted. Its praise is hollow, its promises unreliable, and its rewards vanish in a blink.

• What happens to all the effort we put into relationships and achievements?
  It leads only to short-term satisfaction. Feeding someone, impressing people, or securing success brings results that fade quickly — none of it lasts beyond a brief span.

• Isn’t helping others and doing our duties still worth something?
  It helps in the moment, no doubt. But when viewed from a larger lens — from birth to death — these acts don’t produce anything enduring.

• If the results disappear, why even try?
  That’s the trap. The world tricks us into constant doing without letting us ask whether what we’re doing will ever bring peace or permanence.

• Why does being busy all the time destroy wisdom?
  When you’re constantly engaged in doing, chasing, and reacting, there’s no room left to think, reflect, or discern. You run on auto-pilot, not insight.

• Can’t one be active and still be wise?
  Only if there's deliberate pause and reflection. But most people get swept away by the momentum of life and forget to ask the deeper questions.

• Is this really a problem? Isn’t staying active a sign of a productive life?
  Activity without reflection is mechanical. It consumes your entire life, and when death arrives, you realize you never truly lived with clarity.

• Why does death feel like such a betrayal after all our success?
  Because we spend life preparing to enjoy the fruit of our labor — and when we finally can, time runs out. Death doesn’t wait for perfect timing.

• So, is there no way to win this game?
  The only way to win is not to play it blindly. Understand the rules — everything ends — and live accordingly.

• Doesn’t this make life hopeless or depressing?
  Only if you expect permanence. But if you align with truth — that nothing here is lasting — you stop clinging and start living wisely.

• What does the world resemble according to this view?
  It’s like a stage with actors rushing in and out, or like waves that crash and vanish. Everyone seems purposeful, but it’s all brief and directionless.

• Then what is the point of all this rushing around?
  That’s the mystery. We’re conditioned to move without questioning. But those who pause see how absurd and hollow the whole chase is.

• Isn’t this too cynical? Aren’t people genuinely building something valuable?
  The value is imagined. No empire, no family name, no wealth has endured forever. It’s not cynicism, it’s clear-sighted realism.

• Why is the world compared to a poisonous creeper?
  Because it looks beautiful, inviting, and fragrant. But once you go near, what it offers — status, pleasure, recognition — turns out to be toxic and addictive.

• Why do we keep falling for it despite knowing the danger?
  Because the attraction is intense and immediate, while the pain unfolds slowly. We only realize the trap when it’s too late.

• Can’t we just enjoy the good parts and avoid the poison?
  That’s the illusion. You can’t separate them. The pleasure and pain come bundled — once you’re in, you're stuck working to keep it all from collapsing.

• Why are relationships described as temporary illusions?
  Just like pilgrims at a mela, people come together briefly, form attachments, and then part. These roles are invented for convenience, not rooted in permanence.

• Should we then abandon all relationships?
  Not abandon — but stop believing they’re eternal or defining. Serve and care with love, but don’t tie your identity to them.

• Isn’t this view disrespectful to family and society?
  It’s not disrespect — it’s clarity. It frees you from unrealistic expectations and helps you serve others without getting emotionally trapped.

• How does the world treat even the noblest people?
  No differently. Whether you help or hurt, serve or exploit — all end in death. The world doesn’t reward goodness with certainty.

• Then why be good at all?
  Not because of external rewards, but because inner peace comes from right action. Choose goodness for its own integrity, not for what it might fetch.

• If everyone dies, what difference does any of it make?
  That’s the wake-up call. When you know death levels all, you stop playing for shallow victories and start seeking real meaning.

• Why are our loved ones said to be the cause of bondage?
  Because they keep us tied to desires, fears, and obligations. They become reasons for clinging to a world that’s slipping away.

• Should we stop loving them?
  No. Love without attachment. Be present, care deeply, but know that their role in your life is part of a fleeting play.

• Isn’t this a harsh way to look at human connections?
  It’s honest. And from this honesty comes the strength to love without losing yourself, to serve without getting trapped.

• What’s the final truth about this world?
  It’s unreliable, impermanent, and often thankless. Trusting it blindly only leads to suffering.

• Then where do we place our trust?
  In inner clarity, in wisdom, in what doesn’t perish with time. That’s the only anchor worth holding.

• Aren’t we just being pessimistic?
  No — we’re choosing clear-eyed freedom over comforting lies. Real peace starts when illusions are dropped.

Ramaswamy Sastry and Vighnesh Ghanapaathi