You Can Attain Dispassion Through Enjoyment Also
We say man should live with four purposes in life. These are called the four purusharthas: dharma, artha, kama, and moksha.
Why not moksha alone? Isn't this possible?
What exactly is moksha? Moksha means to free yourself, to become absolutely free, independent.
You see pieces of a sweet ripe mango in front of you, kept well arranged on a plate. Doesn't this influence you, your mind? You want to take one piece and eat it. That means your mind has lost its independence. It is now controlled by that mango.
Then you realize that it cannot be accessed. It is kept inside a glass box. You go around asking, how do I get that mango? Where do I make the payment to get it?
So you are doing work now. That mango has put you into action, making you work like a slave.
The owner of that mango comes up and says it is 1000 rupees per piece. You are upset. He is trying to cheat you. You develop animosity towards him.
See how it comes one after another?
Our life is full of thousands of such episodes. As they happen in our life, our character is formed. Out of these, you become humble, arrogant, polite, righteous, cunning, smart — all that.
But in all these, you have lost your freedom.
Now so many objects, thoughts, memories, habits — they are making you run around. You become the slave of not just one idea or thought — thousands and thousands and thousands of them.
Where did this start from? The lure of the mango. You saw it, you wanted to have it.
Not because it will give you energy and nutrients. Not because it is food and will satisfy hunger. Because of its taste.
This is raga.
Having food, understanding that it is needed for sustenance of the body, is not raga.
Raga is when you have food for other reasons — for taste, for texture, for showing off.
Taking food for taste is raga. Taking food because it is needed for the body is viraga or vairagya.
Consuming anything — be it food, be it music, be it anything — consuming anything with liking for it because you like it, not because you need it, will bind you to that. Will make you a slave of that.
When you don't get it, you get disappointed, sad, angry. All these are imprisoning you more and more.
But this is natural. Everybody has likes and dislikes.
If you are born in South India, by the time you grow up into an adult, you have already developed liking for idli sambar. You go to Patiala and don't get it, get only roti — you feel bad, sad. This is natural.
Same with everything else also. All kinds of consumptions — book, newspaper, music, movies — all these.
Our sages give us a technique to come out of these.
You cannot live without consuming. The problem is not with consuming. The problem is with consuming for the wrong reason.
Another point: anything that you consume has a cost. You have to pay a price, then only you can consume.
So the technique is simple, straightforward.
You need money to pay the price. That money, if you generate with fair means, then whatever you consume out of that money will by itself take you towards the state of vairagya towards that object or stuff.
If you earn by unfair means, then whatever you consume using that money will push you towards slavery of that object more and more — like how people get addicted to drugs. You become slave of that.
So to reach to that state of absolute freedom, you have to go through this. You have to earn using fair means, generate money, consume by paying that money.
If you don't enjoy enjoyments, then you will not be able to become free of that enjoyment. If you avoid it, then it will still remain as a desire within you.
I am not saying — be very clear — enjoy every available enjoyment in the world. There are crores of them. You don't have to do that.
But whatever is available to you — consume it with money earned through fair means. Then you will be one step closer to complete freedom — moksha.
This is a technique. This is essential.
For moksha, go through the path of dharma–artha–kama. This is one of the methods. This is not the only method.
But unlike yoga and sanyasa, this is an easy method, meant for common people.
The same goal can be achieved through this also. This is what Shiva Purana says:
धर्मादर्थोऽर्थतो भोगो भोगाद्वैराग्यसम्भवः
धर्मार्जितार्थभोगेन वैराग्यमुपजायते
विपरीतार्थभोगेन राग एव प्रजायते
This is a wonderful technique. Easy to practice. And you will progress in the spiritual path much faster.
English
Shiva
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