We hear the words "Detachment" being thrown around a lot. But what does it mean ? Well as per any English dictionary, it would be not being attached to anything. But what does it really mean ?
Lets do a deep dive and see what we get !
In Sanatan Dharma (Hindu) scriptures, it is quite common for us to compare God, Gurus, Devtas or any respectable personality to a lotus.
We may have all heard of the popular lines
नव कंज लोचन कंज मुखकर कंज पद कंजारुणं
The lines above mean - Eyes like new bloomed lotus petals, the face is like a lotus, hands and feet are like lotus as well. These lines were said while describing Shri Ram, the revered king of Ayodhya who is considered as the seventh incarnation of lord Vishnu.
Lets draw our attention to the lotus. Why is that flower being used to compare the holiest deities ?
Lotus is a beautiful flower but there are so many more. But there is a property which makes it stand out. It is a flower which mostly blooms in murky waters but one can never see a dirty lotus flower.
Lotus has the ability to stay in dirt and yet never be affected by it. All the dirt just slides right off it.
That right there is the true meaning of detachment. Being in between all the means and yet never letting it control us is true detachment.
It is explained by Lord Sukhdev in Shrimad Bhagwat Mahapuran that there are 2 aspects people confuse with detachment.
a. Many people would think we have everything under control. Be it using wealth, food, drinks, luxury items, comfort or anything else, we can let go anytime we want. They would not be lying. This is what their mind truely lets them believe. But they would never know till they actually let go and the mind pulls them back into submission. Their mind are their masters. This is not detachment.
b. Many people realise they may eventually fall under point mentioned above and they think the best way is to never start using something they cannot let go in the first place. While this is an excellent idea and certainly much better conditon to be in than the point above, it is renunciation and still not detachment. These people will be scared to be face to face with what they are trying to avoid.
True detachment lies in staying in control, be it money, expenditure, food, sorrow or happiness. Not letting anything control us to the very minimum. When this state of mind is achieved, nothing impacts us, happiness, sorrow, riches, misery. A person stays in the same blissful state of mind.
In Gita, Shri Krishna tells Arjun :
योगस्थः कुरु कर्माणि संगं त्यक्त्वा धनंजय ।
सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्योः समो भूत्वा समत्वं योग उच्यते ॥
It means - Be steady in what you do, O Arjun, letting go of all attachment (hence, detached). In success or in failure, when one stays the same, that state of mind makes one a Yogi.
Shri Krishna also mentions that expectation is the root cause of all suffering in this world.
We are all tied down in this material world by our actions and their consequences. If we move our energy away from all the efforts we put in to control our circumstances (to benefit us) and just do our Dharma (which is the right thing to do under a circumstance) we would save a lot of energy. If we can stay the same whether a result is good for us or not and never loose our resolve, we would be free from the bondage that all the worldly things have on us.
It is easy to get lost in the worldly rat race, which is Maya. But meditating everyday and getting into the Yogi state of mind (explained above) gradually frees us. It will take Abhyas or practise. But we can eventually attain "Detachment" and eternal bliss will be ours. For more details on how to train your mind, please refer to the blog about training your mind.
Lets do a deep dive and see what we get !In Sanatan Dharma (Hindu) scriptures, it is quite common for us to compare God, Gurus, Devtas or any respectable personality to a lotus.
We may have all heard of the popular lines
नव कंज लोचन कंज मुखकर कंज पद कंजारुणं
The lines above mean - Eyes like new bloomed lotus petals, the face is like a lotus, hands and feet are like lotus as well. These lines were said while describing Shri Ram, the revered king of Ayodhya who is considered as the seventh incarnation of lord Vishnu.
Lets draw our attention to the lotus. Why is that flower being used to compare the holiest deities ?
Lotus is a beautiful flower but there are so many more. But there is a property which makes it stand out. It is a flower which mostly blooms in murky waters but one can never see a dirty lotus flower.
Lotus has the ability to stay in dirt and yet never be affected by it. All the dirt just slides right off it.
That right there is the true meaning of detachment. Being in between all the means and yet never letting it control us is true detachment.
It is explained by Lord Sukhdev in Shrimad Bhagwat Mahapuran that there are 2 aspects people confuse with detachment.
a. Many people would think we have everything under control. Be it using wealth, food, drinks, luxury items, comfort or anything else, we can let go anytime we want. They would not be lying. This is what their mind truely lets them believe. But they would never know till they actually let go and the mind pulls them back into submission. Their mind are their masters. This is not detachment.
b. Many people realise they may eventually fall under point mentioned above and they think the best way is to never start using something they cannot let go in the first place. While this is an excellent idea and certainly much better conditon to be in than the point above, it is renunciation and still not detachment. These people will be scared to be face to face with what they are trying to avoid.
True detachment lies in staying in control, be it money, expenditure, food, sorrow or happiness. Not letting anything control us to the very minimum. When this state of mind is achieved, nothing impacts us, happiness, sorrow, riches, misery. A person stays in the same blissful state of mind.
In Gita, Shri Krishna tells Arjun :
योगस्थः कुरु कर्माणि संगं त्यक्त्वा धनंजय ।
सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्योः समो भूत्वा समत्वं योग उच्यते ॥
It means - Be steady in what you do, O Arjun, letting go of all attachment (hence, detached). In success or in failure, when one stays the same, that state of mind makes one a Yogi.
Shri Krishna also mentions that expectation is the root cause of all suffering in this world.
We are all tied down in this material world by our actions and their consequences. If we move our energy away from all the efforts we put in to control our circumstances (to benefit us) and just do our Dharma (which is the right thing to do under a circumstance) we would save a lot of energy. If we can stay the same whether a result is good for us or not and never loose our resolve, we would be free from the bondage that all the worldly things have on us.
It is easy to get lost in the worldly rat race, which is Maya. But meditating everyday and getting into the Yogi state of mind (explained above) gradually frees us. It will take Abhyas or practise. But we can eventually attain "Detachment" and eternal bliss will be ours. For more details on how to train your mind, please refer to the blog about training your mind.
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