In
the subject called Philosophy of Knowing, a knower in order to know is supposed
to have a detached desire to know. Another word for detached is renounce. In
this article I am commenting on the article of Swami Parthasarathy named Practice
Detachment- Touch great spiritual heights. A wonderful poem Even this shall pass away by Theodore
Tilton is brought into the picture by him. Detachment and renunciation are
beautifully described in the personality of the King of Persia. The king who
lived a life of renunciation had carved a maxim on the ring which he put on his
finger. It had the following 5 simple words: ‘Even this shall pass away.’ This
was not only seen in the words inscribed on the ring but also in his daily
life. He was a person who didn’t identify with the best and the worst of
experiences in life. He was serene in times of trouble and wasn’t overjoyed in
moments of joy. ‘The magnificent stance of objectivity is the trait of
detachment, renunciation and so on’.
There
are a lot of imbalances in the world; our world keeps on fluctuating from one
feeling to another. All this is an inevitable part of life so to say the
unchangeable part of our human lives. We human beings are sandwiched between
these changing things, however we have been given the power to maintain
‘intellectual equipoise and mental equanimity’ through all the fluctuations
that keep taking place in our world. In simple words it means that we have the
power of renunciation and a sense of detachment in all the fluctuations and
variations that take place in the world. Renunciation and detachment in ‘truth
mark the dignity and prestige of the human race.’ However not all see it as it
is and hence these are misunderstood by the society at large and considered to
be extremely distasteful or contradictory.
Renunciation
has to be and can be practiced in all places in everyday life. In reality it
actually gives you the energy and the boost to work without any kind of worry
or anxiety. However renunciation in our world today has been turned into an
ugly portrait of resignation and retirement. One may get an idea that
renunciation is something to do with sitting back and relaxing or even being
lazy. It may also be perceived as a subtle path to escape from the realities of
daily life. However, all these ideas about renunciation are not true.
Very
few people realize that detachment and renunciation is an effect and not a
cause. Swami Parthasarathy gives a
picturistic understanding about this when he writes, ‘Like a person climbing a
ladder cannot release his foot from the lower rung until his other foot firmly
rests on the higher rung. Hence, your state of detachment only establishes your
escalation to a higher level of your personality.’ This is seen in the growth
that takes place, when we were little children, we were deeply into the toy
world. Everything revolved around playing with things. He says that it is
practically impossible that the child in us could have stayed detached or had a
spirit of renunciation from the toys.
What
struck me to a great extent was the following. He says that as we grew up, we
gained a higher level of knowledge. We began riding a bicycle and then a
motorbike. In a sense we grew out of the toy world. The important thing to note
is that we didn’t give up the toys; the toys gave us up. This may sound funny
but that is what Swami Parthasarathy says
in relation to renunciation and detachment. He goes on to say that as we reach
higher or climb up the social ladder, the lowers automatically fall off. He strongly
asserts that we can’t give up anything in life but we can take up only
something higher. ‘E.g. When the flower matures into the fruit, the petals of
the flower drop.’
In
conclusion he states clearly that ‘Detachment, renunciation is growth into a higher
dimension in life marked by knowledge, wisdom. Ironically this elegant human
quality is detested by society at large; people mistake it to be denial of
pleasures of life and reject the very idea of renunciation.’ Let us be open to
the new possibilities and events that may come across to us in our lives.
Practice
Detachment- Touch great spiritual heights
