Abhyasa and Vairagya -- Swami Chidananda

Lord Krishna’s special prescription for attaining success in the spiritual life in and through the world was abhyasa and vairagya (practice and dispassion). Abhyasa and vairagya are twin corollaries. They cannot be separated. They are mutually supportive. The more you do abhyasa, the more you grow in vairagya. The more you practise vairagya, the more your abhyasa begins to progress and begins to be effective. They are like two wings of a bird.

This ancient divine teaching of Lord Krishna, His prescription for attaining supreme bliss and blessedness, was also expressed by Gurudev in his permanent message to mankind: Detach. Attach. Detach means vairagya. Attach means abhyasa. Doing and not doing both constitute practical religion. They are the obverse and reverse of the same coin.

Doing good to others is the positive aspect. Not harming, hurting or injuring others is the negative aspect of religion. To cultivate satsanga, the company of the wise, means to avoid the company of that which is asat or the company of that which is likely to take or turn you away from the sat.

This avoidance is as important an aspect of spiritual life, Sadhana and Self-realization as is the cultivating. Lord Krishna said: “trividham narakasyedam dvaram nasanam atmanah kamah krodhas tatha lobhas tasmad etat trayam tyajet (Triple is the gate of this hell, destructive of the self––lust, anger and greed; therefore one should abandon these three).” and Gurudev said: “Free us from egoism, lust, greed, hatred, anger and jealousy.”

© “The Divine Life” (March 2007) published by The Divine Life Society, Shivanandanagar Post, Uttarakhand. Website: www.dlshq.org. Reprinted with permission.

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