Worldliness

The jnani lets go of his identification with worldly things, distinguishing 'not this, not this'.

Its branches spread below and above, nourished by the gunas, with the sense-objects as its buds; and below, its roots stretch forth, binding to action, in the world of humans.

अधश्चोर्ध्वं प्रसृतास्तस्य शाखा गुणप्रवृद्धा विषयप्रवालाः | अधश्च मूलान्यनुसन्ततानि कर्मानुबन्धीनि मनुष्यलोके ||१५-२||

One who does not follow here the wheel thus set in motion, but lives in sin, delighting in the senses, lives in vain, Partha.

एवं प्रवर्तितं चक्रं नानुवर्तयतीह यः | अघायुरिन्द्रियारामो मोघं पार्थ स जीवति ||३-१६||

Without giving up worldly attachments, one can never achieve true happiness. Without renunciation, one can never attain their highest good or find peace.

You cannot realize God if you have even the slightest bit of egoism, attachment to name and form, or worldly desires in your mind.

The heart that has been consumed by worldly desires cannot be influenced by higher feelings and cannot be shaped into a beautiful form.

How can I call out to you, Lord, with a mind that's so worldly and stained? Can a straw survive unharmed when thrown into a pit of fiery coals?

You can't achieve this as long as you have even a hint of worldliness.

As a matter of fact all the objects created by God are meant for all human beings. It is man himself who is imposing limits on them because of his own selfishness and narrow-mindedness. That is why man is suffering.

Unbridled material progress is leading towards destruction. It is essential to have a check of spirituality on it.

Maitreyi said: 'Sir, if this whole earth full of wealth were mine, would I become immortal by it, or not?' — 'No,' said Yajnavalkya; 'your life would be like the life of the wealthy. But there is no hope of immortality through wealth.'

सा होवाच मैत्रेयी यन्नु म इयं भगोः सर्वा पृथिवी वित्तेन पूर्णा स्यात् स्यां न्वहं तेनामृताऽऽहो३ नेति नेति होवाच याज्ञवल्क्यो यथैवोपकरणवतां जीवितं तथैव ते जीवितꣳ स्यादमृतत्वस्य तु नाऽऽशाऽस्ति वित्तेनेति ॥ ३॥

The source of happiness is the Almighty, but man is searching for the same in worldly objects, which are only a reflection. The deer looks for the musk in the bushes whereas it exists within its body.

'It is said elsewhere: "Like the waves in great rivers, there is no turning back of what one has done before; and like the tide of the ocean, the approach of one's death is hard to ward off. Bound, like a beast, by the fetters made of the fruits of good and evil; without independence, like one in prison; full of many fears, like one in the realm of Yama; intoxicated, as if by liquor, with the wine of delusion; rushing about, as if seized by an evil spirit; bitten, as if by a great serpent, by the objects of sense; blinded by passion, as if by great darkness; illusory, like a display of magic; false, like a dream; without substance, like the pith of a plantain tree; changing its dress in a moment, like an actor; pleasing to the mind but false, like a painted wall—thus it is said." And so it is declared: "Sound, touch, and the other objects stand as things worthless; the elemental self, attached to them, does not remember the supreme state."'

अथान्यत्राप्युक्तं महानदीषूर्मय इव निवर्तकमस्य यत्पुराकृतं समुद्रवेलेव दुर्निवार्यमस्य मृत्योरागमनं सदसत्फलमयैर्हि पाशैः पशुरिव बद्धं बन्धनस्थस्येवास्वातन्त्र्यं यमविषयस्थस्यैव बहुभयावस्थं मदिरोन्मत्त इवामोदममदिरोन्मत्तं पाप्मना गृहीत इव भ्राम्यमाणं महोरगदष्ट इव विपदृष्टं महान्धकार इव रागान्धमिन्द्रजालमिव मायामयं स्वप्नमिव मिथ्यादर्शनं कदलीगर्भ इवासारं नट इव क्षणवेषं चित्रभित्तिरिव मिथ्यामनोरममित्यथोक्तम् ॥ शब्दस्पर्शादयो येऽर्था अनर्था इव ते स्थिताः । येष्वासक्तस्तु भूतात्मा न स्मरेच्च परं पदम् ॥ २॥

If a boat stays in water, there is no harm, but if water enters the boat, it is harmful. With God in mind, dealing with worldly material is no problem. But if the worldly materials overshadow the mind, man cannot remain happy.

Man cannot find eternal peace of mind so long as he remains attached to the worldly materials, which by themselves are not permanent, stable and independent. Once a man gives place in his heart to the ever-living Almighty, he himself rises above decay, and whosoever comes in his contact, he too finds peace.

Just as when we stand at the foot of a very tall building it appears very high and we must crane our necks, yet if we go to an airport and board an aeroplane, then as the plane passes over that same building, the very building that was so tall appears like a toy. It is not that the building became smaller; rather we ourselves rose higher, and that is why the same building appears small. In the same way, while meditating on the Formless One, when we stand at the height of this divine knowledge and look upon the things of the world, they no longer seem important; they seem small, they seem false.

God has given everything to man, but if man wishes to take real happiness and bliss, then he should regard these things as mere means of livelihood and not give them all importance.

A person who is always immersed in the pool of the divine knowledge, a devotee, remains unaffected by the allurements of the worldly wealth, the evils like greed and pride, even though they are very much there.

The worldly affections are based on self interest. Only devotion to God is selfless. To forget God for the sake of this world is not appropriate at all. No doubt we have to fulfil our duties towards the family, but not by forgetting God.

It will be wrong to remain busy playing with toys of Maya and forget the Creator, the Almighty. It is this mistake that becomes the cause of our miseries.

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