Give Up Pursuit of Sense-objects, Public EsteemWhen we attach ourselves to Rama, He undertakes to look after us. It is we ourselves, however, that hinder such attachment, because of our own liking for sense-objects and public esteem. It is a corollary of this liking that we have a dislike for Rama. Do we not disregard and set aside the needs and entreaties of the wife and children in order to attend the office punctually? With what justification, then, can we plead them as an impediment for sadhana?
The saints have been dinning it into our ears that woman and money are the enemies of spiritual advancement. On this one may ask why at all God has created them. The answer is, that, it is the use we make of a thing that commends or condemns it. The match-stick that can light a fire for cooking can also be used to set a house ablaze.
A certain person once said to me, "Domestic life disgusts me and makes me feel I should quit it." I replied, "Do you think quitting home life will create detachment? What you need for it is proper discrimination between good and bad, permanent and impermanent. What will suffice for the present is to give up the sense of ownership and doership."
Righteous acts may prove a hindrance in spiritualism. One may feel ashamed to own an improper act, but of a good one we boast with pride. People often say," The misery I am undergoing is owing to sins committed by me in a previous life; I perform good acts in this life so that I shall have a happier life in my next incarnation. " But does this not imply desiring for a re-incarnation instead of for absolute liberation from the almost endless cycle of births and deaths? A bad act may possibly lead to repentance and make one turn to God; but there is no knowing what downfall the pride of a good deed may lead a man to.
How can a bitter gourd yield a sweet taste? Likewise, how can sensual pleasure make life sweet and happy? It is begging the question to say that you will take up devotion when love for God will arise. For mere fleeting pleasures we toil and drudge; but we do not care to repeat the nama sincerely, and yet complain in despair that we still do not feel love for God!
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