We never leave enjoyments
There are 84 Lakh different forms of life in this world of which some could walk (on Earth), some could fly (in sky), some could swim (in fluids), and some could stand still (plants, tree etc.). The number of births taken by a soul is uncountable. Even God could not count the births taken by a soul.
Maharaj says the soul in all his births has drink so much milk as the volume of all the oceans. All kinds of births are full of sorrows. Yet the soul doesn’t get detached. The soul had sometime been in Brahmlok, sometime in Kailash, sometime held the position of Indra, sometime as demigod, sometime as king, sometime as donor, sometimes as very qualified scholar, highly knowledgeable, focused meditator etc., But nowhere did he leave the desire for pleasures. The taste of enjoyment is never left. If you stay here or if you go to Brahmlok or to any other place, you are not going to leave the taste of enjoyment. Even if you become so great or you become so low, you are not going to leave the taste of enjoyment.
Does greatness make you leave the taste of enjoyment? Does Lowness make you leave the taste of enjoyment? Both great people and low people would have equal desires to enjoy. They never allow it to leave. Even if you go to heavenly abodes you would still want to enjoy. Even if you take the form of animals or birds you would still want to enjoy the objects.
Maharaj says that banyan tree with many branches and roots would be alive if all other roots are cut away and only one root is left with earth. Similarly, the soul either thinks about already enjoyed objects, or keeps enjoying sense objects, or thinks about objects to be enjoyed in future. Enjoying the sense objects is not the real cause of birth and death. Thinking about sense objects is the cause of birth and death.
We keep thinking about sense objects and we are never separated from them. That is the cause of birth and death. The soul has taken so many births, yet in no birth did they leave the thinking of sense objects.
Nishkulanand Swami says that our thirst to the sense objects will never end without detachment.
Good is not good
The one who delivers discourses on spiritual life doesn’t mean that he has been released from birth and death cycle. Sometimes the listeners would achieve liberation, but the orator would still be attached and continue in the cycle of birth and death.
In Srimad Bhagvat there is an incident of Gokarna questioning the servants of God. He questioned, “The ferocious ghost Dundukari listened to our spiritual discourse. You guys came to take him to the abode of God. But you did not come to take us as we are the ones who delivered the discourse.”
They replied, “You can’t enter the abode of God unless you are completely detached. Whether you deliver discourses or not doesn’t matter. So, you and your discourses can stay away from our abode.”
Even the writers of devotional poems would stay outside the abode of God if they are attached.
Detachment wipes away all hardships
Nishkulanand Swami says that, “I have thought about the best practices of devotion from time to time. There is no other activity that is as great as or near equal to detachment.”
The essence of all activities is that we should get detached from the world and get attached to God. When the best of detachment arises in your heart, it wipes away all the hardships that come on the way or reaching Maharaj. All problems will be gone with detachment.
Nishkulanand Swami says that in all scriptures there are a very few places that describe detachment. The ones who made those scriptures had deficiency in detachment. Most of the time the scriptures speak about Dharma (moral rules), Arth (wealth), and Kam (desires). Only few scriptures talk about liberation. But the talks of detachment are very minimal.
They have written about the kings who ruled the whole earth, and people sing about the glory of those kings. What is the use of it? They create more problems than good. It arises new desires and new wishes. Humans, demigods, and demons don’t even desire to remember and cultivate solid detachment.
Souls doesn’t desire for detachment externally nor desire for internal-thinking or revision of detachment. They feel like dying if they think about detachment as it disturbs the enjoyment of sense objects that they are already enjoying, and as it breaks the relation between sense object and the soul.
If someone likes detachment, it would present Akshardham to the soul and doesn’t allow the soul to stay elsewhere.
Decide before enjoying
Nishkulanand Swami says that, “To walk on the path of solid detachment is the path of life-and-death.”
We should decide that we are going to die sooner. Then we should start walking the path. Before enjoying an object, we should decide that we are going to leave the object anytime.
What do people in general think of sense objects? “Let us see what is in that sense object by enjoying it. Then we will discard them” “Let us see if it is sweet or sour. Then we will discard it. If we don’t like it, then we will discard of it. Else we will enjoy it for some time and discard of it.”
For attached souls it is better to get killed than to discard sense objects.
One can quantify devotional services. No one could quantify detachment. Once detachment enters your life, there is no need of any other good quality. You have reached the peak of life if you hold detachment with you forever.
References:
Sarsiddhi Katha Part 15