Nishkulanand Swami says that, “Whoever has cultivated pure detachment has nothing else remaining in the path of liberation. Pure detachment is like a sharp sword that helps in discarding the world. With a blink of the eye it discards all relations except God.”
Nishkulanand Swami says that a devotee can attain pure detachment by pleasing God to the maximum extent. Others who don’t please God would gradually become attached even if they are detached temporarily. The one who doesn’t please God doesn’t feel the sweetness of detachment.
Diseases of mind
Our body has lot of diseases. Similarly, our mind too has diseases. What is the disease of mind? Attachments, self-pride, intense-desires, worldly pleasures, and sorrows are some of the common diseases of mind. Lust, anger, jealousy, hate, and other internal enemies are the itches of mind.
In general, people care only about the diseases of the body. They don’t care about the diseases of the mind. Diseases of the body doesn’t spoil the soul, but the diseases of mind does a lot of damage to the soul.
What is the root cause of all the diseases of mind like jealousy, self-pride, cheating, hidden-agendas, etc.? Attachment is the root cause of all of it.
How do we become free from the diseases of mind? To free from the diseases of the mind, we should inject the medicine called detachment within ourselves.
Detachment is the medicine for mind
Devotional activities did not free Gopis from the diseases of mind. They were free from the diseases of mind by pleasing God, and by serving God.
How was the detachment of Gopis? It was so strong that they said, “All the worldly pleasures have become like instant-poison to us.”
Diseases of mind are not cleared by devotional activities. Because there are a number of devotees who excelled in intense devotion and yet suffered from the diseases of the mind. In fact, the diseases of mind would gain power from devotional activities.
Disease and side-effects are always different. For example, for some internal organ disease, we may get pain in the feet. Similarly, lust, anger and other internal enemies are side-effects. The real diseases of mind are attachment, self-pride, and intense desires. One single tablet of detachment makes all the diseases and side-effects to run away from you.
If a son makes mistakes, do the parent feel bad? No. In turn they enjoy it. Why don’t they find faults in their son? Because of attachment, infatuation, and pleasure. You would never get tired from the mischiefs of your son or grandson. But if the discourse on God and detachment goes a bit longer than expected, you would find faults on the discourse. You would get tired on discourses because you don’t have attachment to God and his discourses. We don’t have as much attachment to God and God related discourses as we have for our kids and grandchildren.
We say, “My kid is very mischievous.” And we are proud of it. What a great devotion we have for our kids and grandkids?
Detachment is the bodyguard of God
Detachment is the bodyguard of God. Detachment protects God with sword in hand. Detachment keeps away the side effects of devotion.
Morality doesn’t purify devotion. Morality can’t protect you if you desire for something or someone while performing devotion. To purify devotion, we need detachment. Detachment doesn’t allow any desires to crop up in your mind.
Detachment protects you from all kinds of disturbances and keeps your hand in the hand of God. Once you achieve God you won’t have any other desire. You will be immensely satisfied and be completely at peace. Detachment acts as your security guard with guns always ready to shoot the internal enemies.
If you have a bodyguard to protect you, would you fear for anything? No. If detachment is present in you along with devotion, you are less probable to fall down.
What is Seva?
Seva is the most important devotional activities for God. All other devotional activities are the supporters of Seva and secondary when compared with Seva.
What is the purpose of discourses? To make you firm in Seva and not fall from it. All nine types of devotion are to support Seva. That is the reason Maharaj said that we should keep doing Seva even after death: Tatra brahmatmana Krushnaseva muktischa gamyatam – Identifying oneself as the form of Brahm and then serving the Lord is the ultimate liberation.
Understanding God’s intentions and pleasing Him by executing those intentions is called Seva. If He is pleased with flower garlands, making Him a beautiful garland. If He is pleased with Kirtan Bhakti, performing Kirtan Bhakti. If He is pleased with some other Seva, performing that particular Seva.
Real detachment always purifies devotion, improves devotion, and makes it strong. If there is anything short in devotion, it is said to be in short of detachment
The devotee with pure detachment achieves Maharaj and pleases Him. Maharaj is also pleased with him.
The practitioners of yoga cannot perform Seva. Yogis do Pranayama. They do Yoga. But they don’t do Seva.
Some people say, “Yes Swamiji,” “Yes Swamiji,” but don’t do Seva.
We should be humble. Above that we should be ready to accept orders from Maharaj and His Saints.
We should be ready with folded hands, standing with one foot ahead of the other showing that we are ready to do anything and everything for God. The only delay is the order from the God or Saint.
If you think another Seva is important
While performing a Seva, you might feel that you are good at doing another Seva, or you might feel that there is more important Seva than this Seva. What should you do in that case?
We should tell the Saint about the new Seva. If they say that you can do that new Seva then you can execute it.
What if the new Seva is better the current Seva but you did not get permission to do it? In that case don’t do the new Seva.
Shastriji Maharaj asked Narayandasji Swami, “Swamiji, all these Saints are going to study in Kashi. I feel that I should also study.”
Narayandasji Swami said, “It is good to study. I’d like you to study. Go ahead.”
Then Shastriji Maharaj went to Vadtal to study.
f there is a better Seva you could do, just ask. If you get permission, do it. If it is a better Seva but you did not get permission, then don’t do it.
References :
Sarsiddhi Katha Part 17