Asserted Topics:
Who is the true Renunciator?
Key Points:
- After renunciation, if one’s heart still clings to worldly objects, that’s the poverty of a renunciate, a kind of destitution.
- Only by changing one’s inner disposition along with adopting the life of a renunciate can one become a true renunciate.
Explanation
In this Vachanāmrut, Maharaj says that a person who, despite renouncing the world and adopting the garb of a renunciate, still finds attachment towards objects apart from the divine form of God, should be likened to a pauper standing before a wealthy individual.
Here, Maharaj clarifies that renunciation isn’t just about abandoning the worldly life. If, after renunciation, one’s heart still harbors desires for worldly objects, it is a state of pauperhood. This resembles how paupers often scavenge for things discarded by the wealthy as worthless. This desperation in the pauper might lead others to believe he committed significant sins in his past lives, resulting in his current destitute state. Yet, what can a pauper do when bound by fate?
There are two types of impoverishment: (1) one bound by destiny and (2) the other due to ignorance. The former is something one cannot change, as it’s determined by fate. However, mental impoverishment, arising from ignorance and misperceptions, is changeable with the right understanding.
Often, there are individuals with immense wealth and resources but are internally impoverished. They might be unwilling to part with even the tiniest of their possessions. In contrast, some may lack material resources but are magnanimous at heart. Simply altering one’s external status doesn’t ensure a genuine internal transformation. Holding all objects, whether valuable or worthless, with the same dispassion is a hallmark of a genuine renunciate. If one just shifts their outward life without inner transformation, they are merely playing a role.
The essence lies in the heart’s devotion. Only those with unwavering love and devotion for God can be termed genuine renunciates. Without this inner transformation, all external appearances are just deceptions and misleading facades.