We may leave this body at any moment: even today or this very minute. We are supposed to leave it for sure.
Nishkulanand Swami says that it is good for you if you understand and get detached from the worldly desires and worldly people from mind. Otherwise, Yamdev is anyhow going to take care of that at the end.
It is for sure that we must leave behind our friends, relations, things, and whatever we achieved in this life. Even the incarnations of God cannot stop that.
In Lodhva village of Saurastra, there was a very good, and self-realized devotee of Shri Ramanand Swami named Lakhu Charan, who had many cows and buffalos. Once, Nilkant Varni Maharaj visited the village. At that time, Maharaj’s body was very thin. So, Lakhu Charan devotionally served Maharaj with many milk products with the intention to make Maharaj’s health better. Maharaj stayed there for two months and was highly pleased with her.
One-day Maharaj said, “I am leaving now. You served me so well, please ask something from me.”
“If you are pleased, please bless us so that our cattle stay with us forever. And our son Viru should be with us, healthy, and forever.”
Maharaj replied, “whatever it is, that is not possible at all. They have to leave the body someday.”
Then Maharaj showed His real form, gave her divine knowledge, and left the place.
Nothing can keep the worldly things and people with us forever. So, we should leave the affection for these things before our deadline of leaving the body. There is a lot of difference between leaving the attachments before our deadline of death and after our deadline. If we leave the attachment from mind before the deadline, we are freed from the cycle of birth and death, and attain unlimited bliss with ultimate good. If we still have the attachment after deadline, we are back again to the cycle of birth and death.
We should learn the art of detachment from mind. Janak Maharaj was the king of Mithila, but his detachment from mind was so strong that he was not worried even if the whole Mithila kingdom was burning out to ashes.
While ascetics who left everything physically were worried in their minds if their wooden water pots and loin clothes would be burned to ashes too, and ran to protect them.
Detachment from mind breaks us from the cycle of birth and death.
If we leave it physically, but not from mind, we would not be free from the birth and death cycle. Bharatji, the son of Lord Rushabdev, left his prosperous kingdom, his grand family and went to forest to perform penance. In the forest he got attached to a baby-deer. Before the deadline of his death, he could not leave the attachment to that baby-deer. So, he had to go through three births and deaths. Bharatji did so much devotional service that he doesn’t know if it was day or night. But at the time of his death, he could not leave the attachment to the baby-deer.
Detachment physically is good but detachment from mind is the best.
Detachment is harder than the hard work of attaining something. Attainment is hard work. Detachment is an art.
There is a verse in Ramayan which mentions that the first part of the life should be spent in all kinds of learnings. Second part of life to be spent on earning as per scriptures. Third part of life to be spent on learning the art of detachment. Many of our kings followed that, and they become great sages at the end. For example, King Manu became Manu Rushi and wrote Manusmruti for all of us. That is the art of living.
Detachment of all worldly desires, and worldly people is the art we all should learn. Lord Krishna had that art. When crores of His Yadav family were getting destructed before his own eyes, he was sitting peacefully under the peepal tree.
One day, Lord Ram had to become the King of Ayodhya, and the very day he had to leave everything and go away to forests. Lord Ram was not at all disturbed. That is the art of detachment.
If we decide that we don’t want to leave the worldly-relations or pleasures, is that going to stay with us? No, right? Why should we detach ourselves? We should detach for our own benefit. If we don’t detach intentionally, it would be very difficult at the end if one has to give up forcefully.
There was a King of a large empire. One day he approached his Guru, and asked “Gurudev, I could not grasp all the things that you say. And I am locked up in the worldly matters day and night. Is there any one single quote that if I remember, I will be blissful whatever the situation I am in.”
His Guru asked for a piece of paper and wrote something. He handed over it back to the King and said, “If you get happiness or sadness, just read it out, and you will always be in bliss,” and left the place.
The king opened the piece of paper to read, “IT WILL BE GONE.” The King lived so happily ever after.
References:
09th June 2017, Chattanooga, TN
Vachanamrut Gadhada Antya 30, Gadhada Pratham 44