Q. In this cosmos which is the human body, what is the best
Dharma to follow? Which Asram is most conducive for that Dharma?
How many Asrams are there in all?
A. There are four Asrams in all; if you know about them, you can
yourselves decide which Asram you are to fulfil, examining your
own achievement, progress and aptitude. Brahmacharya, Grihastha,
Vaanaprastha and Sanyaasa are the four Asrams.
Q. Different explanations are given by different persons for
the word Brahmacharya and the stage it denotes. I wish to know
from you the real significance of that stage.
A. Very well. It is believed that all who have not become
Grihasthas are entitled to be called Brahmacharis. This is very
wrong. Only those who keep their minds away from the delusions of
the world, who are constantly engaged in the thought of God, who
do not see or hear light or merely entertaining stuff, who pursue
good taste, who do not yield to joy or grief, who keep their mind,
intelligence and self-consciousness in good trim by unremitting
contemplation of the Brahmathathwa - only such deserve the name,
Brahmachari.
Q. What exactly does Grihastha mean?
A. Being married and living with the wife and children do not
constitute Grihastha Asrama as most people think. Without giving
up the duties assigned to one's caste and status, the person has
to treat all with equal consideration - kinsmen as well as others.
He must be aware of the rights of the elders and the obligations
of juniors; he has to be full of sympathy and willingness to help;
he should treat with loving kindness all those who are dependent
on him; he must grow wiser with each new experience of the world;
he should acquaint himself with the Sastras and be alert to do
Dharma and avoid Adharma; he must foster and protect his wife and
children with a sense of responsibility; he has to trample down
the Eight Egoisms, the conceit that develops from family, wealth,
character, personal beauty, youth, scholarship, native place and
even accomplishments in austerity. Conscious of the four goals of
Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha, with no pride in material
possessions though he might have them in large measure; utilising
a portion of the day in the service of others; with no designs
against any other household; himself deserving the trust of his
wife and having a trusted wife, each understanding the other and
having full faith in the other; such are the ways in which the
Grihastha manifests.
Q. What, then, does Vaanaprastha mean?
A. At that stage, man feels that all dualities are untrue and
baseless. He gives up all desires; drops all attachment to the
world; dislikes living in crowded places; is anxious to achieve
victory through Manthrajapa and so leads a life of austerity,
eating only uncooked food, mostly fruits and leaves, in
moderation; moves in the company of sages and maharshis; listens
to their teachings and moves unfalteringly on the path of
realising the Lord. The Vaanaprastha must get the approval of his
wife when he moves out into solitude for the life of Sadhana and
he must make sufficient provision for his children also. If
however, the wife is willing to accompany him, he has to take her
in his spiritual journey. They must hence forward live as brother
and sister and not as husband-wife. Provided this new relationship
is maintained, life in the home too can be transformed into
Vaanaprastha. On the other hand, if the old life is continued,
life in the forest does not constitute Vaanaprastha. The
Vaanaprastha must not stay in the residences of married people. He
must observe the vows prescribed for each season of the year. He
has to brave the rain, the sun and the cold during the seasons. He
must be vigilant against being drawn towards physical pleasures by
fickleness of the mind. He must seek and find pleasure only in the
contemplation of the Lord and in dwelling upon his Glory.
Q. What does Sanyaasa mean?
A. Sanyaasa is above and beyond all promptings of sensual and
objective pleasure. The Sanyaasi deals with the contemplation of
the Lord as the very breath of his life, an essential necessity
always and at all places for sheer existence itself; he derives
joy only from this contemplation. He knows that wealth and
kinship, affection and attachment are all momentary and liable to
decline and end. He discards the external reminders of even
caste-status and samskaras like Upanayanam; he wears the ochre
robe of the mendicant; he does not live in populous places; he
lives on whatever little food he gets; he does not decry the place
where he does not get food; he does not eat twice in the same
place or sleep two days in succession in the same place; he even
conquers the temptation to sleep and eat; he cares little for the
rigours of the seasons; he is ever joyful and happy in the company
of the Lord whom he invokes by his Dhyana.
Q. Nowadays, there are many ochre-robed people moving about as
Sanyaasis. Are they all equipped with the disciplines mentioned by
you now?
A. There is, of course, no paucity of people who are so equipped.
But it is not possible to say that all are like that.
Q. There are many who, though Sanyaasis, establish Asramas and
get themselves established in worldly affairs and worldly
possessions and struggle for worldly pomp and power. What is to be
said of these?
A. For genuine Sanyaasa and for detachment from all mental
agitations, institutions like the Asramas you mention are great
handicaps. For those who should give up all purposeful effort, the
effort for the upkeep and progress of the Asrama is an obstacle in
the path. I need not tell you by what name such Sanyaasis are to
be called. I can only say they do not deserve the name, Sanyaasi.
Q. Swami, how can the growth of the Asramas, which help people
like us to know the means of Liberation, be a bondage? And how can
Asramas get on without money? I hope it is not wrong to accept
help, voluntarily offered.
A. My dear fellow! It is theft if the lock is broken and valuables
are taken away, or if they are removed through an opening made in
a wall; it is theft, if by soft words in open daylight a person
persuades you to part with your valuables. If a Sanyaasi casts his
eyes on wealth, whatever the motive, it is harmful for his
spiritual progress. He should cast all such tasks on some
trustworthy devotee and be an unconcerned witness only. His duty
is to see that the persons who seek Aasraya (Succour) are assured
of spiritual help, not to help the Asrama to rise and prosper. The
flames of desire to make the Asrama grow will rise into the
bonfire of self-seeking egoism and burn out all that is
commendable in the Sanyaasi, especially his Atmaananda. The fire
will destroy not merely the Sanyaasi, but also those dependent on
him for guidance. The feeling "I" and "Mine" are such
destruction-causing sparks. Man must attach himself to guides who
are devoid of these. But once the Asrama becomes the prime factor,
the so-called "guide" has to attach himself to men! It should be
the other way. He must not be dependent on the world; he must be
free from all dependence. That is the mark of the Sanyaasi.