05 Aug 2015
Shri Phani asked Shri Swami to explain more about the necessity of pravrutti or path of justice as pre-requisite for entering Nivrutti or spiritual life.
Shri Swami replied: It is incomplete understanding about Pravrutti to think that Pravrutti is one field of subject and Nivrutti is another field of subject. People think that Pravrutti is related to the balance of the society, which pleases God because God is the administrator of the society created by Him. According to them, Nivrutti is totally different, which is confined to the bond with God by which God gets extremely pleased. In the first path of Pravrutti, God is pleased whereas in the second path of Nivrutti, God is extremely pleased. Hence, they think that they need not bother about the first path and they can fully concentrate on the second path only. They do not understand that the first path of Pravrutti or justice is only a part of the second path of Nivrutti. The distance from Vijayawada to Itarsi is a part of the total distance from Vijayawada to Banaras. Without attaining success in Pravrutti, you cannot enter Nivrutti. Without travelling the distance from Vijayawada to Itarsi, you cannot enter the distance from Itarsi to Banaras. In fact, in the distance from Vijayawada to Banaras, the distance from Vijayawada to Itarsi is the first part only.
The starting point of the human being is the spot in which several bonds with various intensities form a net that obstructs the human being to reach the God. These bonds can be strong bonds with deep intensities (Eshanas), which are three in number. They are: 1) Bond with money, 2) Bond with wife or husband and 3) Bond with children. There can be several other bonds, which are with weak intensities like bonds with parents, relatives, friends etc., and reduction of these bonds involves liberation from weak bonds and confining to strong bonds. Reduction means the decrease of intensity in the bonds so that the weak bonds get destroyed and strong bonds only remain. In this process of reduction of intensity of the weak bonds, even the strong bonds become weak. Hence, the process of reduction of intensity in every bond is the procedure of Pravrutti, which results in not only decreasing the intensity of all the bonds but also the destruction of weak bonds due to the reduction of intensity. Therefore, reduction in the intensities of worldly bonds is main effort in Pravrutti. When you are left over with these three minimum bonds, which became weak due to reduced intensities, you have crossed Pravrutti and reached the goal or end point of Pravrutti. The starting point or the bottom most level in Pravrutti is indicated by Duryodhana and Ravana, who are not satisfied with their own part of wealth and own wife respectively. Both were involved with unlimited ambition in illegal earning and illegal sexual life respectively. Wealth (Artha) and sexual life (Kama) are the main fields of Pravrutti. Both these involved in illegal earning and illegal sex, represent the present human being in this age of Kali. The path of Pravrutti advises Duryodhana to become Dharmaraja, who is satisfied with his own part of wealth (Kingdom) or at least five villages, the minimum most. Dharmaraja named the four villages for the sake of his four brothers and asked for any petty village to be given to him. Similarly, the path of Pravrutti advises Ravana to become Rama, who is satisfied with His own wife. If every human being in this present time follows this path of Pravrutti or justice, no human being is hurt. Since the climax of justice is not to hurt any other human being (Ahimsa paramoo dharmah), the society lives peacefully in a balanced state and this will please God. The climax of justice is actually not to hurt any living being in this creation and thus, not killing the living beings for food also forms a part of the climax of justice.
After minimization of the number of bonds and their intensities, the field of Nivrutti starts, which is the sacrifice of even those minimum bonds for the sake of God. Prahlada sacrificed father and Shankara sacrificed the mother for the sake of God. Buddha sacrificed all the three left over minimum number of bonds for the sake of God by leaving His kingdom (wealth), His beautiful wife (Yasodhara) and pretty son (Rahula). This is the end point of Nivrutti. Dharmaraja reached the topmost point of Pravrutti in the Bharatam and Gopikas reached the top most point of Nivrutti in the Bhagavatam. Only Dharmaraja can enter the Nivrutti and not Duryodhana. Dharmaraja travelled all over the Pravrutti and reached the starting point of Nivrutti (Itarsi). Gopikas travelled from the initial point of Nivrutti (Itarsi) and reached the top most point of Nivrutti (Banaras). In the early births, Gopikas were sages, who travelled all over Pravrutti and reached the top most point of Pravrutti like Dharmaraja. They had strict character confined to their husbands and lived with full satisfaction with their minimum earned wealth (cows giving milk, curd and butter) that was used to feed their children and families. In this last life as Gopikas, they sacrificed always three minimum bonds also for the sake of Lord and reached the top most point of Nivrutti (Banaras). The sage Vyasa wrote both these epics to explain Pravrutti and Nivrutti forming the single road to the ultimate Goal. Duryodhana and Ravana always remained in the bottom most level of Pravrutti (Vijayawada) only. Rama stands at the top most level of Pravrutti like Dharmaraja. Hanuman, who sacrificed even marriage for the sake of the God, stands at the top most point of Nivrutti. The eternal divine fruit of Nivrutti was obtained by Gopikas and Hanuman. Gopikas were given Goloka, which is above head of the Lord. Hanuman became the divine incarnation as future Lord Brahma.
The main point in this message is that you should recognize the other phase of Pravrutti coin. You are seeing only one side of the coin, which is that Pravrutti (path of justice) gives happiness to all the human beings of the society and there by pleasure to God. This is only one side of the Pravrutti coin. If you confine to this one side only and feel that Nivrutti is totally a different path from Vijayawada to Banaras, you neglect the path Vijayawada—Itarsi—Banaras and refuse to travel in the path from Vijayawada to Itarsi, you are loosing everything. The reason is that there is only one path, which is Vijayawada—Itarsi—Banaras and there is no alternative way from Vijayawada to Banaras. We have to reach Itarsi to go to Banaras. In terms of concept, all this means that you have to travel through Pravrutti only to enter the Nivrutti. Travelling through Pravrutti means minimization of the intensities of the bonds (consequently the number is reduced), which alone is the path to do the total sacrifice of bonds (i.e., sacrifice of the minimum bonds also). This is the other side of the Pravrutti coin and if you do not see the second face, you are totally mistaken and you are totally misled in the spiritual path.
I can explain this with reference to the present man (or woman), who do illegal earning through corruption mostly for the sake of his children. He should minimise the intensity of his bond in money and children so that he leads a simple life with lawful earnings. This is the climax of Pravrutti. Unless this is reached, he cannot sacrifice even the minimum lawful earnings for the sake of the God like Saktuprastha, who sacrificed even his minimum food in the drought. Therefore, if you avoid corruption and become satisfied with the minimum justified earnings, you have travelled half the path in the spiritual line to reach the ultimate goal. You are thoroughly mistaken if you feel that you have not entered the path of spiritual line in your worldly life led with justice and think that you have to enter the spiritual line in your old age making a fresh beginning. When God said that He incarnates on this earth to establish justice (Pravrutti), it means that He shows half of the way in spiritual line. Similarly, if you are satisfied with your married wife and avoid illegal sex, it means that you have travelled half of the way in spiritual line.
Bond means mind or nervous energy. If the bond is hidden in you, it is in the form of potential energy. If the bond is expressed in words, a little of the potential energy is converted in to kinetic energy. If the bond is expressed in practical action, the total potential energy is converted into kinetic energy. All the bond energy should be proved to be with God only (Ekabhaktih... Gita). If you have any other bond, the bond energy with God is diverted or divided. To achieve this ultimate goal, minimization of diversion of the bond energy to other worldly bonds is essential pre-requisite step. The Gita says that ignorant people do not understand the essence of Pravrutti and Nivrutti through sharp analysis (Pravruttimcha Nivruttimcha...). Jaimini emphasising Pravrutti or Dharma is the essential pre-required preacher before you enter the Nivrutti or philosophy preached by Vyasa. Jaimini stands for the path from Vijayawada to Itarsi, Vyasa stands for the path from Itarsi to Banaras and there is only one way from Vijayawada to Banaras, which is through Itarsi only.
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