Raga is passionate attachment. “Vi” negates it. Yathartha is authentic. Thus, Yathartha Vairagya means authentic detachment in the true sense. This nuancing around authenticity, or otherwise, is required, as when the “going gets tough”, often people get into depressive vairagya.
This happens when someone’s close and dear person passes away. They feel the emptiness around, and the dukkha has to be lived for it to be empathised with. This is a temporary vairagya called “Smashana Vairagya”.
One feels that everything is there to perish and there is no sense in pursuing with unnecessary passion, attachment and efforts. If wisdom dawns as the outcome of this churn, then it is good. If the person attempts something damaging, then it becomes bad.
Understanding the roots of attachment
For attaining the vairagya condition, we need to know why the attachment develops. As it is said that in every “SIN”, there is “I”. The selfishness and putting the person in the centre is the issue.
As it is said that “Why” and “What” are more important than “Who”, the self needs to be put behind the screen. The self may be there in the scene and contributing, but one should be as transparent and porous as possible.
Role of viveka in cultivating vairagya
Viveka, or discerning, gives us the benefit of achieving vairagya. Viveka is the quality of our mind in seeing the issues as they are. The coating or colouring we generally attach to the issues should not be done. A simple illustration is, if someone looks through us and moves ahead, we may feel ignored or slighted or even snubbed.
But we do not know the real reason for the absent-mindedness or primary mental occupancy of that person at that point in time. One may be rushing or thinking about an important family issue, or maybe office stress caused a temporary switch-off.
Unless we know the real reason, we should not pass judgement. When vairagya is there in us, we shall reconcile with ourselves and not over-read any issue.
Impermanence and freedom from moha
We know that all is in transition and nothing is permanent. Hence, there is no need for “Moha”. When we remember that “this too shall pass”, there shall be a perfect vairagya condition, certainly, which shall be “Yathartha”.
Dr S. Ainavolu is a Mumbai-based teacher of Management and Tradition.
