Gyaneshwari -Sant Gyaneshwar
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Chapter-18
Release
9. When an obligatory duty is performed, O Arjuna, (with the thought) that it ought to be done, without attachment and desire for its fruit, that tyaga is known to be derived from sattva. Now the (sattvic) person performs actions, which have fallen to his lot, according to his status with proper decorum and in accordance with scriptural injunctions (196-200). But he does not perform them with egoistic feeling and does not expect their fruit. To show disrespect to the mother or to entertain passion for her leads to ruin. Therefore one should avoid both these things and render service to her. Does one discard a cow because its mouth is foul? Does one throw away one’s favourite fruit, because its rind and stone are tasteless? In the same way the egoistic feeling of the doer and the desire for the fruit of action, contribute to the bondage of action (201-205). A father never entertains a passion for his daughter; in the same way, he who performs his obligatory actions with complete detachment, in these two respects does not suffer misery. This most excellent tree in the form of relinquishment bears a big fruit in the form of emancipation. So it is well-known in the world as sattvic tyaga. Just as one roasts the seeds making that species of tree extinct, so he renounces action by relinquishing its fruit. Just as with the touch of the philosopher’s stone, both the rust and its black colour disappear, so with the relinquishment of the fruit of action, both rajas and tamas qualities are destroyed. Then with the purification of his sattva, he becomes enlightened in regard to the true nature of the Self. Just as the mirage vanishes as soon as the evening sets in (206-210), the deceptive appearance of the universe like that of the sky (which looks blue without being so) vanishes. |
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