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Chapter 14
THE GUNAS: DEVELOPING THEM AND GOING BEYOND THEM
80. Sattva And The Method To Deal With It
25. Thus, first pride about sattva should be conquered and then attachment. Pride can be conquered through constant practice of sattvik actions. To conquer attachment, one should work without desire for fruit and dedicate to the Lord the fruit that is received because of sattva. When sattva is fully assimilated in life, the fruit of sattvik actions appears before us in the form of supernatural powers or fame. But that should also be regarded as worthless. A tree never eats its own fruit, howsoever attractive and delicious it may be. Renunciation is sweeter than enjoyment. 26. Dharmaraj rejected the ultimate fruit of all the mer its acquired in life: the enjoyment of pleasures in heaven. That was the crowning finale to his sacrifices. He was entitled to enjoy that sweet fruit. But had he enjoyed it, it would have been consumed. क्षीणें पुण्यें मृत्युलाकास येती.’ (‘Enjoyment of the heavenly pleasures consumes the merits and one has then to take birth again on the earth.’) He would have again got caught in the cycle of births and deaths. Dharmaraj’s great sacrifice always stands before my eyes. How great it was! Thus, pride about Sattva is to be vanquished by ceaseless performance of sattvik actions and then attachment to it should be conquered by remaining detached from the fruit of actions and dedicating it to the Lord. |
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