Talks on the Gita -Vinoba 17

Chapter 2 THE TEACHING IN BRIEF: SELF-KNOWLEDGE AND EQUANIMITY 9. Renunciation of The Fruit Of Action: Two Examples 18. The doctrine of ‘this also’ which Pundalik applied is a part of the ingenuity in the renunciation of the fruit of actions. A man who renounces the fruits of actions is totally absorbed in his work and his outlook is broad, tolerant and balanced. He does not, therefore, get entangled in the web of abstruse academic arguments and remains firm on his own standpoint. He does not argue that ‘not that, this alone is true.’ He holds, humbly but firmly, that ‘this also is and that also is, but for me, this alone is’—that he should stick to his own swadharma. A householder once went to a sage and asked him, “Must one leave his home— that is, give up one’s worldly duties and responsibilities as a householder—in order to attain moksha ?” The sage said, “Certainly not. King Janaka attained moksha while living in the palace, fulfilling his duties as a king; then where is the need for you to leave your home?” Later, another man went to the sage and asked him, “Sir, can one attain moksha without leaving the home?” The sage replied, “Who says so? Had it been possible, were persons like Shuka fools to renounce their homes—that is, this-worldly attachments—for the sake of moksha?” Later, they met each other and a dispute arose. While one asserted that the sage was in favour of leaving the home, the other said that the sage had advised him against it. They again came to the sage. He explained, “Both the advices are correct. What is important is to become detached. Then one can follow different ways in accordance with one’s disposition. The answer depends on the way the question is posed. It is true that one need not leave the home for moksha and it is equally true that one has to leave one’s home for attaining it.” This is what the doctrine of ‘this also’ means. 19. Pundalik’s example shows the extent to which one can renounce the fruits of actions. The temptation that the Lord offered to Pundalik was certainly much more alluring than that offered to Tukaram. Still, Pundalik was not carried away by that. Had he succumbed to that temptation, it would have spelled his ruin. Once a certain path (for God-realisation) is chosen for oneself after due deliberation, then it must be pursued till the end. Even if the Lord Himself appears before you, you should not be tempted to leave that path. As long as one is in a body, it is one’s duty to follow the chosen path. Seeing the Lord face to face is then in one’s hands; His vision is always there for the asking. Why should then one bother about it? सर्वात्मकर्पण माझें हिरोनि नेतो कोण? (‘Who can deprive me of my oneness with the whole creation?’) मनीं भक्तीची आवडी (‘The heart longs for the Lord.’). The very purpose of this birth is to fulfill that longing. When the Gita says, मां ते संगाऽस्त्वकर्मणि (Let there not be any attachment to akarma) the meaning of this extends thus far that while doing desireless work, one must not have desire even for the ultimate freedom from action, i.e., moksha. Moksha means nothing but freedom from all desires. Why should there be desire for it? When the renunciation of the fruit of actions reaches this point, the art of living attains perfection like the full moon.