Lessons from the world

LESSONS FROM THE WORLD

     

                                               -Swamini Shraddhanand Saraswati

A Dialogue with an Avadhuta-

     The Bhaagavat Puraana gives a description of the avadhuta met by the Yaadava King. He is a Dvija i.e. a vaidika who respects the Vedic tradition and who has transcended the tradition only after following the tradition. “Dvija” literally means one who is twice-born, once when the person is born from the mother’s womb and next when the person undergoes transformation from an unrefined person to a refined person by following the rules and regulations prescribed by the Vedas. The Avadhuta is a “Parivraajaka Saanyasi” who does not have a fixed residence and so is called Carantam. Since he is a Parivraajaka he has no permanent disciples or no bank balance and yet he is free from worry, anxiety or insecurity. One of the fundamental features of samsaara is fear but Avadhuta is totally fearless and totally secure because he has discovered security in his own Self. Even the devatas do not enjoy the type of security the gyanis enjoy. Since insecurity rises from within, it must be handled from within alone by attainment of Self knowledge, by becoming a gyani called here Kavim. The Avadhuta met by Yadu Maharaja was a young gyani sanyaasi and so is described as “Tarunnam”.

     Yadu maharaja addresses the Avadhuta as “O Brahman”. Here the word Brahman means a gyani, one who has attained Brahmagyanam. The king has discerned from the very personality that the Avadhuta has got knowledge which is clear and free from the two-fold impurities of doubt and ignorance-born old habits and so ask him, “From where and whom did u acquire this wonderful knowledge which allows you to move freely in the world without any possessions”. Possessions alone tie down a person heavily. It is these which make a householder to turn to a household. The free movement of the Avadhuta implies freedom from all possessions. This is possible only when a person is secure internally because possessions are meant for security. Another beautiful expression used to describe the Avadhuta is his child-like innocence which reflects purity and the absence of Raaga-Dvesha. Seeing the Avadhuta thus the king is curious to know how the Avadhuta has acquired this knowledge so effortlessly more so the Avadhuta appeared to be quite calm and inactive.

     The king continues to express his wonder because the Avadhuta’s life style was evoking both wonderment and surprise in his mind. While most of the human beings are busy running after worldly pursuits meant for mundane things like a long-life, name and fame and prosperity how come the Avadhuta was not interested in any of these. And that to if the Avadhuta was old it is understandable because generally people are seen to withdraw from worldly pursuits more out of their inability to enjoy rather than from the sense of discrimination or dispassion. But here was an Avadhuta who was young and so his detachment was not born of his incapacity to enjoy.

         

(The story will be continued for the next post.)