Last few weeks I was writing a lot about Buddha, Mahavira & Jesus in the topic Krishna on bondage. It was not out of context. To understand a concept or philosophy, there is a need for comparative study. Now I am getting back to Krishna to go for a crescendo finish. Krishna’s anasakti. Non-attachment, in its turn has some similarity with Mahavira’s transcendence, Buddha’s indifference and Jesus’s neutrality. But it has some basic differences too. I would not be wrong if I say that Krishna’s anasakti is transcendence, indifference and neutrality rolled into one, plus something more.
Krishna’s non attachment is different from Buddha’s upeksha or indifference. Krishna says indifference is a kind of attachment. If I meet you in the passing and if I don’t look at you, it will be indifference on my part. But if looking at you is attachment then not looking is equally attachment- attachment in reverse gear. And furthermore, Krishna asks, “How can anyone be indifferent? Indifferent to what? If the whole world is manifestation of God, then one is indifferent to God himself.” And the Krishna asks another question: “How can anyone who is indifferent be free of ego? To be attached or to be indifferent one needs ego. If I am attached to God and indifferent to the world, it is my ego operating in both cases.” So Krishna does not use a condemnatory term like indifference.
Krishna does not accept the concept of transcendence of attachment or aversion. He says if attachment and aversion are wrong then there is no reason for them to exist, but they do exist.
Similarly Krishna is against neutrality. How can be neutral about anything when god is not neutral? He is utterly involved in everything that there is. Neutrality in life is unnatural and impossible, as per Krishna. We are in the midst of life. We are life. It is life and nothing but life all over. Then how can we keep ourselves aloof from life? The Sanskrit word for neutrality is tatasthata, which means to leave the mainstream and stand on the bank. But so far as life is concerned, it is main stream all over without any banks. And how can we stand on the non-existent bank of life? So Krishna says it is impossible to be neutral or indifferent in life.
Wishing you good health & happiness,
Dr. Dwarakanath, Director, Mitran foundation- the stress management people
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