Non attachment

Let us try to understand the meaning of the word anasakti or non-attachment. Non-attachment is generally taken to mean aversion, but it is not aversion. Aversion is a kind of attachment- opposite of attachment. Someone is attracted to sex and someone else is attracted to its opposite- Brahmacharaya or celibacy. Attachment has two faces, positive and negative. We can fancy a thing so much that we madly run after it, we cling to it- this is positive attachment. And we can be so much repelled by a thing that we want to escape it, to run away from it- it is negative attachment. Negative attachment is as much attachment as positive one. Non- attachment is altogether different. It is freedom from both the positive and the negative kinds. Non- attachment is transcendence of both attachment and aversion.

In the world of spiritualism, there are many words like non attachment. Veetrag is one such word which means transcendence of attachment, but it has become synonymous with aversion. This word Veetrag belongs to Mahavira tradition. Anasakti belongs to the tradition of Krishna, and they are synonymous. But there is difference in the approach towards the two. Mahavira attains to the state of Veetrag by renouncing both attachment and aversion. Krishna attains to the state of anasakti by accepting both positive and negative attachments. And these are the only possible ways. While their ends remain the same, their means are different. While Mahavira insists on renunciation of attachment, Krishna insists its acceptance.

A non- attached mind as per Krishna is one who accepts everything unconditionally. The interesting thing is that if we accept something totally it does not leave a scar on our mind. Our mind remains unscathed and undisturbed. But when we cling to something, or deny something, both of it leaves a scar on our mind. When we are receptive to everything – good or bad, beautiful or ugly, pleasant or painful- when we become like a mirror reflecting everything that comes before it, then our mind remains unscathed.

And such a mind is non-attached mind; it can be said as established in non-attachment.

Let us understand Krishna to understand Gita.

Dr. Dwarakanath, Director, MITRAN foundation- the stress management people