Aparigraha

This is the fifth Upayantra. Man does not want happiness.

What he actually longs for, is Shanti (peace or composure), though he is not aware of it.

In order to attain happiness, he runs after physical objects.

But the latent motive behind his longing for acquisition of physical objects is his desire for Shanti.

If he has 20 crores of rupees, he wants to have 50 crores of rupees. He thinks that he will enjoy more happiness if he can earn 50 crores of Rupees.

Actually, he wants Shanti.

But he does not know the exact way for attaining it, and as such, he wrongly runs after such happiness.

Shanti is not to be attained outside, it is something always internal. While in Brahmacarya, there was external expression, but Sha’nti is completely internal.

What is this Sha’nti? The balanced state of mind, when the Su’ks’ma Mana (subconscious mind) does not affect the Ka’ran’a Mana and when the subconscious mind does not goad the conscious mind, through its will‑force, towards material enjoyment, it is called Sha’nti (composure).

When the Suksma Mana, under the influence of Pravrtti (accelerated momentum) does not motivate the conscious mind towards material ideation, by influencing Iccha’ Shakti and conscious mind, that balanced state of Su’ks’ma Mana is known as Sha’nti.

When that “Shanti” is felt externally, it is called “Prasha’nti”. The Hima’layas are described as Prasha’nta Hima’laya, not Sha’nta Hima’laya. Externally one experiences the serene calmness. “Prakrs’t’a ru’pen’a sha’nti iti prasha’nti.”

Deharaks’a’tirikta bhogasa’dhana' Sviika’ro’parigrahah.

The only purpose, the summum bonum of human life is Brahma Sa’dhana’; and nothing else. He has no other duty in life. Animal life is meant only for crude enjoyment whereas the human life is for Sa’dhana'.

The human body should be kept fit so that one can do Sa’dhana’ properly. The mind ceases to function after the vital strength of the body comes to zero. Even when the body literally dies, the mind may function up to 8 to 10 days or at most a few days or months. But ultimately it is bound to be detached from the physical body because the mind depends for its action on the nerve cells.

Nerve cells are physical and form the basis of the subtle mind. For Sa’dhana’, nerve cells must be kept healthy and as such the body should be always kept fit. In order to keep the body fit, one needs shelter, food, and medicine ‑ in other words‑‑ a balanced worldly life. What should a family man do? A family man has a small family to look after ‑‑that is his direct responsibility‑‑and he has, again, a big universal family‑‑that is his indirect responsibility.

In short, a family man has to discharge his duties towards the little family and also to the universal family. The members of his small family consist of father and mother, wife and children, etc., whereas the universal family consists of all fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters of the entire universe. He is to maintain a balance, as he has responsibility towards both families. For this, he has to maintain his body, house, etc. otherwise how will he discharge his duties? For the Sannya’sii there is only one big family‑‑ no small family.

As family men have to maintain two families, they must pay attention to the provisions of shelter, food, drink, etc., but the Sannya’sii need not think about food, clothes, etc. because he is to maintain only one family. But if a family man pays attention to the needs of the little family only, and denies the same to the bigger family, then he is said to be going astray from the duty of a family man. For a Sannya’sii it is different, since he has no small family to look after.

Maintaining a proper balance between the above two is known as Ga’rhasthya Dharma (duties of a householder). To deny either the small family or the bigger family is against the spirit of Ga’rhasthya Dharma. The life of a householder is more difficult than the Sannya’sii’s life. Many people fail to maintain a balance. For a Sannya’sii, his own self may be treated as a small family. (Strictly speaking, the self cannot be treated as a small family, so the Sannya’sii has no small family.) A Sannya’sii may also go against Aparigraha if he runs after acquisition of material objects.

What man needs is not land but rice, wheat, pulses, clothes, etc. Man wants land not for the sake of land but for the sake of rice, wheat etc. Man will still continue to live even while all landed property of private individuals goes in the hands of the state. What he really wants is food materials and money only indirectly. When the requisite food articles are made available to him, he won’t need land any longer. Once necessary things are available, he won’t demand a rupee.

It is not proper to demand more than what one actually needs for one’s physical preservation. Suppose, a big family has two lakhs of rupees; it is all right. But if that family demands 20 lakhs of rupees ‑ which is not proportionate to its needs, in that case, that family violates the principles of Aparigraha. One is unnecessarily wasting his valuable time for those meaningless things. Here he is not a worshipper of God but of 18 lakhs of rupees ‑ a worshipper of money, wheat, rice, etc.

Such a man is worse than an animal. To accept or hoard anything which is superfluous for one’s existence is against Aparigraha. Anyone who goes against it is destined to be reborn, for example as a cat or dog after death, or even honeybees, because they are in the habit of accumulating things only. The honeybees collect honey from different sources but the human beings take away that honey from the beehives. One should rather be not Madhumaks’ika’ (bee), but Madhukara (Sannya’sii Vrtti is Madhukarii Vrtti or even Ajagarii Vrtti). How does a Sannya’sii or an Avadhu’ta go against Aparigraha? Suppose one has two sets of uniforms. If he collects more than two sets, he is said to have gone against Aparigraha. He will keep neither black money nor a single farthing beyond his necessity. Every penny will be properly accounted. He will maintain a clear account as to how much he has collected through organizational receipts, how much he has already spent over such and such heads, as to how much he has already kept with him. If the account is not properly maintained, this will be a violation of Aparigraha.

Ajagarii Vrtti is better than Madhukarii. Madhukara here means Bramara (black bee). They never collect anything. They perch on flowers, sip juice from them and after their belly is full, they fly away. What is Ajagarii Vrtti? Ajagara never goes anywhere to hunt for his food, he remains in one place. When he will feel hungry, he will simply keep his mouth agape. Other birds and animals like peacocks or deer, etc. will rush into his belly. Similarly a Sannya’sii does not need to go out here and there for procuring food nor will he think about food for tomorrow.

If he acts otherwise, it will be against Aparigraha. The family men have also a responsibility towards the big family. They should see and ask whether some people are starving or not, particularly the Sannya’sii. This is an integral part of their Ga’rhasthya Dharma. If he does not discharge his duty in this regard, he is said to have fallen down from his ideals. On the contrary, if the Sannya’sii runs after collection of physical food, keeps black money or unnecessary sets of clothes, he is said to have degraded himself from his Dharma. This is against the spirit of Aparigraha because Aparigraha enjoins us not to hoard anything, which is superfluous.

As in the unit body, so also in collective body Aparigraha may be violated. Some country or nation has accumulated heaps of wealth while people of other countries or nations are dying of hunger. It has exploited the wealth of other countries and enriched itself. It is detrimental to the progress of the world, to the human civilization. Today there are many countries where the people do not have even two plain meals a day. Here the rich country is violating Aparigraha. The hungry, the naked of today will rise in revolt some day and snatch away their wealth by force. Even those who snatch get their mind distorted, and those whose wealth is snatched are equally distorted in their mind.

Aparigraha will have to be practised both in individual and collective life. There is no other way of attaining mental peace. On the contrary, one who meditates on physicality, will become crude mentally, gets more disturbed and loses mental peace and ultimately will be degraded. Hence the great importance of Aparigraha in practical life ‑ be he a Sa’dhaka or non‑Sa’dhaka ‑ in private and social life.

Without Aparigraha, it is difficult to promote a moral, intellectual or spiritual standard; there will be no spiritual elevation in collective life. That is why, you will build up such a socio‑economic and social structure, where all the human beings get their minimum essentialities of life ‑ which is essential for moral, intellectual and spiritual elevation of the whole humanity. There will be no need then for the people to go against Aparigraha.

“Pari‑grah+Ac” means to take something. “Giving and taking” is fundamental spirit of the world but not Parigraha alone. Specific taking is Parigraha and not to do Parigraha is Aparigraha.