Judicious
Blending of Pravritti and Nivrittti Leads to Perennial Joy (Sreyas)
(Compilation for a discourse by N. R.
Srinivasan, Nashville, TN, USA, Feb 2016)
Who
am I? Why am I here? What is the purpose in life? How then I shall live?--these
are the questions for which we try to find answers in our religious faith and
spiritual pursuits. With our materialistic approach we all strive to be happy
all the time. “There is more to Life than being happy. Happiness without
meaning characterizes a relatively shallow, self-absorbed, or even selfish life
in which things go well, needs and desires are easily satisfied, and difficult
or taxing estrangements are avoided” says a Western journalist Emily Smith.
That kind of Happiness comes and goes but Meaningful Happiness has
longevity. Some of the things that give
us happiness in life are sacrifice, friendship, sustain a career, raising
children and family that require commitment and these are also not easy. But
Meaningful Happiness to our life is much deeper. Being human always points, and is directed to
do something or someone other than oneself. The more one forgets himself by
giving himself a cause to serve or another person, the more human he becomes.
This is well described in Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita as Pravritti. Material Happiness is associated with taking
but Pravritti Marga teaches both taking and giving. It makes happiness more
meaningful. Here stops the Western philosophy of a Meaningful
Happiness. Many migrant Hindus also join
the crowd. Western Religions believe in
one time punishment or reward and says humans have “One life to live; therefore
Make it more meaningful”. It also believes that all their sins are taken care
of, if they lead a Meaningful Life. Those who do not believe in it are
permanently doomed. But Upanishads say
humans go through cycle of births and
deaths and it is an opportunity given in each birth to reduce the number of
births and deaths and reach the final goal of Perennial Joy by combining
with the source from which it came.
Based on one’s good performance(punya) one can move faster towards this
goal. Otherwise this cycle is lengthened. This calls for judicious combination
of Pravritti Marga and Nivritti Marga to spiritually elevate oneself in each
life and ultimately attain perfection. Thus we find in life few rare births,
who pursue only Nivritti Marga to reach the final goal. But majority who can’t do that needs to lead a life of
Pravritti and Nivriitti, more focused on Nivritti in their latter part of life after achieving
success in Material Happiness as well as
Meaningful Happiness. This Nivritti may be roughly defined as spiritual
aspiration (Jnaana Marga) in life. Meaningful Happiness is happiness based on
Manava (human) Dharma in Hindu Concept which Western philosophy defines as
Human Values.
There are two main directions or life paths:
Nivritti and Pravritti. Each of us must decide for ourselves which of
these we will take. Pra means ‘different’ and Vritti stands for ‘chitta vritti’
the thoughts. During normal, everyday activity the mind is occupied with
something or other and thoughts are constantly changing—Thoughts about
accumulation of assets and wealth pursuing many activities, and worried about
our adult children and grand-children, etc.
In Pravritti Maarga we constantly experience suffering,
misunderstandings, dis-appointment, changes and pain. To be on the path of Nivritti means we have accomplished our tasks or
fulfilled our desires and have deliberately chosen a life of peace and
quiet. We must become ‘Nivritta’ not only
outwardly, but inwardly. The Antahkarana
(indwell thoughts) are full of
desires and until we are free of these, we cannot come to Nivritti. Gradually we
must free ourselves from Pravritti
and
come to the Nivritti path. It will lead to liberation and
quench our soul’s thirst for knowledge (Jnaana). It sometimes happens through destiny
that a person will find themselves on the Nivritti path from childhood like Sankara.
These are blessed rare few. At some time or other, every human being will
desire complete consciousness. Some require several lifetimes for this awakening.
"The Vedic dharma (religion)
is verily twofold, characterized by Pravritti
(social action) and Nivritti (inward
contemplation) designed to promote order in the world; this twofold dharma has in
view the true social welfare and spiritual emancipation of all beings."
says Sri Sankaracharya, one of the greatest philosophers of India.
“There is one impulse in our minds which says, do.
Behind it raises another voice which says, do not. There is one set of ideas in
our mind which is always struggling to get outside through the channels of the
senses, and behind that, although it may be thin and weak, there is an
infinitely small voice which says, do not
go outside. The two beautiful Sanskrit words for these phenomena are Pravritti
and Nivritti, "circling forward" and "circling inward".
It is the circling forward which usually governs our actions. Religion begins
with this circling inward. Religion begins with this "do not".
Spirituality begins with this "do not". When the "do not"
is not there, religion has not begun. And this "do not" came, causing
men's ideas to grow, despite the fighting
gods which they had worshiped”—Swami Vivekananda.
Pravritti is the act of enjoying material and sensual
pleasures. It is a natural instinct in all human beings. It means to live
amidst worldly duties and interests with the senses and actions directed
primarily towards the external world. The happiness derived out of it is
defined as Preyas in Bhagavad Gita. This is the path of pleasure resulting from
our secular education and pursuit, the Path of Pleasure.
Nivritti, on the other hand, is the act of abstaining from
material and sensual enjoyment. It calls for a sacrifice on the part of the
individual to give up all worldly pleasures. It is the
path of “turning back”, the path of turning within towards spiritual
contemplation, and placing God at the centre of our existence after fulfilling
our family and professional duties. Bhagavad Gita calls it Sreyas or perpetual joy or
Eternal Bliss. This calls for spiritual
education and elevation which realization usually comes in one’s later part of
life thinking about real success in life.
In a typical village only the Village Pundit remains with
the Vedic philosophy and management. Oliver Goldsmith describes the same
beautifully in his Deserted Village:
As some tall
cliff lift lifts its awful form
Swells from the
Vale and midway leaves the form
Though round
its breast rolling clouds or spread
Eternal
sunshine settles on its head!
Wise pundit does not run away from
the pleasures and sorrows of the world but lives with it guiding the people around
but his thoughts are always focused on the Eternal.
As long as we live in Pravritti our thoughts turn mainly
towards worldly things – to pleasure and hobbies and worrying about position,
income and possessions. Initially school and education occupy our thoughts,
then later profession and family. Finally, in old age we worry about our health
and our inheritance.
Hindu
scriptures do consider material success as an important part of life. It is called Artha. Artha means that which is an asset or that which
is meaningful. Hinduism classifies success according to stages of life – the
first part of life and the second part of life. Kaama means Pleasures or desires. That should also be closely
watched with an eye on Dharma. One has to raise the family in a legitimate way
with an eye on healthy and peaceful society around and enjoy it.
Hindu way of life
focuses on the first part of life’s success too. This can be seen from the long
Gurukula education system promoted in Vedic culture. Isavasyopanishad
is very practical in saying:"vidyaam cha avidyaam cha yastad
vedobhyagam saha | avidyayaa mrityum teertvaa vidyayaa amritamasnute"-- We
need to transcend hunger and thirst through the secular sciences (avidya) and
then alone we can obtain immortality through spiritual science (vidya). Avidya is also referred as Paravidya and
Vidya as Aparavidya in Upanishads. Vedic culture directly
recommends pursuit of education, family, wealth and fame as essential to
healthy and fulfilled living. But that could be pursued only in a moral way by
following dharma or sanctioned codes of living. Such success, according to
ancient Hindu culture is a necessary source of security,
continuity, predictability, and impulse control that we need to establish
a sound ego structure – before the chaos of real life shows up. Ironically,
according to Hinduism we need a very strong and disciplined ego structure
before we let go of the ego itself. The creation of that disciplined ego
structure is considered to be success in the first half of life. In the order
of priority of Purusharthas or human
goals in life, Dharma comes first and Artha
and Kaama follow. That means any
pursuit of Artha and Kaama should always keep a close watch
on Dharma. It is therefore proper and necessary for us to fulfil
our responsibilities and duties to our family and society, and there is nothing
wrong in being comfortable or prosperous. But we should not go about caring about
nothing totally wrapped up in illusion and constantly run after it, behave
irrationally and short-sighted. Such efforts
are persistently directed outwards with no inward focus and ultimate
destruction. Some even go to the extent
of even ridiculing those who are inwardly focused and feel they do not know
how to enjoy life.
It is wrong to think and focus only
to strive for material gains and think that is all the enjoyment we need in the
world. What is real enjoyment and success in life? Desires
never end. No worldly pleasures satisfy
us forever and they are momentary. Every time we meet with success, the desire
to fresh success at once springs forth. We should get out of this mad race. Towards
this, desire has to change its direction and that should come from within. Whenever we follow a worldly
path with specific focus it is possible to reach where that path leads. But sometimes we meet with failure also and
end in devastation. But even if we succeed, in the
bargain we lose contact with our inner world and communion
with God. Main purpose of human birth is
to elevate ourselves spiritually and avoid future births or minimize them. Therefore
the only way out of this illusory success is turning inwards, the path of Nivritti.
Vedic culture had a wonderful concept of Vanaprastha towards the end of life
which in the modern concept is called retirement. But do we really retire? When
the children are grown we should hand over to them all our acquired possession
beyond our need with a sense of satisfaction and achievement and gradually
withdraw from active work. That gives us an opportunity to free our mind from
worldly desires and turn inward spiritually. In the Vedic period they moved to calm and
quiet forest life in pursuit of Nivritti
Marga. That is no longer possible. “Nivritti” should predominate, not just
externally by merely giving up things outwardly but more importantly turning
inwardly. Neither money nor possessions make us inwardly rich - rather, true
wealth lies in a peaceful heart and contentment. Only in Nivritti can the soul permanently quench its thirst for happiness
and knowledge.
According to Vedic concept both pravritti-marga,
and nivritti-marga have the basis of
spiritual or religious life. In animal life there is only pravritti-marga. Pravritti-marga
means sense enjoyment, and nivritti-marga
means spiritual advancement. In the life of animals and demons, there is no
conception of nivritti-marga, nor is
there any actual conception of pravritti-marga. Pravritti-marga
maintains that even though one has the propensity for sense gratification, he
can gratify his senses according to the directions of the Vedic injunctions.
For example, everyone has the propensity for sex life, but in demoniac
civilization sex is enjoyed without restriction. According to Vedic culture,
sex is enjoyed under Vedic instructions.
Thus, the Vedas give direction to
civilized human beings to enable them to satisfy their propensities for sense
gratification. We have talked about the same in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad.
In the Nivritti-marga, however, on the path of transcendental realization,
sex is completely forbidden. Vedic
social orders are divided into four parts
–Brahmacharya (celebacy) Grihastha (Household), Vanaprastha (retirement) and Sannyasa
(renunciation))--and only in the householder life can the Pravritti-marga be encouraged or accepted according to Vedic
instructions. That is why sex-life is
prohibited in Brahmacharya, Vaanaprastha
and Sanyaasa.
We have thus options open to adopt
two ways of life while living even as
Grihasta (house holder. It is like a tree with one branch that bends down after
sometime after reaching its peak in life while the other shoots upwards looking for the Sun or Divine Consciousness.
This, the Gita calls its Nivritti Maarga.
We have to start our Nivritti Maarga journey as early as
possible. To develop Divine consciousness we need lot of preparatory work. It is also individual oriented. It requires
some time to know the depth of our spirituality and then on to proceed further
to elevate ourselves as far as possible in this life. If we had practiced Dharma in our earlier life
of Pravritti
Marga in the pursuit of Artha and Kama
we have already a good base to start with. As Gita says we also have to start realizing
the Self within us.
Yatha
prakashayaty-ekah kritsnam lokam imam ravih
kshetram kshetri tatha a kritsnam prakashayati bharata
kshetram kshetri tatha a kritsnam prakashayati bharata
“Just as the
sun alone illuminates the universe, so does the living entity, one within the
body (Atman), illuminate the entire body by consciousness”
As the sun
is present everywhere in the form of its energy, light, in the same way, the
soul is experienced throughout the entire body in the form of its energy,
consciousness. Thus consciousness is the symptom of the soul.
This
consciousness is the eternal companion of the soul. As one cannot separate heat
from fire, one also cannot separate consciousness from the soul. The soul, along
with its consciousness, is eternal. They do not cease to exist even after the
body has come to an end.
Company of people who inspire
truthfulness and goodness often helps the progress. Also it requires firm
resolution. A fickle mind often makes new resolutions but also frequently
breaks them also. We should withdraw our
time dedicated to material interests and pleasures as much as possible and
spend more time on spiritual association and progress. We thus can hope for
exhausting all our karmas progressively and enjoy Sreyas (Perennial Joy). We should not wait too long for that in our
present life for life suddenly end s without notice and with that the chance to
achieve something too spiritually.
Vedanta describes two
kinds of happiness Sreyas and Preyas.
Sreyas is inward happiness and leads to Eternal bliss making human
spiritual life good leading to liberation while Preyas makes our living pleasant to lead a healthy physical life.
Bhagavad Gita which reflects the Upanishadic thoughts of Kathopanishad often
mentions about Sreyas and Preyas.
Its real difference and deeper meaning can be better understood by the
following mantras in Kathopanishad:
Sreyascha preyascha manushyametah tau sam -pareetya vivinakti dheerah |
Sreyo hi dheero abhi preyasoe vrineete
preyo mando yogakshemaad vrineete ||
Both the good and the
pleasant approach the mortal man; the wise examines them thoroughly and
discriminates between the two; the wise man prefers the good to the pleasant,
but the ignorant man chooses the pleasant for the sake of this physical body
through avarice and attachment (for getting and keeping).
Kathopanishad says that every person is given the choice to
tread the path of that which is right
& good called Sreyas to
attain infinite Joy
or succumb to Preyas, the path
of immediate pleasure. Those who choose the path of Sreyas will make the best of their lives, spiritually elevated or attain Eternal
Bliss if they are able to exhaust all their Karmas while those who succumb to
the latter will have to pay the price in their repeated birth.
The path of Preyas
is one of delusion & untruths.
Bhagvad Gita calls it Rajasic
Joy. It says: “Know that to be rajasic joy where there is pleasure in
the beginning and lots of pains thereafter”.
The path of Sreyas is one of Sattvic Joy that spiritually elevates to
achieve the goal of Eternal Bliss or Perennial Joy.
A man of clear vision knows exactly
the expectations of the family, the society in which he lives. He knows very clearly, the appropriate
age and time in life, when
he should prepare himself for partial renunciation and for total renunciation.
These qualities are essentially found in a Sattvic
person, Such a person structures his life in such a way that even while he
lives in a family and community, he maintains his inner integrity and remains
anchored to the Supreme-Self. He knows how to respect the code of conduct and
always tries to act in harmony with the Laws of Dharma. These are the
guidelines for following the Nivritti
Marga without total renunciation or Sanyasa.
On the other hand there are people who cannot get out of their Pravritti Marga influenced by Maaya (illusion) and think they are
following the right path. Such people are very restless, anxious, always busy
in making new plans and resolutions and new projects. They make their own
interpretation of Dharma and Adharma in
accordance with their own mixed and confused understanding. They think, they
are following Nivriitti Marga and live in Maayaa.
They even make fun of simple and straight forward people who face temporary
set-backs. Thus we find people making few charitable contributions as a show
off perform few rituals and sacrifices but constantly engaged in Pravritti Marga. That leads them nowhere
without turning inwards. Any good act should be for self -satisfaction and not
to please others or look good in the eyes of others.
“As human beings we have numerous powers and abilities within us.
Most people, however, are not conscious of them and are therefore unable to use
them advantageously. “Do not look back; what was yesterday is gone. Work
towards whatever you would like to achieve unwaveringly, and continue to
practise. To those who have attained wisdom it is clear that Māyā is an erratic
partner, one day bringing something pleasant and the next day something
unpleasant. Accept both with equanimity. In worldly life external and inner
disturbances will always continue to appear. Therefore, endeavour to maintain
your inner harmony through constant practice and self-discipline.
It is recommended that you dedicate
at least one to two hours of the day to spiritual practice and meditation. The
place for meditation should be kept as free of Māyā and Pravritti as
possible and only used for practising Yoga. On the other hand, you should not
overdo the ‘retreat from the world’--Sanyaasa
or Vanaprastha. Under no
circumstances allow your duties to family or society to be neglected, and if
someone needs help it is our duty to help.
Move within Māyā like a tight-rope walker performing his art in front of a crowd.
He delights the people with his performance, but does not allow their cheering,
applause or laughter to distract him even for a second; he gives his undivided
attention and concentration to his steps upon the rope.
Therefore go attentively and cautiously
through the world, just as you would if you were walking through a coalmine in
pure white clothes. Avoid any inadvertent contact otherwise you could all too
easily end up with black stains on your clothing.
They behave like one who has
carelessly thrown away a valuable diamond thinking that it was a piece of
worthless glass. Always be conscious that this human life is priceless. We can
buy almost everything with money, but not life. Not even for a billion dollars
are we able to delay death for a fraction of a second when the time of our
earthly life has run out. Therefore make use of every minute of your existence
and decide upon the spiritual path” advises Charka.com devoted to Yogic Practices and Meditation.
Hinduism
offers these two major spiritual paths, one for householders and the other for
a Sanyasi (monks). These are Pravritti Marga, the Way of
the World, and Nivritti
Marga, the Path of Return. The path for householders (Pravrittas) is Pravritti Marga while the path of monks (Nivrittas) is called the Nivritti Marga. Life is a combination of Pravritti and Nivritti. Bhagavan in his preaching to learned Arjuna
his disciple has the following Upadesa (instruction) or message:
Karmendriyani
samyamya ya aaste Manasaa smaran |
Indriyaarthaan
vimoodhaatmaa mithyaachaarah sa uchyate || 3-6 ||
The deluded ones, who restrain their organs of
action (Karmendriyas) but mentally dwell upon sense of enjoyment, are called
hypocrites.
Yas tva
indriyaani manasaa niyamyaarabhate arjuana |
Karmendiyaih
karmayogam asaktah sa visishyate || 3-7 ||
The one who controls the senses by the trained
and purified mind, and engages the organs of action (Karmendriyas) to selfless
service, is superior, Oh Arjuna.
Pravrittim
cha nivrittim cha janaa na viduraasuraah |
Na
saucham naapi chaachaaro na satyam teshu vidyate || 16-7 ||
The demonic people do
not know what to do and what to refrain from; neither purity nor good conduct
nor truth is found in them.
Aasaapaasasatairbaddaah
kaamakrodhaparaayanaah |
Eehante
kaamabhogaartham-anyenaartha-sanchayaan || 16-12 ||
Bound by hundreds of
fetters of expectations, given over to lust and anger, they try to accumulate
wealth by illegal means for the gratification of their desires.
Chintaam-aparimeyaam
cha pralayaantam-upaasritaah |
Kaamopa-bhoga-paramaa
etaavadati nischitaah || 16-11 ||
Obsessed with
innumerable anxieties, those end only with their death; they regard the
enjoyment of sensuous pleasures as their highest goal and are fully convinced
that, that is all.
Bhagawan cautions Arjuna about the dangers of
following exclusively Pravritti Maarga
to the extreme and advantages in following exclusively Nivritti Maarga in the above hymns. He says Nivritti Maarga
followed exclusively by monks (Sanyasis)
is the meritorious one and superior. But he also says elsewhere the path of a
monk (Jnaanayoga) is very difficult
to follow by all who are born in this world with heavy load of Karma to be
exhausted. Those fortunate few monks are born in this world with very little
Karma left behind to be exhausted in this life. Upanishads therefore speak
of two major spiritual paths, one for householders and the other
for monks –Nrivritti Maarga and Pravritti Maarga. Those who follow Pravritti Maarga are Pravrittas
while those who follow the Nivritti Maarga are called Nivrittas. The Pravrittas, or people of the household
life, are not regarded as inferior to the Nivrittas.
They have their purpose and function to fulfil living in the society following
Dharma and not running away from it in seclusion. The only goal of a monk in
this life is Liberation. An ordinary man
has long way to go to exhaust his Karma and needs many more births unlike a
monk. Therefore Bhagawan also says it is
easier to follow one’s own Dharma than that of others. A householder has to
follow his dharma and not go for that of a monk.
One should really
progress from Preyas to Sreyas which is the same as Pravriitti
to Nivritti for liberation. Our life is meant to
be led in such a way that we move towards this goal and scriptures reiterate
that life is not for enjoyment alone, pointed out Sri K. Srinivasan in a
lecture.
“The different stages
in one’s lifetime from childhood through adulthood and old age are meant to
prepare us towards the ultimate state of realization. It is very easy to get hooked to Pravritti Marga for seeking material
gains that are no doubt pleasurable. But our sense of discrimination will tell
us that these gains are not only fleeting and unsubstantial, but also pull one
into the cycle of birth.
So the other choice
is to tread the path of realization or the Nivritti
marga. The focus now shifts to welfare of the Atma and not the body.
Realization is reached through renunciation and Nachiketas in Kathopanishad symbolizes discrimination
that chooses Sreyas — that which is
good and the right. He rejects Preyas
though this appears pleasurable and sweet.
Actually, this two-fold path becomes the means to attain the end,
salvation.
Preyas gradually leads to Sreyas when one learns to mentally
renounce its attractions. The result of this choice made with determination is
permanent. This inspires one to practice moral values which bring about chitta suddhi (clearing consciousness).
It is shown that the Absolute Brahman is realized only when there is purity in
one’s thought, word and deed. The success of the result depends on the extent
of effort expended”.
Although the
householder falls at the feet of sanyasis
(monks) the Hindu Dharma recognizes that both have an important part to play. A
man who follows his Dharma is not regarded as inferior just because he
cannot renounce his worldly life. You know also how Viswamitra struggled hard in
life to exclusively follow Jnaana Maarga
and attain Brahmarishi status! In fact, many of the spiritually-illumined
sages during ancient times such as King Janaka and Ashvapati were family
men. Even today there are monks who live
with their wives and run house-hold.
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Jeers of Maths in South India (monasteries)
today are such people. Lord Krishna amply showed this path in his life-style
unlike Budha. A practical outlook calls
for sufficient attention to religious life -- no matter how dual it might be --
and to enjoy life to the full.
Hinduism has always
maintained that there are four legitimate aims in life, for which the
householder should strive. Collectively they are called the Purusarthas. They consist of
Dharma (Righteousness and Duty) Artha
(Pursuit of Wealth and Property) Kama
(Sensual desires) and Moksha (Release
from illusion). The word Moksha consists
of two words: moha=illusion and Kshaya=elimination. He who finds the
balance and harmony between these four Purusharthas is one who finds the real
rhythm of life.
SANKARA AND VIVEKANANDA
ON PRAVRITTI AND NIVRITTI
According to Sankara the process of acquiring knowledge (of
Brahman) is called “Nivritti maarga” or “Jnaana Yoga”. The process of acquiring the renunciation,
which is its prerequisite, is called the path of action, “Pravritti maarga” or
“Karma Yoga”. Therefore the objective of following the path of action is to
develop renunciation.
Sankara says any such religious faith calls for Sraddha. He defines
Sraddha in his hymn in Viveka
Choodaamani as follows:
Saastrasya
guruvaakyasyasatya-buddhya-avadhaaranaa |
Saa
Sraddhaa kathitaa sadbhiryaya vastu upalabhyate
|| 25 ||
That by which one
understands the exact import of scriptures as well as the pregnant words of
advice of the preceptor is called Sraddha
by the wise. By this alone Reality becomes manifestly clear.
Sraddha is a qualification found necessary in a spiritual aspirant. “Perhaps no other spiritual term has been so badly mauled by the priest class and so profitably polluted by the laity in Hinduism” says swami Chinmayananda. This is an essential prerequisite for anyone trying to master the truth of the scriptures. We all need certain amount of Sraddha even in our daily life.
Pravritti, means revolving
towards, and Nivritti, means revolving away. The "revolving towards"
is what we call the world, the "I and mine”; it includes all those things
which are always enriching that "me" by wealth and money and power,
and name and fame, and which are of a grasping nature, always tending to
accumulate everything in one center, that center being "myself". That
is the Pravritti, the natural tendency of every human being; taking everything
from everywhere and heaping it around one center, that center being man's own
sweet self. This is of Rajasic and Taamasic nature which may end up in evil
doing. When this tendency begins to break then begins morality and
religion. This is the start of
Nivritti Marga or moving away. This is of Saattvic nature. It is the
fundamental basis of all morality and all religion, and the very perfection of
it is entire self-abnegation, readiness to sacrifice mind and body and
everything for another being. When a man has reached that state, he has
attained to the perfection of Karma-Yoga.
Swami Vivekananda
referring to Jnaana Yoga in Bhagavad Gita says, “There is one impulse in our
minds which says, do. Behind it raises another voice which says, do not. There
is one set of ideas in our mind which is always struggling to get outside
through the channels of the senses, and behind that, although it may be thin
and weak, there is an infinitely small voice which says, do not go outside. It
is the circling forward which usually governs our actions. Religion begins with
this circling inward. Religion begins with this "do not".
Spirituality begins with this "do not". That is the beginning of Janaana Yoga”.
The path of Renunciation
for all-renouncing Sanyasi (monk) is Nivritti Marga which is quite different
from that of the householders. A Sanyasi, avowed to celibacy, should be
physically and mentally pure. He should view every woman as his own mother. He should
lead a life of simplicity, spend most of his time in the contemplation of God,
and study the scriptures. He should not own any home, wealth or property. He
should live in a hut, a temple, or under a tree. He should be truthful and full
of compassion for all beings. He should be totally indifferent to blame,
praise, pleasure or pain. His only goal in life should be the realization of
God.
MNU says
those who have rigorously arrived at the conclusion taught by Vedanta through
direct knowledge (sanyaasa yoga)
following Nivritti Marga attain
immortality:
Veadanta vijnaana sunischitaarthaah sanyaasayogaat yatayah suddhasatvaah|
Te brahmaloke tu paraantakaale paraamritaat parimuchyanti
sarve ||
Having attained the Immortality consisting of identity with the Supreme, all those aspirants who strive for self-control, who have rigorously arrived at the conclusion taught by the Vedanta through direct knowledge, and who have attained purity of mind through the practice of the disciplne of yoga and stead-fastness (sthitaprajnya) in the knowledge of Brahman preceded by renunciation (Nivritti Marga) get themselves released into the region of Brahman at the dissolution of their final body.
Vivekananda often referred to the
words Pravriiti and Nivriitti in Kathopanishad in different
contexts in his lectures on Vedanta. He often said Vedanta
is the Religion of the Future for the World which aims at Universal Oneness. Here are some quotes from “Swami
Vivekananda's Quotes” on Pravritti and Nivritti:
“Acting
in the external world, Maayaa manifests itself as the two powers of attraction
and repulsion. In the internal its manifestations are desire and non-desire
(Pravritti and Nivritti). The whole universe is trying to rush outwards. Each
atom is trying to fly off from its center. In the internal world, each thought
is trying to go beyond control. Again each particle in the external world is
checked by another force, the centripetal, and drawn towards the center.
Similarly in the thought-world the controlling power is checking all these
outgoing desires.
Every
Hindu who has tasted the fruits of this world must give up in the latter part
of his life, and he who does not is not a Hindu and has no more right to call
himself a Hindu. We know that this is the ideal — to give up after seeing and
experiencing the vanity of things. Having found out that the heart of the
material world is a mere hollow, containing only ashes, give it up and go back.
The mind is circling forward, as it were, towards the senses, and that mind has
to circle backwards; the Pravritti
has to stop and the Nivritti has to
begin. That is the ideal. But that ideal can only be realized after a certain
amount of experience. We cannot teach the child the truth of renunciation.
Nivritti
is turning aside from the world.
"Pravirti"
[Pravritti] means love of God and all his creatures.
The
Hindu Ideal of Life is "Nivarti" [Nivritti]. Nivarti means
subjugation and conquest of evil passions, of Rajasa and Tamasa nature of lust,
revenge and avarice. It does not mean conquest of all desire. It means only the
annihilation of gross desires. Every man is bound to love and sympathize with
his fellow creatures.
The
materializing forces which through desire lead us to take an active part in
worldly affairs are called Pravritti.
There
is being, "x", which is manifesting itself as both mind and matter.
Its movements in the seen are along certain fixed lines called law. As a unity,
it is free; as many, it is bound by law. Still, with all this bondage, an idea
of freedom is ever present, and this is Nivritti, or the "dragging from
attachment".
CONCLUSION
As we have seen above various authors have treated the
subject of Pravritti and Nivritti in their own style based on
the wisdom contained in Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita under different contexts.
Modern Hindus in general lead a life mostly focused on Pravritti based on outward focus of material prosperity combined with
some religious beliefs, rituals out of fear and not solely based on Sraddha
which I discussed in my last discourse on Sthitaprjnya.
They are however guided by a rare few like Sankarcharya and other Monks who
devote their entire life on Nivritti Marga.
Worldly wisdom based on Upanishad calls for judicious blend of Pravritti and Nivritti, if not in the first half of
our lives but at least in the second half with deep concentration towards
retirement as suggested in an article given in the appendix. I would also like
to draw your attention to the introduction of a video talk by SandeepTyagi, NJ, USA, of Webnar which some of you would have listened. His parable “The Monk who
did not sell his Ferrari” which I have not heard may be directed towards
judicious combination of Pravritti and Nivritti margas to march towards Sreyas
with Sraddha and spiritual focus
keeping the perennial joy as the goal and not the material happiness hitherto
enjoyed. Jesus once said: “what is the
use of gaining the whole world when you have lost your own soul?” Sandeep's
lecture is focused more to busy modern Hindus, particularly Hindu Americans who
end up with a meaningless life after all the struggle. Please find below his
introduction to the talk:
“The talk is about Capitalism and
Spiritualism. Is it possible to be spiritual while being a capitalist and
also is it possible to be a capitalist while being spiritual? Are the two
systems completely different ways of living? If we put our faith in
capitalism our spirit is left dry, we somehow feel that just pursuing money is
not our life’s mission. We find it cheap and particularly as we
accumulate more money we find our passions are weakened. Selfish desires
do not have the passion of a devotee. On the other hand, if we put all
our faith in spirituality then are we to give up our I phones, and free YouTube
videos and advanced knee replacement surgery? For most of us, giving up
these modern advances maybe something aspirational like running a marathon but
not really practical. So does it mean that spirituality is not for us?
What if the deep
understanding of both systems leads you to the same underlying truth---the one
unifying universal truth? And that understanding and implementing that truth in
your life will result in success in the capitalistic sphere as well as the
contentment and end of suffering promised by spirituality”.
APPENDIX
What Hinduism Says About Success
I
grew up in an orthodox South Indian Hindu family where success was defined in
terms of high educational qualifications and a prestigious job title,
preferably in the United States. As a 3rdgrader, I distinctly remember my mother
pointing her finger out of the bus on our way to my aunt’s home. She was
pointing to the Indian Institute of Technology (I.I.T), which is equivalent to
M.I.T and accepts one percent of its applicants each year. She said, “You must
worship this place from your heart. This is where you must study.” Sure enough,
it left strong impressions in my mind and I wanted to shine in her eyes.
It
was only after I got admitted to the I.I.T ten years later that I felt a strong
dissatisfaction in my heart. It felt like after all that I had achieved over
the course of my life, I was filling up a bottomless bag, into which each time
I dropped a “medal” I could not hear it clink. I motivated myself by constant
comparison to the students whose success I covertly envied. Each time I equaled
them or surpassed them, I felt on the top of the world, for all but a few
hours. And then it was back to the emptiness. I had to concede that my notion
of success had a very short shelf life. I was getting tired of this relentless
pursuit that had no real longevity, in spite of the accolades that friends and
family showered upon me.
Perplexed
and internally confused, I turned to Hindu scriptures and its broader
understanding of the meaning and goal of life. I found that Hindu scriptures
consider success an important part of life. It is called artha. Artha means
that which is an asset or that which is meaningful. Hinduism classifies success
according to stages of life – the first half of life and the second half of
life.
Many
scriptures focus on the first half of life success. They directly recommend
pursuit of education, family, wealth and fame as essential to healthy and
fulfilled living. But that could be pursued only in a moral way by following
dharma or sanctioned codes of living. Such success, according to ancient Hindu
culture, is a necessary source of security, continuity, predictability and
impulse control that we need to establish a sound ego structure – before the
chaos of real life shows up. Ironically, according to Hinduism, you need a very
strong and disciplined ego structure before you let go of the ego itself. The
creation of that disciplined ego structure is considered to be success in the
first half of life.
The
success of the first half of life is only understood when the second half of
life sets in – usually not by our own doing. According to Hinduism, we “fall”
into the second half of life. Usually that fall manifests itself in the form of
an existential crisis that we cannot avoid using first of life success
formulae. In the modern day context, such existential crisis is usually
referred to as mid-life crisis. Hinduism says that such crises keep appearing
in our lives. We usually respond to them by starting new projects, finding new
relationships or pursuing new careers. The crisis disappears, only to reappear
in the form of a bigger, deeper and unexplainable anxiety that is brought out
by life’s unplanned events.
At
this juncture, the Hindu scriptures explain, the individual is invited
unwittingly to pursue success in a very different form – to inquire about the
true meaning of life itself – its artha. The Vedanta Sutra, the essential
conclusion of all the Hindu scriptures, in an anticipatory way begins with the
statement, “Athatho
brahma jignasa” which means,
“Therefore, inquire into your identity”. I was amazed to find a text that began
with the word “therefore”. In an almost unassuming fashion, it was expecting me
to get here – waiting patiently and congratulating me for the success of the
first half of life – that after all the pursuits, I have been able to ask the
question that truly mattered. The question is, “What is my essence, my soul,
really calling me to achieve?” According to the Vedanta Sutra, it is not
possible to ask this question if the first half of life has not been done
right.
Whatever
success is, however defined by the neurosis of the moment, what the ego and the
collective culture define as success and what the soul asks of us to do seldom
have any relationship with each other. We can drive ourselves to be successful
and realize later that we are further and further from ourselves, the more so
as the goal of success has driven our efforts. True success, according to
Hinduism, is in relentlessly living the second half of life question. It is not
in the achievements of the first half of life, but in the unraveling of a
deeper mystery of our authentic identity and relationship with this transient
world.
Acknowledgement
1) Ananta
Rangacharya, Principal Upanishads, Bengaluru, India.
2) Swami
Chinmayananda, Kathopanishad, CCM Trust,
Mumbai, India.
3) Prabha
Duneja, Bhagavad Gita, Govindram
Hasanand, Delhi, India.
4) Ramanada
Prasad, Bhagavad Gita, American Gita Society, Fermont, USA.
5) Swami Maheswarananda, Pravritti and Nivritti, Internet.
6) Pravritti and Nivritti, wwwChakra.net>yoga
principles
7) Editor,
India Divine.Org, What Hinduism says about Success, E-Communication.
8) Satya
Chaitanya, Vedic management—Shreyas and Preyas
9) The
Hindu, Religion and Belief, “From Preyas to Sreyas”, December 3, 2014.
10) Swami
Vivekananda, Vedanta, Advaita Ashrama, Kolkata, India
11) Swami
Vivekananda Quotes. Internet
12) Sandeep Tyagi, NJ,USA, Video Talk on “The Monk who did not sell his Ferrari”
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