Ask the Swami: Detachment for Overachievers

Have a question about Hinduism? E-mail Swami Tripurari.

In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says that we should do our duty but not be attached to the results. In our own duties or studies, it is difficult to see how we could work if we didn't care for the results of our work.

The spirit of this lesson is that there is something more important than the fruit of one's work. According to the Gita, what is ultimately important is not if one wins or loses materially, but how one plays the game. Detachment from the fruit of one's work and dutiful engagement does not involve being unconcerned about the final outcome or being apathetic about achievement in one's field. Detachment is more about identifying with the fact that there is a grand scheme of things. In that scheme, the fruits of one's activities are incidental. Ignorance of this is materially binding because one considers the fruits of one's work, such as home, family, and possessions, to be everything.

The Gita's second chapter advocates attaining mental equilibrium (Bg. 2.38), which is central to the yogic experience. No matter how adept one is in material acquisition, it's of little value if one's mind is not peaceful. Conversely, no matter how little one has materially, with peace of mind one can be happy.

In a culture that respects no truth as absolutely valid, how do we find the emotional fortitude and faith to conquer what Bhagavad-gita (3.37) calls our greatest enemy: lust?

I do not believe that our Western culture has no place for absolute values or truth, nor do I think that a culture that dismisses the notion of absolute truth can speak convincingly on the virtues of lust.

Lust is an expression of dissatisfaction, and pursuing it does not lead to enduring fulfillment. It is a universally accepted principle that lust is undesirable to everyone on some level. Even the lustiest people despise certain manifestations of its excess in their own ranks. On the other hand, most cultured and educated members of society revere a spiritual person perceived as free from lust. Thus one needs to understand the principle that the Bhagavad-gita teaches in its condemnation of lust rather than merely viewing it as an outdated religious law that has no cultural support.

Continued on page 2: »