Detaching oneself from desires

What is happiness? Does it lie in acquisition of wealth or satisfying sensory pleasures as we commonly understand? Most people believe so and pursue relentlessly these ends. In the quest for such a ‘happiness’, they lose their virtues and good values. Hankering after material possessions, they fall into bad ways of greed, corruption and insensitivity to others sufferings. Ask any youngster his goal in life and you would get a prompt reply that he wished to become very rich.Attachment does not mean only to wealth. It can be to a woman or a man, to positions of power, to fame and name, Growing attachment destroys the mind pushing the individual deeper into the vortex of desires and in the process adding to the heavy baggage of papa (sin). Happiness is elusive and remains an illusion. Attachment produces desire that is insatiable and unquenchable. The root of all sorrows and grief is in attachment.
The sages have found that lasting happiness cannot be found so long as we pursue these mundane goals. They kept themselves away from worldly objects and pleasures. A guru gave a disciple a thread with several knots and asked him to untie the same. The disciple did accordingly and gave the thread to Guru. He threw it aside and asked what he learnt from the exercise. The disciple said that people should likewise untie themselves from worldly attachments if they wish to realize the purpose of life.Eschewing attachments does not come by easily. It is a difficult process calling forth steadiness of mind and a strong will power. One has to search constantly the heart and endeavour to keep at bay attachments to earthy matters. Sat sanghs, reading of and listening to spiritual subjects and engaging oneself in virtuous activities would facilitate the progress towards the spiritual goal of realizing oneself. One can be part of family and society doing one’s duties at home and work place and yet not get dragged into the quagmire of desires. All the duties should be performed in the name of divine for service to others. The self interest should be totally absent. Like the drop of water on a lotus leaf, one can be a part of the world and yet not belong to it. Attachment is the great fabricator of illusions and reality can be attained only by someone who is detached.
“Pray to God that your attachment to such transitory things as wealth, name, and creature comforts may become less and less every day”. Ramakrishna