Virtues Promoted By Dharma – Vairagya

The term “vairagya,” which means “unattachment,” is a salient concept of Hindu Dharma. Here, “unattachment” refers to the renunciation of worldly matters. It can also be said to be a state of mind where an individual ceases to be a slave of comforts, worldly joys, and pleasures. When a person becomes attached to a particular item, desire, outcome, or identity, detaching from it can be painful. Vairagya is about being unattached. So the pain of unattachment from an attachment is not there.

Vairagya is not just unattachment from pleasures or pain, but unattachment from bias, projection, and identification — which could cloud perception. This makes vairagya a prerequisite for perceiving things without distortion, as they truly are. It is as beneficial for scientific advancement as it is for personal relationships. Vairagya enables one to observe without distortion, allowing the real truth to reveal itself. A person deprived of vairagya has a distorted understanding of reality. At the same time, a person blessed with Vairagya has freedom from conditioning, non-attachment to blind beliefs, unbiased observation, and seeks truth beyond ego.

At this point, it has to be noted that the scope of “vairagya” is not restricted only to “unattachment.” This term encompasses many significant aspects. And it is about these very aspects that this write-up is going to speak about.

• “Vairagya” is more concerned with the actual mindset of a person than the lifestyle they lead. A person can continue fulfilling their familial and professional responsibilities, while still practicing unattachment. In Sanatana Dharma, ‘renunciation’ does not encourage developing a strong aversion to material goals, but rather advocates a balanced detachment from them.
• They are only encouraged to discover the divinity latent in every human. It is a gradual process.
• As an individual progresses spiritually, they gradually give less interest to worldly things. It happens naturally and there is no question of forced suppression of desires.
• In Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna provides a beautiful explanation of unattachment. He teaches that when the right action is performed without expecting anything in return, it comes under the purview of “vairagya,” too. The Lord adds that “happiness and sadness” and “victory and defeat” have to be received with the same undisturbed mental state.
• A person can practice unattachment, even without having to leave their worldly life. These people approach their day-to-day life and their various responsibilities with a feeling of renunciation. They give their best without any selfish motives.
• “Vairagya” is of two types. We can call the first kind forced unattachment. An individual develops unattachment towards certain things either due to some negative situations in their life or because of a shortage of resources. This is usually temporary; as soon as normalcy is restored in their lives, these people tend to indulge in all earthly joys and pleasures. The negative traits in a person are only repressed until the hindrances disappear.

• The second kind of “vairagya” is genuine. Here, it is a person’s wisdom that makes them adopt unattachment. They realize, after an in-depth self-analysis, that self-realization is the goal of human life. Materialistic objectives shouldn’t be prioritized. These individuals distance themselves from negative characteristics for good.
• Many people erroneously think that the terms “vairagya” and “sannyasa” are synonymous with each other. It is not so. “Sanyasa” invariably includes “vairagya.” But, it is not necessary that a person having developed unattachment take up “sannyasa.” Under “sannyasa” the concerned individual needs to leave his family, social circle, and all worldly possessions.
• Vairagya may seem similar to another dharmic virtue, samatva, but the two are distinct. Vairagya is the process of first letting go of attachment, craving, and identification with pleasures, possessions, or outcomes. While, samatva is a balanced state of mind, unaffected by success or failure, praise or blame, gain or loss. Samatva is involved more with the outcomes of external things or influences. While vairagya is a prerequisite to gaining virtues or advancing in spirituality.