Detachment

Holy men are detached from everything.  Attachment is a sin that arises from ignorance.  Ignorance prevents us from attaining the realisation that everything on the earth is maya, illusion. Ordinary mortals live in illusion.  So they are attached.  Attached to their family.  To money.  Possessions. 

Holy men are not attached to anything.  That’s why they don’t even marry.  They are not attached to people. 

But, as some jester said, even holy men have one flaw or another.  Otherwise they wouldn’t be just holy; they would be gods.

We don’t know if the jester is entirely right.  The jester is just an ordinary mortal.  And he is making a judgment about a mortal many times greater than him.  If a man many times greater has at least one flaw, if not more, then how many flaws does an ordinary mortal like the jester suffer from?  Simple logic makes us suspect the jester’s claim.  He being an ordinary mortal suffers from many flaws.  Therefore his logic must suffer from many flaws.  Corollary: The Baba may not have any flaw at all. QED.  My faith is very logical, you see. 

The jester said that Anantananda Baba, by virtue of being a man, must have at least one flaw. 

“What’s the flaw?” I asked.

“His attachment to land,” answered the jester.  Wherever Anantananda Baba fancies to set up an ashram he procures land by hook or by crook.

“He’s trying to serve the people by setting up his ashram,” I said.  “The Baba sets up ashram, convenes Satsangs, preaches spirituality and thus ensures moksha for the people after death.”

“But  he swindles people in order to procure the land he fancies,” protested the jester.  “The Baba uses unfair methods to get the land.” 

The Baba had recently bought acres of land near the jester’s house by evicting people using political clout.  In the name of development.  The people were promised a lot of alternatives.  But one the deed was settled, the Baba forgot his promises as usual.  Not entirely.  You would get something provided you became his devotee.

The jester became a devotee to see what he could get in addition to the moksha which he would surely get after death thanks to the Baba.  What about the life before death?

The jester listened to the homily during the very first Satsang convened in the newly acquired plot of land.  

The Baba dished out the recipe of happiness to his devotees very generously.  Do you want to be happy, my children?  He began.  It is so easy to be happy.  Let me give you the keys to happiness.  The first key, you must let go what is gone.  It may be your job, your land, your crops, anything.  Let go what’s gone.  That’s the first key.

And here’s the second key.  Be grateful for what remains.  Everything is never taken away from you.  Something always remains.  Your health.  Your willingness to work.  Your devotion to your guru.  Be grateful. 

Happiness is so easy to attain.  There’s only one more key.  Just one more.  And that is: look forward to what awaits you.  Don’t just look.  Achieve it.  Work for it. 

The jester laughed as he gave me the keys to happiness.  “You work and don’t complain.  The Baba will come and snatch your work at the right time.  You will get moksha in the next life. Hahaha...”

Source: Matheikal's Garden
The bright spot in the background is the moon

I took the keys seriously.  And planted some saplings in my garden.  Here’s one of them.  I’m at the peak of happiness whenever I look at each plant.  The Baba is right.

“Wait,” says the jester.  “You are getting attached to your garden.  One day the Baba will come to teach you detachment and deliver you from maya.”

PS. This post was inspired by a Whatsapp message I received this morning from an ex-colleague.  The three keys of happiness were given by him. Thanks, friend.  I know you are no jester.  Sorry for taking that liberty for the sake of fiction.  Fiction?