Vairagya

‘Constant reflection on the great utterances of the Great,
Sarva Dukham Vivekinah
and developing Mithya-drishti or Dosha Drishti in relation to the objects of the world through discriminative thinking—these will help you to develop true Vairagya,’ said Siva when Sri Jayadayal Goenka of the Gita Press, Gorakhpur, sought Siva’s Darshan today.
As soon as Sri Jayadayalji came in, Siva noticed a wound on his foot, immediately got the necessary dressing from the dispensary and applied the bandage.There they were—Sri Jayadayalji and his party in Siva’s Kutir on the lap of the Ganga—listening to Siva’s words of wisdom on Bhakti, Yoga, Jnana and Vairagya. A member of Sri Jayadayalji’s party gave expression to his admiration of Siva’s work and added that the excellently got-up Diamond Jubilee Commemoration Volume had enabled Siva’s message to spread far and wide.
This led to a discussion of Guru-worship, and Siva said: ‘Some say that we should not worship a living saint. But, the wise say that whereas no one need be fanatical in his desire to celebrate the Jayanthi of any saint, he need not go to the other extreme, either. Those who like to celebrate, let them. It ill-behooves a Sannyasin or saint who has gone above likes and dislikes to abhor the idea of such celebration. Vairagya-Abhimana is as dangerous as Abhimana for worldly possessions. ‘Worship of saints has been taken more or less as a necessary Sadhana in the life of an aspirant in India. Even the Upanishads declare that a Sadhaka should have the same devotion to his Guru as he has to God. The idea is that by constantly thinking of his Guru, the Sadhaka is kept on the right path away from evil, and moulds himself on the pattern of his teacher. ‘Thus even a third-class teacher is fit to be worshipped by the fifth-class aspirant! The latter is sure to be benefited. ‘When a Sadhaka superimposes on his personal Guru the characteristics of the Impersonal Absolute—as in the case of idol-worship—the Sadhaka’s devotion reaches the Supreme! God, the Indweller knows the Sadhaka’s devotion and guides him along the proper path. ‘Even wise men sometimes lack this broader outlook and argue that the human figure of a saint should not be adored with devotion due to God! As with God, so with Guru—the way to the Impersonal likes through the personal.