rāga-dveṣa-vimuktais tu viṣayān indriyaiś caran |
ātma-vaśyair vidheyātmā prasādam adhigacchati ||
(Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā: 2.64)
“Perceiving objects of the senses
With senses freed from attachment and aversion
And subdued by the mind,
One of controlled mind attains peace.”
tan niśamyātha munayo vismitā mukta-saṁśayāḥ |
bhūyāṁsaṁ śraddadhur viṣṇuṁ yataḥ śāntir yato’bhayam ||
dharmaḥ sākṣād yato jñānaṁ vairāgyaṁ ca tad-anvitam |
aiśvaryaṁ cāṣṭadhā yasmād yaśaś cātma-malāpaham ||
munīnāṁ nyasta-daṇḍānāṁ śāntānāṁ sama-cetasām |
akiñcanānāṁ sādhūnāṁ yam āhuḥ paramāṁ gatim ||
sattvaṁ yasya priyā mūrtir brāhmaṇās tv iṣṭa-devatāḥ |
bhajanty anāśiṣaḥ śāntā yaṁ vā nipuṇa-buddhayaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.89.14–17)
“Then, hearing that [i.e., Bhṛgu’s account of his meetings with Brahmā, Śiva, and Viṣṇu], the sages became amazed, freed from doubt, and possessed of immense śraddhā in Viṣṇu, from whom comes peace; from whom comes fearlessness; from whom comes direct dharma, [direct] knowledge (jñāna), and non-attachment (vairāgya) following that; from whom comes eightfold metaphysical power, glory, and removal of the impurities in the psyche; whom they [i.e., the wise] call the ultimate refuge of the sages, of those who have laid down the staff, of the tranquil, and of the equanimous—the divested, the sādhus; whose dear form is Existence [i.e., Brahman]; [whose] iṣṭa-devatās are the brāhmaṇas; and whom those who are desireless, tranquil, and of sharp intellect worship.”
svārthaṁ parārthaṁ vāprapta-prārthanecchā | sā cātma-manasoḥ samyogāt sukhādy-apekṣāt smṛty-apekṣād votpadyate | prayatna-smṛti-dharmādharma-hetuḥ | kāmo’bhilāṣaḥ rāgaḥ saṅkalpaḥ kāruṇyaṁ vairāgyam upadhā bhāva ity evam ādaya icchā-bhedāḥ | maithunecchā kāmaḥ | abhyavahārecchābhilāṣaḥ | punaḥ punar viṣayānurañjanecchā rāgaḥ | anāsanna-kriyecchā saṅkalpaḥ | svārtham anapekṣya para-duhkha-prahāṇecchā kāruṇyam | doṣa-darśanād viṣaya-tyāgecchā vairāgyam | para-vañcanecchā upadhā | antarnigūḍhecchā bhāvaḥ | cikīrṣā-jihīrṣety-ādi-kriyā-bhedād icchā-bhedā bhavanti ||
(Padārtha-dharma-saṅgraha: 126)
“A wish for an unattained object for one’s own sake or for another’s sake is [called] desire (icchā). This is produced by contact of the self and mind out of regard for pleasure (sukha) and so forth, or, out of regard for a memory (smṛti) and so forth. It is a cause of effort (pratyana), remembrance (smṛti), merit (dharma), and dermit (adharma). Lust (kāma), craving (abhilāṣa), attachment (rāga), resolve (saṅkalpa), compassion (kāruṇya), aversion (vairāgya), deceit (upadhā), intention (bhāva), and so forth are varieties of desire. Desire for copulation is [called] lust (kāma). Desire for eating is [called] craving (abhilāṣa). Desire for repeatedly enjoying an object is [called] attachment (rāga). Desire for a non-immediate action is [called] a resolve (saṅkalpa). Desire to remove the pain of another without regard for one’s own sake [i.e., without selfish interest] is [called] compassion (kāruṇya). Desire to avoid an object as a result observation of a fault [in the object] is [called] aversion (vairāgya). Desire to deceive another is [called] deceit (upadhā). Internally concealed desire is [called] intention (bhāva). Varieties of desire exist based on varieties of actions (kriyās), such as the desire to do and the desire to remove.”
tāvad rāgādayaḥ stenāḥ tāvat kārāgṛhaṁ gṛham |
tāvan moho’ṅghri-nigaḍo yāvat kṛṣṇa na te janāḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.14.36)
“For that long attachment (rāga) and so forth are thieves, for that long one’s house is a prison, and for that long affection is a foot-shackle—so long as people do not become yours, O Kṛṣṇa!”
e mādhuryāmṛta pāna sadā yei kare |
tṛṣṇā-śānti nahe, tṛṣṇā bāḍhe nirantare ||
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 1.4.149)
“One who continuously drinks the nectar of this sweetness (mādhurya) [of Śrī Kṛṣṇa]—there is no quenching of [their] thirst. [Their] Thirst increases ceaselessly.”
svabhāvo dustyajo nātha lokānāṁ yad asad-grahaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.16.56)
“O Lord, people’s svabhāva (nature), which is that of clinging to the unreal [alt., to evil], is difficult to give up.”
asmin karmādhikāriṇi manuṣya-loke dvivdhau bhūta-sargau manuṣya-sṛṣṭī bhavataḥ | yadāyaṁ manuṣya-loke śāstrāt svābhāvikau rāga-dveṣau vinirdhūya śāstrīyārthānuṣṭhāyī tadā daivaḥ | yadā śāstram utsṛjya svābhāvika-rāga-dveṣādhīno’śāstrīyān dharmān ācarati, tadā tv āsuraḥ |
(Gītā-bhūṣaṇa-ṭīkā on Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā: 16.6)
“In this world of human beings governed by karma, the elementary nature of emanated human beings is twofold. When in the world of human beings one on account of the śāstra shakes off the attachment (rāga) and aversion (dveṣa) belonging to one’s acquired disposition (svabhāva), and acts in accord with the aim of the śāstra, then one is daiva [i.e., of godly nature]. When one is controlled by the attachment (rāga) and aversion (dveṣa) belonging to one’s acquired disposition (svabhāva), rejects the śāstra, and observes practices that are non-śāstric [i.e., contrary to the teaching of the śāstra], then one is āsura [i.e., of ungodly nature].”
so’yam upadeśo buddhy-arthaḥ | sarvatra tadīyatva-jñānārthaḥ pādavat | pādo’sya viśvā bhūtāni ity atra yathā viśvasya bhagavat-pādatvopadeśas tadvat | evaṁ hi dveṣa-nihīnaṁ manas tat-pravaṇaṁ bhavati | na caivaṁ rāga-prāptir nihīnatva-buddher bādhakatvāt |
(Govinda-bhāṣya on Vedānta-sūtra: 3.2.34)
“This teaching [i.e., the teaching Chāndogya Upaniṣad 3.14.1, ‘All of this is verily Brahman’ (sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ Brahma)] is for the sake of understanding, that is, for the sake of awareness of belongingness to him (tadīyatva) in everything, like [his] foot, that is, as there is a teaching of the universe’s being the foot of Bhagavān here [in Ṛg-veda 10.90.3], ‘The existent universes are his foot.’ In this way completely free from enmity, the mind becomes intent upon him [i.e., on Bhagavān]. Also in this way [i.e., also by means of the aforementioned teaching that everything belongs to him] an occurrence of attachment (rāga) [to the universe in which one is situated, or anything within it] does not occur because of the annulling of that by understanding of the utter inferiority [of sāṁsārika existence and everything within it in comparison to Śrī Bhagavān himself].”
yadā na kurute bhāvaṁ sarva-bhūteṣv amaṅgalam |
sama-dṛṣṭes tadā puṁsaḥ sarvāḥ sukhamayā diśaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 9.19.15)
“When a person does not foster an attitude of inauspiciousness towards all living beings, then, because of [one’s] equal vision, all directions are filled with happiness.”
indriyasyendriyasyārthe rāga-dveṣau vyavasthitau |
tayor na vaśam āgacchet tau hy asya paripanthinau ||
(Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā: 3.34)
“Attraction (rāga) and aversion (dveṣa) to an object of each sense is firmly established [i.e., bound to occur]. One should not come under the control of these since they are one’s obstructions.”
