WORLDLINESS

Worldliness as an illusory projection of the mind in its waking or dreaming state gets dissolved accordingly depending on the state of its creation, as the world has no independent existence of its own, teaches Yoga-Vasistha (Book-2, Chapter-12, and Book-7, Chapter-24). The only purpose of worldliness is to create insatiable desires, leading to attachments and bondages with the ephemerality of the transience of the phenomenal world. Ideas and thoughts emanating from the ephemeral body-mind complex recognise only that ephemerality is a finite finitude and is subject to the limited adjuncts of space-time. Eternality is infinite in infinitude and transcends all limitations of space-time. It can only be realised by Self-realisation, or Atmajñāna, or Self-knowledge. Key to the investigation of Atman, or Self, is reasoning that can address it by transcending the sufferings that are offshoots from the objective dimension of birth, growth, decay and dissolution. In order to experience Atmajnana, or Self-knowledge, and realise Atman, or Self, an inseparable essence of Brahman, or Cosmic Self, the reasoning of investigation is to discover ways to break free from ignorance and worldly servitude. Liberation is achieved by the controlled projection of the mind from outward to inward to realise Atman, or Self. In Srimad Bhagavad Gita (6.34), Arjuna, through Sri Krishna's teaching, queries him regarding the mind's restless, turbulent, strong and obstinate nature, making it as difficult to control as the wind. Sri Krishna, while agreeing to Arjuna's raised issues, states that through Abhyasa, or constant practice and Vairagya, or dispassion / detachment, this turbulent mind can be brought under control. He says the mind is like a steady, unwavering flame, allowing for deep concentration, serenity, tranquillity, and peace. Although the mind, like the wind, is impossible to control, says Srimad Bhagavad Gita, a continual practice of contemplation and meditation on Self can effectively make the mind serene. Bhagavad Gita holds that a serene and tranquil mind is essential for Self-realisation and inner peace.

 1. Outline 

 Worldliness is worldly sickness, articulates Yoga-Vasistha (2.12.11-16, 7.24.1-22). The worldly sickness, or Bhavavyādhi, is the primal disease of the mundane existence of the state of opposites of happiness and distress, pleasure and pain, privilege and impediment, birth and death, and so on. Sage Vasistha, during the course of his discourses, teaches Sri Rama that this condition is rooted in Avidya, or ignorance, leading to the misconception of identifying reality in the unreality of the illusionary world of transience, thus causing immense distress, despair, disease, sorrow and suffering. A person of discrimination, or wise individuals, abandons this entire world, which is merely a cage of mental anxieties. However, this same world is an extreme source of misery for those who lack such right reasoning. Worldliness is a prison of mental servitude plagued by disturbance, agony, and dismay. It is regarded as an Indrajāla, or magical illusory play. Without this understanding, the world of bondages brings immense pain. As a snake casts off its time-worn sloughs without attachment to its old one, similarly the wise renounce attachments to the mundane magnitude. Knowing this, a person of discrimination sheds off his vanity, ego and attachments to this entire world of transience, which is merely a cage of his outpouring thought process from the churning of his mind, just as a snake sheds its ripe skin. Having become free from the fever of worldly desires and having achieved a calm mind, the one with right vision views this whole world as a mere magical show for entertainment, teaches Yoga-Vasistha (2.12.13-15). However, this same world is an extreme source of misery for those who are bereft of right reasoning. Extremely dangerous is the longing for worldly existence. It bites like a snake, cuts like a sword, pierces like a spear, binds with fetters like a rope, and burns like fire. It blinds like the darkness of the night and renders helpless those who fall into it unexpectedly, like a heavy stone. It steals away wisdom, ruins one’s stability, and ruins a person, causing them to fall into a dark pit of delusion, while thirst for desire makes them worn out. There is no suffering in this world that a worldly-minded person does not experience. The worldly existence, according to Yoga-Vasistha, is biting like a snake and burning like fire – a profound metaphor for the suffering, entrapment, and illusory nature of mundane life when it is pursued with attachment and Avidya, or ignorance. The texts, according to sage philosopher Swami Krishnananda, explain that a life focused entirely on material objects and sense pleasures, without knowledge of the true Self, inevitably leads to pain. Worldly existence and desires act like venom, causing the "lifelong suffering" of an ignorant person. They cause emotional and psychological cuts that represent the pain of loss, duality, and the constant threat of death and disease that cuts through tranquillity of mind and peace. This highlights the sharp, sudden pain of miseries, physical, emotional, or karmic, that pierce through the heart of the practitioner who is heavily attached to the bondage of the world. Yoga-Vasistha says Avidya, or ignorance, is the foundational illness, while Samsara, or birth and the cycle of rebirth, is the symptom. It is described as a disease of Atman, or Self, that causes one to act repeatedly without learning from experience. The text distinguishes ailments of Aadhi (mental/spiritual sickness) as a result of turbulence, unrest, attachment, hatred, greed, and egoism; Vyadhi (physical illness) of physical ailments which often arise from the mind’s impurity; and the disease of Samsara of birth and death because of the "world-process" itself. It is seen as a disease, often compared to the fearfulness of cholera; if not healed in time by spiritual knowledge, it subjects the soul to unending torment. Here the mind plays a significant role as the creator of the multitude of thought processes. Impure thoughts and mental conditioning create the illusion of a solid world, which traps the soul. Whereas a tranquil and serene mind clears off the affliction by identifying the cause, effects and symptoms of worldliness manifested in egoism of "I-ness" with excessive attachments to "mine" and "thine" and desire for fleeting sensual pleasures. A tranquil mind can propel itself inward to cultivate knowledge of Self for Self-renewal by extricating itself from sensual amplification through extinction of Vasanas, or subtle desires, to quietness of mind, Self-enquiry, contentment, and association of virtue for Self-realisation. Yga-Vasistha emphasises that freedom from this sickness is not found on the other side of the sky but in the total eradication of desires and the awakening of consciousness.

2. Scriptures 

The scriptures view worldliness as a state of Avidya, or ignorance, where the individual soul is attached to the temporary, changing world, mistaking it for the Ultimate Reality. Worldliness is described as an "Indrajaala", or illusionary net that binds the individual and keeps them at a distance from experiencing the eternal bliss of their true Self, or Atman, an inseparable essence of Brahman, or Cosmic Self. Mundaka Upanishad (3.1.10) states that a person of pure mind (Viśuddhasattvaḥ) who knows the Atman, or Self, can attain any world or desire they contemplate. Therefore, anyone seeking prosperity, success, or well-being (Bhūtikāmaḥ) should pay homage to and honour a Self-knower (Atmajñaṃ). A sage of pure mind is free from selfish, ego-driven desires; their mental clarity (Sattva) becomes tremendously powerful. They are in alignment with the ultimate reality, so their thoughts manifest in ways that reflect this harmony, leading to a more profound understanding of existence and the ability to influence the world positively. Mundaka Upanishad (3.1.1–3.1.2) and Shvetashvatara Upanishad (4.6–4.7) both feature a renowned parable—often referred to as the "Two Birds in a Tree"—that illustrates the relationship between Jivatma, or embodied Self, Paramatma, or Supreme Self, and the phenomenal world. It is a central allegory in Vedanta representing the relationship between the embodied Self and the Supreme Self. The tree represents Samsara, or the world of birth and death, symbolising the material body or the entire cosmos, often called the 'Asvasttha' (fig tree), which represents the impermanent nature of life. The first bird represents  Jivatma. It is restless, hopping between branches, tasting the sweet-pleasure and bitter-pain fruits of Karma. It sinks in the pleasures of the material world and suffers due to its helplessness (Anīśayā) and confusion (Muhyamānaḥ). The second bird represents Atman, or Witness: the second bird represents Paramatman, also known as the Supreme Self or pure consciousness. It is serene and majestic, and it sits at the top, watching the first bird without eating. The other bird is the Supreme Self, or witness-consciousness, and it realises His glory (Asya mahimānam); it immediately becomes free from all sorrows and anxieties (Vīta-śokaḥ). Similarly, in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (2.4.1-5), Sage Yajnavalkya teaches his wife Maitreyi that all beings, objects, and relationships are dear not for themselves but for the sake of Atman, or Self. The sage says that "It is not for the sake of the husband, my dear, that he is loved, but for one’s own sake that he is loved." It is not for the sake of the wife, my dear, that she is loved, but for one’s own sake that she is loved. It is not for the sake of the sons, my dear, that they are loved, but for one’s own sake that they are loved. It is not for the sake of wealth, my dear, that it is loved, but for one's own sake that it is loved. It is not for the sake of the Brāhmaṇa, my dear, that he is loved, but for one's own sake that he is loved. It is not for the sake of the Kṣatriya, my dear, that he is loved, but for one’s own sake that he is loved. It is not for the sake of the worlds, my dear, that they are loved, but for one's own sake that they are loved. It is not for the sake of the gods, my dear, that they are loved, but for one's own sake that they are loved. It is not for the sake of the beings, my dear, that they are loved, but for one's own sake that they are loved. It is not for the sake of all, my dear, that all is loved, but for one's own sake that it is loved. The Self, my dear Maitreyī, should be realised—should be heard of, reflected on and meditated upon. By the realisation of the Self, my dear, through hearing, reflection and meditation, all this is known." He first explained the true nature of the object of love. People love their parents, children, husbands, wives, property, wealth, and all other things that they possess, but they do not know what they love in reality. The real object of love is not a material thing, but that which lies behind the material form. “O beloved, verily I say unto thee: a wife loves her husband not for the husband’s sake, but it is for the sake of the Atman, the Self, who is within, that the husband is loved.” The wife does not love the dead particles of matter which make up the body of her husband, but she loves Atman, which is in an embodied form. “The husband loves his wife not for the wife’s sake, but it is for the sake of Atman, the Self, who is within, that the wife is loved.” The physical body of the wife is not dear to her husband, but her Atman is dear to him. The husband will not touch the dead body of his wife; he will not love it when her soul has departed from it. ‘People love their children, not for the children’s sake, not for the material form of their children, but it is for the sake of the Atman, the Self, that the children are loved. Jabala Upanishad, a prominent one from the Shukla Yajurveda, views worldliness as a binding force of desire and attachment that must be transcended to achieve true knowledge of Atman, or Self. It posits that true knowledge comes through Vairagya, or detachment. Freedom begins the moment a seeker loosens the grip of desire for worldly attachments. states that a person may renounce the world the very day they feel a detachment from worldly life, whether they have completed their earlier life stages or not. While formal renunciation is discussed, the text suggests that those unable to leave due to sickness can renounce mentally. One who leaves the world is described as one who drops all rituals, attachments to friends, family, the tuft of hair, and the sacred thread. Such a person is "unaffected by the pairs of opposites (pleasure and pain, cold and heat) and is devoted solely to Atman, or Self. It asserts that Varanasi is not merely a physical city but "Avimuktam", the inner sanctuary of Atman, signifying that true spiritual life is an internal, meditative state rather than a worldly geographical pursuit. Yoga-Vasistha (2.12.15-16) highlights the dangers of worldliness and attachment to sensual pleasures. Truly, this cholera of worldly sensual objects is fatal and hard to end; if it is not treated by dispassion, detachment, discipline, discrimination and Self-knowledge, it surely leads to a state that is deeply connected with the fruits of falling into a multitude of hellish cities. The scripture advises a seeker to develop dispassion in the epiphenomenal world. In which there is suffering in all the ways and everywhere caused by falling upon sharp stones and swords; being beaten with stones; burning by fire; shivering from snow; cutting off of limbs; pleasures like forests of sandalwood trees; the cocoon-like entrapment of worldly affairs; the cleansing of the body; the continuous rain of arrows in battle; the cooling respite from summer heat; the showering of water in the pleasure house; and the cutting off of the head, which acts as a profound sleep bringing quietude to the body—a massive accumulation of opposites. According to Yoga-Vasistha, the world is a mental construct that only exists in the mind, much like oil in sesame seeds or fragrance in flowers. "The world is not yours, nor are you of this world," the text emphasises, highlighting the transience, flickering, and unpredictability of worldly possessions. The world is referred to as a "dream" or a "daydream" and is widely acknowledged to be untrue. The mistaken identification with this fleeting world is all that constitutes bondage. A web of entanglement is created by the mind's own Sankalpas, or desires, and Vasanas, or subtle desires. Liberation is the eradication of these mental inclinations. The scriptures suggest associating with the virtuous because they are the knowers of Atman that allow one to inherit the beneficial energy and guidance necessary for fulfilling worldly duties and spiritual goals.

3. Remarks 

The rough and uneven pleasure of the world, according to Yoga-Vasistha (2.12.14), is but a disease to men and stings them like a snake. It cuts them as a sword and pierces them as a spear. It binds them fast as by a rope and burns them as with fire and blindfolds their understanding as in the darkness of the night. It makes them prostrate and dull as a slab of stone. It destroys one's prudence and lowers his position. It plunges them into the depths of error and torments them with greed. Thus, worldly-minded men almost always face some kind of trouble. This message from Yoga-Vasistha presents a stark contrast between the reasoning man and one of living liberation and emphasises the necessity of spiritual wisdom to escape the suffering caused by temporal pleasures. It is because the "reasoning man" has used intellect to understand that attachment to worldly pleasures is an Adhi (mental disease), which leads to Vyadhi (physical illness) and bondage. This implies that the wise man no longer identifies with his physical body ("frame") or its diseases, separating his soul from physical suffering as a snake leaves its old skin without regret. Secondly, the wise man views the world not as reality, but as a temporary, magical, or illusory show. Therefore, he remains calm, unattached, and peaceful. Worldly pleasures are not true joy; they are diseases because they are inconsistent, addictive, and ultimately cause suffering. The pursuit of pleasure, power, and wealth leads to intense agony, anxiety, and a "binding" of the spirit to mundane existence. Excessive worldly focus causes ignorance, preventing one from realising Atman, or Self. The ignorant mind loses its ability to think critically, becoming inert and enslaved by desires. Yoga-Vasistha urges the practitioner to abandon the pursuit of fleeting worldly pleasures, which only bring misery, and instead seek the peace of association with virtuous persons, or "fully wise men" who have gained inner freedom. It emphasises that contentment and Self-knowledge are the only ways to free oneself from the disease of worldly existence.

-Asutosh Satpathy