On Life and Liberation

Author(s): Mukesh Chhajer
Publisher: Mukesh Chhajer

Page 11

On Life and Liberation
sense gratification. In our daily lives, while it is not possible to shut ourselves from the rest of the world, we can certainly reduce interactions. That means dwelling on things no longer than necessary. If we hear something, we should immediately evaluate whether it is worth remembering and if it's not then discard it right away. The longer a thought, an idea or an image remains in the mind, greater is its chance of remaining with us for a long time, whether it has any value or not. Immediate resolve is the best option. Of course, it is easier said than done. If we hear words in our praise, we tend to linger around in the hope that there may be more. On the other hand, if we hear criticism of our behavior, we either speak to defend ourselves or walk-off angrily and complain later. In both the cases, there is no sensual upvaas, we are feeding our senses.
In the common connotation of upvaas (i.e., fast), when we do upvaas we deny ourselves of food. If we take this a step further, we may set boundaries on or deny ourselves other physical objects such as clothes, car, house, property etc However, at all these stages the connotation remains negative, we are denying ourselves something. To go any further, we need to change the connotation of the upvaas from negative to positive. That is what going upwards or staying upwards means. Then upvaas will have a positive and uplifting effect. Under that condition and when we understand the true meaning of upvaas our progress would be much faster. For example, take the case of aparigraha. Aparigraha is also an upvaas. By setting limits on our possessions or setting limits on our movement we are fasting, we are denying ourselves the things that we would otherwise be making use of. However, it is one thing to set boundaries on what we possess, it is another to set limits on our desires. Putting limits on desires is more important because if desires for objects are not there, one would not spend time and effort to acquire them. When desires are strong, one may lie,