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The Supreme Goal of Life
If you were to ask anyone who has deep faith in religion, what the supreme purpose of life is, he would say that it is the attainment of liberation. Even one who is enjoying the varied sensual pleasures of life in this world and in the heavens says that liberation is the true aim of life. He knows that sensual pleasures are ephemeral and deceptive. They are finite and always end in sorrow. Lasting happiness is one that is free from raaga (attachment and dvesha {aversion}, independent of all external factors and will arise only when the soul is free from all destructive karmas. It is this happiness that we must all aim for. For it is not dependent on any external factor. It is independent, unique and unmatched.
Once, Lord Mahavira was asked to explain the nature of this world and if there was a way to overcome the cycle of rebirths? On this Lord Mahavira explained concisely that attachment and aversion were the root causes of transmigration (cycle of birth and rebirth). And viitaraaga {supreme detachment} was the only way out of it. Each time we feel the emotions of attachment and aversion, our stay in this temporal world (sansaara) increases. Hence, it is not the temporal, physical world that causes karmic bondage, but it is our attachment to it. It is our own feelings of like and dislike, which are also known as vikaara bhaava {harmful, deviant, defective, agitated, contorted dispositions of the soul) or vibhaava {excited and emotional state of the soul. Hence, seeds of worldly bondage arise from our soul. The external world is the result of such bondage not the cause.
If we look at the example of Lord Mahavira, he was in this world but internally detached from it. And Goshalaka (was the ascetic originally became disciple of Lord Mahavira nd later became against him.), despite having formally renounced the world, was in the world because the inner detachment was missing. He was full of raaga and dvesha.
It is a vicious circle: inner cravings and emotions lead to external bondage and rebirth in sansaara. And the rebirth in external sansaara causes further inner cravings and emotions, which lead to further rebirth in sansaara.
Ultimately, the existence of avid desires, passions, ambitions, attachments, aversions, likes, dislikes, delusions, aspirations, cravings, fascinations, fervour, fondness, hatred, greed, fancies, frenzy, hankerings, hunger, inclinations, infatuations, itch, lasciviousness, lechery, libido, liking, love, lust, manias, motives, needs, proclivities and propensities in our hearts is sansaara.
“Je gune se aavatte'. - Samyagdharshana; (Page 6, Author: Ashokmuni, Publisher: Diwaakarjyoti Karyaalaya, Byaawar (Rajasthan), year 1981)
All sensual desire is sansaara. The weakness for sensual gratification is sansaara.
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