{"id":3216,"date":"2013-07-13T01:46:43","date_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:46:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/?p=3216"},"modified":"2013-07-13T01:46:43","modified_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:46:43","slug":"27-nivritti-or-abstention-vol-writings-in-bengali-translation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/01-works-of-sri-aurobindo\/02-other-editions\/writings-in-bengali-translation\/27-nivritti-or-abstention-vol-writings-in-bengali-translation","title":{"rendered":"-27_Nivritti or Abstention.htm"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\n\n
\n


\nNivritti or Abstention <\/font><\/b><\/p>\n

\n    <\/font><\/p>\n

\nThe wise in our country never accepted any narrow
\ninterpretation of dharma<\/i>1<\/sup>,<\/i> the right to law of Life,
\nthe Divine Law, opposed to the great activities of life. The "great and’
\nprofound axiom that all life is the field for dharma lay at the bottom of the
\nHindus’ lore and learning. Tainted by the teachings of the West our knowledge
\nand education have degenerated into a twisted and anomalous state. We often
\nsuccumb to this false notion that nothing but renunciation, devotion or sattwic
\nattitude can ever form part of dharma. Men in the West study religion with such
\na cramped notion. The Hindus used to divide all the activities of life into the
\ntwo categories of dharma<\/i> and adharma<\/i> (‘what is not dharma’); in
\nthe Western world they have made three divisions such as religion, irreligion
\nand the cultivation of most of the pursuits and functionings of life outside the
\npurview of religion and irreligion. To praise the Divine, to say prayers and to
\nchant hymns, and listen to the sermons of the priest at the church and such
\nother allied activities go by the name of religion. Morality forms no part of
\nreligion, that makes a separate category by itself; but many accept both
\nreligion and morality as auxiliary limbs of piety. Not to attend the church, to
\nentertain the spirit of atheism or agnosticism, to disparage religion or even to
\nshow indifference towards it are <\/font><\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n

\n‘ Translator’s note: Pravrtti and
\nNivrtti.<\/u><\/i> Sri Aurobindo translates as "thq, way of’action or impulsjon<\/u>
\nand the way of abstention\/’ Sanskrit words like nivrtti, pravrtti, dharma,
\nadharma, sattva, rajas,<\/i> etc. are, truiy speaking, untranslatable into
\nEnglish. There are no English words which can ade- quately convey their sense.
\nSo we retain the terms and give an approximate rendering. <\/font><\/p>\n

\nPage-201<\/font><\/p>\n

\n

\ncalled acts of irreligion and immorality. According to the
\naforesaid view, these too make up impiety. But otherwise
\nmost of the pursuits and functionings fall outside of religion
\nand irreligion. Religion and life, dharma<\/i> and karma<\/i> are
\nseparate categories\u2014many amongst us interpret dharma in
\nthis distorted way. They style dharma all that pertains to
\nsaints and sannyasins, to God or to gods and goddesses and
\nthe renunciation of the world; but if you happen to raise any
\nother topic, they will demur, "This concerns the world and
\nnot religion". The occidental idea of religion has taken root
\nin their mind; to hear the word ‘dharma’ makes them at once
\nthink of ‘religion’ and they unwittingly employ the word in
\nthe same sense. But if we impute such foreign connotations
\nto our native terms, we are sure to lapse from the catholic
\nand eternal Aryan notions and teachings. All life is the field
\nof dharma, so is the life in the world. Only the culture of
\nspiritual knowledge or the urge of devotion do not constitute
\ndharma, action too is dharma. This great teaching pervades
\nfrom ages past the whole of our literature\u2014esa dharmah
\nsanātanah.<\/i>  <\/font><\/p>\n

\nMany think that although works form part of dharma, not
\nso all types of work; only those that are governed by sattwa
\nand conducive to nivrtti,<\/i> abstention or withdrawal deserve
\nthis title. This too is a fallacious notion. Just as the sattwic’
\nactions are dharma, so are the rajasic ones. Just as showing
\ncompassion to creatures is dharma, so is destroying the enerm
\nof the land in the field of a righteous battle. To sacrifice one’s
\nown happiness and wealth or even life, for the good of
\nothers, is dharma, even so is it dharma to maintain in a fit
\ncondition the body that is the instrument of dharma. Politics
\ntoo is dharma, to write poetry, to paint pictures\u2014that too is
\ndharma, to gladden the hearts of others through sweet songs
\nis also dharma. Dharma is whatever is not tainted by self-
\ninterest, be that work great or small. It is we who reckon a <\/font><\/p>\n

\nPage-202<\/font><\/p>\n

\n

\nthing great or small, there is nothing great or small before
\nthe Divine; <\/b> He looks only at the attitude in which a person
\ndoes the works befitting his nature or brought by unforeseen
\ncircumstances. The highest and greatest dharma is this: whatever work we do, to consecrate that to the feet of the
\nDivine, to perform it as yajna<\/i> or holy sacrifice and to accept
\nit with an equal heart as something done by His own Nature: <\/font><\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n

\nIsāvāsyamidam sarvam yat kinca jagatyām jagat<\/i> <\/font><\/p>\n

\nTena tyaktena bhūnjīthā mā grdhah kasya sviddhanam<\/i> <\/font><\/p>\n

\nKurvanneveha karmdni jijiviset satam samāh’<\/i> <\/font><\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n

\nThat is to say, the greatest way is to see in Him all that we see
\nor do or think and to cover all that with his thought as if with
\na piece of raiment; neither sin nor irreligion can ever
\npenetrate this covering. Without hankering for anything and
\ngiving up in our heart desire and attachment with regard to
\nall works, to enjoy all that we receive in the flux of actions,
\nto perform all types of works, to preserve the body: such is
\nthe conduct pleasing to God and this indeed is the greatest
\ndharma. This is what constitutes true abstention. The buddhi2<\/i> or the intelligent will is the seat of nivrtti<\/i> or abstention, <\/font><\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n

\n‘ Isha Upanishad,<\/i> 1, 2. We append below Sri Aurobindo’s Own translation in original English: <\/font><\/p>\n

\n"All this is for habitation by the Lord, whatsoever is individual universe of
\nmovement in the universal motion. By that renounced thou shouldst enjoy; <\/font><\/p>\n

\nlust not after any man’s possession. Doing verily works in this world one
\nshould wish to live a hundred years." <\/font><\/p>\n

\n2 Cf. "Buddhi is the intelligence with its power of knowledge and will.
\nBuddhi takes up and deals with all the rest of the action of the mind and life
\nand body… From the point of view of yogic knowledge we may say that it is
\nthat instrument of the soul, of the inner conscious being in nature, of the
\nPurusha, by which it comes into some kind of conscious and ordered
\npossession both of itself and its surroundings." (Sri Aurobindo; The
\nSynthesis of Yoga:<\/i> pp. 744, 759) <\/font><\/p>\n

\nPage-203<\/font><\/p>\n

\n

\nthe vital and the senses are the field of pravrtti or dynamic
\nimpulse; Buddhi Should maintain the poise of a detached
\nwitness and act as the prophet or spokesman of God and,
\nbeing free from desire, communicate to the life and the
\nsenses the inspiration sanctioned by Him; life and the senses
\nwill then act accordingly .The renunciation of actions is no
\ngreat achievement, the renunciation of desire is the true
\nrenunciation. The physical withdrawal is no withdrawal, the 
\nnon-involvement in consciousness is the true withdrawal <\/font><\/p>\n

\nPage-204<\/font><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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