The Power of Dispassion

While passion means a strong surge of emotion towards something, dispassion means the opposite. However, does dispassion mean a lack of emotions? Does it mean leading a life void of emotions, feelings, and thoughts?

Let us dig deeper using an ancient incident.

There was an extremely diligent and talented boy in North India. This boy had learned everything there was to learn and displayed astounding leadership qualities. His father, a very successful administrator himself, was proud of his son and wanted him to take charge. All the stakeholders were jubilant, rejoicing and eagerly awaiting this boy’s leadership at the helm. At this moment, tragedy struck his life. He was expelled for 14 years for no fault of his own. His stepmother, whom he loved immensely, exercised her right and demanded that her son be made king instead.

This example is culled from the text of Valmiki's Ramayana, and the boy we are referring to is Sri Rama. This example stands out as a benchmark of dispassionate behavior.

Sri Rama’s father, Dasaratha, was devastated after knowing what his wife, Kaikeyi, had asked for. She had asked for Rama to be banished to the forest for 14 years and for her son to be made king. He had no other option but to yield to Kaikeyi’s words. Dasaratha had given his wife two boons long ago for saving his life in a war. Kaikeyi used this opportune moment to exercise her right. Dasaratha was crestfallen, just like any father would be. He couldn’t face his son that night. So, Kaikeyi herself delivered the message to Sri Rama: "Your father wants you to walk away into exile for 14 years. He wants to make Bharata the king of Ayodhya," she said.

Sri Rama heard her out and was unruffled by any of it. He readily accepted his stepmother’s words. Such was the majestic state of his mind that he gave up wealth, pride, and all luxury in just a snap—just like that.

He agreed to all the conditions his mother laid. His only worry was that his father, Dasaratha, was not facing or talking to him. "Father could have delivered this message to me himself; why isn’t he greeting me the same way that he always does?" he wondered. Little did he know that Dasaratha had broken down and was in utter despair and disbelief!

Let’s sit back and reflect on this event.

We face many similar situations in our day-to-day life. We are emotionally invested in many of our deep passions. Is it easy for us to give them all away in just a snap? Can we remain unscathed by all the contingencies of happening or not happening in our life?

You plan a vacation to your dream destination. You apply for leave beforehand, make reservations, and are extremely excited about it. On the D-day, your team member, whom you relied on to cover your absence, has an emergency and cannot help you out. What would be your first reaction?

You work hard and save every piece of what you earn in well-researched investments. You plan your future carefully, accounting for every eventuality. One fine day, you wake up to hear that all your investments have been washed away due to some unforeseen global event. What would be your first thoughts?

There can be hundreds of such examples.

A person heavily invested in his passion wants to achieve it so badly that his senses are deeply engrossed in it. Any disturbance to the planned outcome creates turbulence and complete imbalance in the mind. Though the person might recompose himself later, his first set of thoughts and reactions are registered in the subconscious mind and have the potential to bias his decision-making.

The human mind is capable of achieving unbelievable speed and clarity when it is not weighed down and burdened by expectations. What happens when we work for the sake of working? What happens when duty is performed for its own sake and not for anything else—not for any gain, not for any selfish motive, not for anything but its own sake? The chain breaks.

The chain that we involuntarily build by setting expectations and running after results is the chief cause and architect of all breakdowns, stress, and misery.

Dispassion is the simple act of breaking this chain. It means performing duty for its own sake and staying detached from the result of any kind that arises from the action. Every action has an equal reaction, which we cannot control. But what we can control is our attachment to the reaction. When we stay detached from the reaction, our actions remain dispassionate.

What happens if the reaction has no effect on you? Your mind is never imbalanced. It is never sluggish. It is seamless, and thoughts flow in and out of it perfectly. Since you are not attached to any thought, no thought is allowed to stay over and slow down your mind’s performance.

This state of balanced mind is the essence of Sri Rama Tatva (philosophy). This is what we bow to. This is what we aspire for.

Here’s an interesting thought.

If the great scientists of our generation were heavily invested in the result and broke down at every failure, would they have invented such amazing things? If Thomas Alva Edison failed 999 times before finally making the light bulb, do you think he was emotionally attached to the result, or was he focused on the end goal of inventing something good for the world and detached from whatever the outcome was?

Dispassion breeds graceful acceptance of failure. The choice is always ours to make. Don’t you think?

Sources:

The source from Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhyakanda:

तत् अप्रियम् अमित्रघ्नः वचनम् मरण उपमम् | श्रुत्वा न विव्यथे रामः कैकेयीम् च इदम् अब्रवीत् || २-१९-१

एवम् अस्तु गमिष्यामि वनम् वस्तुम् अहम् तु अतः | जटा चीर धरः राज्ञः प्रतिज्ञाम् अनुपालयन् || २-१९-२

इदम् तु ज्ञातुम् इच्चामि किम् अर्थम् माम् मही पतिः | न अभिनन्दति दुर्धर्षो यथा पुरम् अरिम् दमः || २-१९-३

मन्युर् न च त्वया कार्यो देवि ब्रूहि तव अग्रतः | यास्यामि भव सुप्रीता वनम् चीर जटा धरः || २-१९-४

हितेन गुरुणा पित्रा क्ऱ्तज्ञेन न्ऱ्पेण च | नियुज्यमानो विश्रब्धम् किम् न कुर्यात् अहम् प्रियम् || २-१९-५

अलीकम् मानसम् तु एकम् ह्ऱ्दयम् दहति इव मे | स्वयम् यन् न आह माम् राजा भरतस्य अभिषेचनम् || २-१९-६