Pariprashnena — Q&A Archive

Rasa, Ive seen it in myself and in others, where the anarthas are able to warp the process. What can happen is that there is something that is so close to you that you think it *is* you. Attempts to pry it loose feel like they are ripping you apart. Attempts to point it out are interpreted as direct personal attacks. Because it has become such an integral part of your identity you are holding on to it tightly, mutually embracing in a co-dependent relationship.

Excessive attachment warps reason, and the mind comes up with all manner of justification to resist self-transformation, including:

thinking the acarya to be unqualified (he doesnt know what he is doing)
thinking the acarya to be ill-motivated (he is secretly attached to something)
thinking the acarya to be ill-advised (other people have told him lies)

and so on...

In this way, rather than perceiving our own fault and rectifying it, we project fault onto others around us. The result of this is the warping of the bhakti process in a way that nullifies its effectiveness in removing this anartha.

The fact of the matter is that we are not ready to give this thing up. We think it is part of us, and it is as dear to us as our very self.

sitapati: The fact of the matter is that we are not ready to give this thing up. We think it is part of us, and it is as dear to us as our very self.

I absolutely agree Sitapati that we identify our anarthas as being "us" but I also feel that it is up to the individual to make a conscious effort to see Krsna working through His devotees (and others) and to not see that as a personal attack....and that this vision stems from serious and quality sadhana beggining with good Japa.

The process in itself is perfect....maybe our attempts to follow the process purely are impeded by such anarthas and bodily identifications - holding onto misconceptions about ourselves based on the bodily platform.

Like weeds...if we only cut them off at ground level and dont pull them out by their roots...they will always grow back.

rasa108; Like weeds...if we only cut them off at ground level and dont pull them out by their roots...they will always grow back.

in this case i also do agree with rasa prabhu that, we have to developpe that deep special taste or sour to be able to distinguis from the floor t the ceiling, what is rooting and what is not, specialy imn favour to the means of this process.

hari bol,

Anarthas is or cause attachment to the material world. And as such they hinder the bhakti process. The devotional step of anartha nivritti means to identify such anarthas, or material attachments, and to work on each and every one individually to severe that particular bound to the material. By severing all those small threads of attachment, one by one, finally we get freed. Since we are marginal energy it is our nature to be attached, so each and every string of attachment that we have severed, we should instead attach to something relating to Krishna. Performing the process of anartha nivritti, which can be both tediious and painful, after a while we found ourselves getting more and more detached from the material and attached to Krishna. That in turn paves the way for the next step on the devotional ladder.