Sutra 49. Yo vedaanapi sannyasyati, kevala- mavichchinnaanuragam labhate.
He who abandons even the Vedas, even the rites and
ceremonies prescribed by the Vedas and obtains undivided and undiluted and uninterrupted
flow of love towards God.
Yah: who
Vedaan: the
sacred books, the Vedas
api: even
Sannyasyati: renounces
Kevalam: Undivided unalloyed
Avichchinaanuragam: uninterrupted flow of love
labhate: attains.
By ‘Veda’ it is meant here the ritualistic portion of the
Vedas. The man of realisation does not stand in need of the rituals prescribed
by the Vedas but they may be performed in earlier stages as a means for God-realisation.
Kevalam: Love for God is not diluted with desires of any
other kind such as pleasures of earth and heaven. The love that arises at this
stage is never satisfied till God is realised.
Renunciation of Vedas really means renunciation of
desires.
Continuous flow of love without any break even for a
second is Avichchinna-anurag. Vedas can afford no interest for a man who has
got this kind of incessant flow of prem.
That is the reason why the Gita says: “All true Vedas are as useful to an enlightened Brahmin, as is a tank in a
place covered all over with water.” Ch. II. 46.
Dear Readers,
This sutra needs to be properly understood so that sadhakas, half way through in their sadhana, take advantage of such sutras / declarations in advanced vedantha treatise and say, "See, in the treatise itself it is written that vedas are not required for a devotee and hence I have renounced vedas / rituals / prayers etc.
The sutra reads thus :
"He who abandons even the Vedas, even the rites and ceremonies prescribed by the Vedas and obtains undivided and undiluted and uninterrupted flow of love towards God.'
While for a devotee who is immersed in Parama Prema for God, this sutra is experienced as such, for others, let this sutra be rearranged in this way
'He who is filled with undivided and undiluted and uninterrupted flow of love towards God, transcends the vedas, the rites and the ceremonies prescribed by the vedas'
When the devotee advances in his devotion he gets merged in the Lord. Such a devotee does not deliberately renounce the Vedas.
The Vedas themselves withdraw their control over him as he has realised the goal of his life.
This gets aligned to the previous post's commentary which explains "Renouncing the renouncer" or "Surrender of the surrenderer".
As long as one is in a state to deliberately abandon vedas / anything, he has not reached the state of uninterrupted flow of Love.
Only when a devotee is so immersed in love for God that he cannot afford a break / a disruption in his Love for God to allow his mind to work, he transcends all code of conduct run spiritual sadhana, he transcends all spiritual injunctions, transcends all the ritualistic requirement of the vedas.
There is no mind left any more to think of performing the sandhya vandanam, to sing bhajans, to perform daily aarti, to recite daily vishnu sahasranama, which he would have been doing daily once upon a time.
So, there is no mind to say - "Do these rituals" and similarly, there is no mind to say, "Don't do these".
So, it is not that he will stop all these totally (with mind). In a gathering where the sahasranamam is being recited, he may even effortlessly chant the same, he may sing bhajans in a gathering effortlessly, he may undertake pilgrimage with family / others without a thought to accept / reject a request to join in pilgrimage.
It is just that he has transcended the NEED for following / undertaking the spiritual injunctions, the preliminary ritualistic requirement mentioned in the Karma Kanda of the vedas.
The vedas are now for such a devotee, like a guide who helps in taking a tourist upto the destination and on reaching the destination, the guide being confident that the tourist is capable of taking care of himself in the destination, shakes hands, accepts the gratitude of the tourist and bids goodbye and leaves the tourist!!!!
So, devotees, let us not misunderstand the sutra given by Devarishi . You / We do not abandon vedas, it is that when we reach the penultimate state in our Devotion for God and are almost at the doorstep of Merger with God or have merged with the God, then it is the vedas and all spiritual discipline which salute such a devotee and leaves the devotee, knowing fully well that the devotee has outgrown and transcended the need for embracing such rituals.
Love.
