Anartha-Nivritti
Can you explain the stage of anartha-nivritti? Is it a stage one attains when one loses the desire for sinful life?
A. Devotional practice is either unsteady (anistha), or steady (nistha). It is unsteady because unwanted things get in its way. Concern for removing these unwanted things is what is referred to as anartha nivritti in the course of devotional practice. There are anarthas (unwanted things) that block our path arising from offenses (apraradha), good karma (sukritartha), bad karma (duskritartha), and from things that come as a secondary result of devotional practice and are potentially distracting.
All of these anarthas are not removed when one attains the stage of anartha nivritti. Anarthas remain until one attains prema (love of God). For example, the subtle effects of Vaisnava aparadha (offending a devotee) may remain even in the stage of bhava bhakti (devotion in ecstasy) and inhibit one's attainment of prema.
Q. Could it be said that a devotee is in the beginning stage of anartha nivritti when he follows strictly the four regulative principles?
A. One is successful in anartha-nivritti when one's principle bad habits (his gross lust and greed) are retired. They are retired when the desire that fuels them no longer lingers in the heart. Having passed through this and various mental states of vacillation and inaccurate assessment of his own position, the devotee becomes accomplished in anartha nivritti and his devotional practice becomes steady.
Q. I have also heard that the madhyam adhikari stage begins at anartha nivritti. Is this correct?
A. The madhyama adhikari (intermediate devotee) has attained the stage of nistha (steadiness) above anartha nivritti. Whereas anartha nivritti is concerned with the removal of negativity in devotional practice, nistha involves positivity manifested as uninterrupted engagement in devotional practice. Anartha nivritti deals with overcoming various states of mind, and nistha assumes fixation of intelligence has been attained. They are like two sides of a mountain peak, one going up (anartha nivritti) the other going down (nistha) into the valley of love of God.
Although subtle influences of lust and greed may still be visible in one who has attained nistha, like the scent of camphor in an empty camphor box, these trace elements do not impede his devotion. They are like the movement of an electric fan after the plug has been pulled
A. Devotional practice is either unsteady (anistha), or steady (nistha). It is unsteady because unwanted things get in its way. Concern for removing these unwanted things is what is referred to as anartha nivritti in the course of devotional practice. There are anarthas (unwanted things) that block our path arising from offenses (apraradha), good karma (sukritartha), bad karma (duskritartha), and from things that come as a secondary result of devotional practice and are potentially distracting.
All of these anarthas are not removed when one attains the stage of anartha nivritti. Anarthas remain until one attains prema (love of God). For example, the subtle effects of Vaisnava aparadha (offending a devotee) may remain even in the stage of bhava bhakti (devotion in ecstasy) and inhibit one's attainment of prema.
Q. Could it be said that a devotee is in the beginning stage of anartha nivritti when he follows strictly the four regulative principles?
A. One is successful in anartha-nivritti when one's principle bad habits (his gross lust and greed) are retired. They are retired when the desire that fuels them no longer lingers in the heart. Having passed through this and various mental states of vacillation and inaccurate assessment of his own position, the devotee becomes accomplished in anartha nivritti and his devotional practice becomes steady.
Q. I have also heard that the madhyam adhikari stage begins at anartha nivritti. Is this correct?
A. The madhyama adhikari (intermediate devotee) has attained the stage of nistha (steadiness) above anartha nivritti. Whereas anartha nivritti is concerned with the removal of negativity in devotional practice, nistha involves positivity manifested as uninterrupted engagement in devotional practice. Anartha nivritti deals with overcoming various states of mind, and nistha assumes fixation of intelligence has been attained. They are like two sides of a mountain peak, one going up (anartha nivritti) the other going down (nistha) into the valley of love of God.
Although subtle influences of lust and greed may still be visible in one who has attained nistha, like the scent of camphor in an empty camphor box, these trace elements do not impede his devotion. They are like the movement of an electric fan after the plug has been pulled
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