BONDAGE

You see this false body as true; thus you have
placed yourself in bondage (sggs 1231).
Egoism binds people in bondage, and causes them
to wander around lost (sggs 227). (sggs 729).
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Bondage results due to man's mistaken self-identity. And this mistaken identity results due to ignorance of one's True Nature as Unconditioned Consciousness. Man is constituted of Spirit (Aatmaan) and matter (non-self or Maya). The Spirit is eternal, whilst the matter is constantly in flux. Although the Pure Spirit is man's Essential Nature, but in ignorance he generally continues to identify himself with the matter — body, mind and intellect personality (false ego) — in all his experiences in which there is the underlying "I" consciousness. This ignorance and superimposition of the non-self on the Real Self or Mool with (Source, Origin, Jot....) is the root of man's so-called bondage. In other words, man's not understanding this consciousness itself is the bondage. The Gurbani (SGGS) explains it in very simple words as follows:

One has landed himself in bondage by identifying with a body or name and form. This mistaken identity is the root of our sorrows (Dukha) faced by each one of us in our respective worldly life. All the afflictions that pertain to the body-mind-intellect individuality — which is ephemeral in nature — are transposed on the Mool with (Source, Origin, Jot....) and thus the person suffers because of this ignorance. The limitations created in the expression of our individuality due to the ceaseless demands of our body (senses), the countless agitations of the mind and the painful restlessness of the intellect is what we call philosophically as the bondage. So long we are in this bondage of the worldliness, the Truth remains hidden from us. We remain in bondage until the ego-idea is not removed.

Based on the foregoing verses, we can divide all human beings in two categories: materialists and Spiritual Beings. The people with materialistic outlook or conditioned consciousness — referred as Manmukh in the Gurbani — assert that everlasting happiness is attainable only in acquisition of sense-objects. They endure body-identity and feel like perpetuating it eternally. The true scriptures and the masters however tell us to the contrary. The pleasure that's experienced upon fulfillment of any craving is fleeting. Such temporary experience of happiness attained from the enjoyment of material objects can be compared to a person suffering from scabies who upon scratching experiences transitory relief; but this scratching only worsens later. Whenever a desire for material objects is fulfilled, the inevitable result is greed and more. On the other hand, if a desire remains unfulfilled, it manifests in fear and anger. This is attachment, which leads to bondage. Hence, the disease of craving for sense objects is such that even if a man acquires all the wealth and possessions of the world, his disease of worldly craving will go on multiplying.

We can look at it from an another angle. Due to the rise of objectivity in our consciousness, the consciousness becomes conditioned and limited: that is bondage. Materialists in bondage fritter away their efforts chasing the vanishing pleasures, not realizing that the same, in the long run will result in mental agony, distress and physical discomfort. Their materialistic existence in life can be compared to a lobster floating in cold water in a container of a restaurant. Upon demand, as the container is heated from below, the lobster will enjoy the stay there initially because of the warmth. But that joy is only temporary, because as the water reaches boiling point, it will be unable to withstand the temperature and ultimately perish. Similarly, bondage to worldly objects may fetch temporary peace and happiness but it will push man into an bottomless pit of passion and sin.

Emotional attachment to worldly relationships or sense objects clouds one's subtle sense of discrimination (Bibek Budhi), which leads to his bondage. Man in bondage cries out "I, me, mine, you". He exclusively thinks about his body, spouse, children, comforts, money, sex, name and power. Overtaken by passions — lust, greed, anger, sense-attachment, self-conceit, enviousness and stubborn mindedness (and their numerous variations) — he loses Divine Virtues. He becomes irreligious and comes down to the level of animals. He does havoc and corruption in selfishness. He gives up the path of compassion and truth, and adopts the path of error and violent destruction. Religious rituals or deeds done in bondage result in calamities. In bondage one sees body, Jaat-Paat (caste), differences, good and bad, likes and dislikes, and so on. A man in bondage is neither concerned about bondage, nor deliverance, nor his conduct. His reading of the scriptures, worship, or religious practices become a chain of bondage around his neck. Every act performed in such obscured consciousness becomes suffering in disguise for him.

In conclusion, bondage is Maya; fruitive or causative Karma; and the veil of duality (Doojaa Bhaav) or the source of ignorance which separates the Jeeva (individual being) from the Divine. Simply put, bondage is the conditioned mind attached to any of the sensory perceptions. Other expressions for bondage include physical ego or false self; movement in consciousness; desires or craving for sense-objects; dense coloring of the sense-bent mind caught in the activity of the manifest state; an individual's subjugation to pleasure and pain; illusion or imagination that never ends and never exists; delusion; emotional attachment; mortality; finitude; Sansaar; birth-death cycle; separation from Truth; foolishness which adorns the head of all Dukha and calamities; modified and differentiated being; mistaken identity, non-recognition of "Joti Svaroop", or ignorance of the soul's Oneness with the Pure Spirit; and so on.

Based on the aforesaid facts, it can be concluded that it is impossible to purify the mind while in material bondage. Since the intuitive peace and happiness is internal; the goal of satisfying desires by external progress in materialism cannot bring about inner joy. The search for eternal peace and happiness is not a matter of choice. It is a universal quest. But, as indicated in the scriptures, without self-purification (removal of the ego-idea) it is foolishness to hope for such Anand (Bliss). The aim of all Spiritual endeavor is to remove our ignorance by which we can gain insight into our essential status as the Intact Consciousness, which is eternally Blissful.

This brings us to the second category of human beings: the Spiritual Beings referred as Gurmukh in the Gurbani. They lead Spiritual Life (also called Divine or Eternal Life) of non-attachment, purity and contentment; for they know that only by knowing one's True Nature one can overcome material afflictions, and become eternally blissful. Hence, people with Spiritual outlook spend their time and energy on the Spiritual path (Aatam-Maarag) practicing dispassion, resorting to acquisition of Self-knowledge (Aatam-Giaan), practicing love and devotion, doing selfless service, meditating on Divine Name, and associating with Sat (Truth) within and outside; without however sacrificing the household duties and responsibilities.

— T. Singh
www.gurbani.org.

Updated on Tuesday, May 1, 2012 3:07 PM (PST)

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