BONDAGE

In the Sanatana Dharmic (eternal order and eternal righteousness) tradition, the concept of bondage has been widely noted and discussed by seers, sages, practitioners, and the scriptures as well. It is an important philosophical and spiritual theme in this tradition. Karma (duty or activity) is the law that governs it, and it emerges from its association with "samsara" (birth and death) or "maya" (illusion). It is no doubt a fundamental aspect of the broader concepts of Dharma (righteousness), Moksha (liberation), and the pursuit of Self-realisation and Consciousness of the Self. Bondage is a shackle that entangles a being in psycho-physical dimensions, subsuming it in a state of, what Swami Chidananda says, "earth consciousness."

Bondage demeans the perceiver’s ability to perceive the ātman (inner spirit or inner self) and be conscious of the Self. It widens the gap with the concepts of self-realisation, consciousness, sannyāsa or renunciation, and moksha, or liberation. It catalyses the downward slides within the cycle of samsāra (birth and death) and steadily ratchets towards ephemeral unrealism. Samsara-chakra, or the revolving wheel of bondage, in which the cycle of transmigration revolves through a cycle of up and down, descent and ascent, and in and out. The Samsara-chakra fixes its own involuntary laws for those who try to gravitate out of the pervasive cosmic order. It represents a state of unprofound unrealisation of one's nature as unpure consciousness confiding within the body-mind-intellect complex. Ignorance is the major bonding link in the cycle of Samsara-chakra. Our knowledge is finite. It is neither comprehensive nor complete. Somewhere there is a gap, and that gap is ignorance. Ignorance accentuates and sustains our link with the Samsara-chakra on a continual basis. To break free from the cycle, one needs to meditate and contemplate by becoming a yogi, says Sri Krishna in the Srimada Bhagavad Gita. He says a yogi is superior to the tapasvī (ascetic), superior to the jñānī (a person of learning), and even superior to the karmī (ritualistic performer). Therefore, strive to be a yogi.  It is to attune the mind to a higher level of consciousness, or Brahman (the Supreme Being) consciousness.

1. Outline

Attachment gives in to bondage, gravitating towards the ephemeral forces of dualities or opposites: joy and sorrow, happiness and distress, pleasure and pain, pacification and inflamation, quench and thirst, and anger and calm. Attachment emanates from the ego. Ego is the source of all body-mind-intellect-based bonding, sorrows, and afflictions. It is, as Swami Krishnananda says, the centre of personality. This affirmation of individuality, jivatva, personality, or something separate from the organic structure of creation, is the cause of the sorrow or suffering of the jiva, the individual manifested due to the affirmation of the ego.

The existence of the forces of opposites is due to our intoxicated attachment to the ephemeral realm of body-mind-intellect mechanisms instead of the eternal realm of Atman (the inner spirit or inner self). Bondage is generated due to the intoxication of attachment to the body-mind-intellect complex. Attachment clouds the knowledge of discrimination between purusha and prakriti. It strengthens the bondage with samsara because of the klesha-karmas (impure duties) that are mixed with Vasanas (the subtle state of desire). Swami Sivananda explains both kleshas and vasanas. There are five kleshas: Avidya (ignorance), Asmita (egoism), Avinivesha (will to live or fear of death), Raga (likes), and Dwesha (dislikes, or aversion). Vasanas are mainly of two types: Subha (pure) and Asubha (impure). The former leads to liberation, and the latter to rebirth and death. The impure vasanas are Loka Vasana (of the world), Sastra Vasana (of scripture), and Deha Vasana (of the body). Impure vasanas or bondage are closely associated with the belief in reincarnation, where one's karma (actions) in previous lives determine their current life's circumstances and future existences. In this cyclic existence, individuals are trapped in the material world, subject to desires, attachments, and suffering.

2. Causes

Attachment is the major form of bondage. It fixates the notion of "I" in the body-mind-intellect complex with a fixation on the world of objects. It generates multidimensional bondings with all transient phenomena, visible and invisible dimensions of phenomenal reality.

Swami Sivananda says, Mind is Vasanamaya. This world is Vasanamaya Jagat. The mind clings to sensual objects through Vasanas and constantly thinks of the objects. If the Vasanas perish, the mind ceases thinking of objects, and we attain the state of thoughtlessness.

2.1. The cause of bondage is attachment to Samsara. The cause of Samsara is Klesha-karmas that are mixed with Vasanas. Freedom from bondage is the annihilation of Vasanas that leads to the removal of attachment and klesha karmas.

2.2. Bondage intensifies due to duality, multitudeness, imperfect attachment outwardly with the object of sensation, and lack of knowledge.

2.3. It accentuates when the Gunas (tendencies, qualities, and attributes), or modes of existence, remain full of motive and become manifest in the world of objects.

2.4. It gets sustenance when the power of consciousness gets outwardly established with objects of the senses and remains inwardly impervious to the subject of self-consciousness.

3. Scriptures

Various ancient scriptures and texts in Sanatana Dharma, such as the Vedas, Upanishads, Srimad Bhagavad Gita, and Puranas, discuss the concept of bondage extensively. 

Vedas, primarily focus on rituals and hymns but also contain philosophical discussions about the nature of existence and the human condition.

The Upanishads delve into the nature of reality, the atman (inner spirit or self), and the Brahman (the ultimate reality or Supreme being). The Upanishads emphasise the importance of breaking free from the cycle of birth and death to attain moksha (liberation). The philosophy of the Upanishads is that ignorance of the way in which the Universe works binds the individual to samsara (the series of births and deaths). Our sorrows are, in a way, created by our own selves because they follow as a consequence of our not abiding by the law of the universe, affirms Swami Krishnananda. The Panchagni-Vidya, to which reference has been made in the Chandogya Upanishad, is a particular type of knowledge, or meditation, that is introduced to know the inner meaning of the common phenomena of birth and death.

The Srimad Bhagavad Gita addresses various aspects of life and spirituality, including the nature of bondage and liberation. It emphasises on humbleness; freedom from hypocrisy; non-violence; forgiveness; simplicity; selfless service; cleanliness of body and mind; steadfastness; and self-control; dispassion towards the objects of the senses; absence of egotism; keeping in mind the evils of birth, disease, old age, and death; non-attachment; absence of clinging to spouse, children, home, and so on; even-mindedness amidst desired and undesired events in life; constant and exclusive devotion towards Supreme Being; an inclination for solitary places and an aversion for mundane society; constancy in spiritual knowledge; and philosophical pursuit of the Absolute Truth are declared as knowledge, and contrary to it is called ignorance or bondage.

Sri Krishna advises Arjuna to perform his duties selflessly, detaching himself from the fruits of his actions, to attain spiritual freedom. It indicates that sense-driven desires need to be controlled and extinguished in the fire of meditation. Material nature, through the agency of the three modes, deludes all living beings. It says work must be done as a yajna to the Supreme Being; otherwise, work causes bondage in this material world. Therefore, for the satisfaction of God, perform your prescribed duties without being attached to the results.

The devotees are released from the bondage of material attachments, and their intellect is established in divine knowledge. Since they perform all actions as a sacrifice to God, they are freed from all karmic reactions.

The Puranas, through allegorical tales and symbolic narratives, discuss the concepts of bondage and liberation.

 4. Remarks

Moksha (Liberation), Nirvana (enlightenment), Atma-Jñana (self-knowledge), empowerment, and freedom are the birth rights of every being. The cultivation of wholistic knowledge is inherent in meditation. What we learn is only a fragment of knowledge, which means what we know is not complete and cannnot be completed in this short span of life. The gap in knowledge is called ignorance, and ignorance is the root cause of bondage. Bondage acts as an instrument towards that end. But if Vasanas cease, the mind will perish, and all else will be destroyed. Therefore, annihilate these Vasanas, the enemies of Atma-Jñana (self-knowledge) and Immortality.

In essence, the concept of bondage emphasises the idea that the material world is transient and filled with suffering, and true liberation is achieved by transcending worldly desires, attachments, and the cycle of birth and death. This is accomplished through the pursuit of meditation, knowledge, righteous actions, devotion, and a deeper understanding of one's true self and the ultimate reality.

-Asutosh Satpathy