ARE PRAVRITTI AND NIVRITTI BINDING ON THE SUPREME BEING ?
There is an interesting highlight by Sati Devi when she lectured to her father Daksha, who was conducting his great Yajna after condemning and ignoring Lord Shiva. In that Yajna, both Maha Vishnu and Lord Brahma were also not present.
Sati Devi, despite advice to the contrary by her husband Lord Shiva, reaches the place of Yajna being conducted by her father Daksha, where she was not shown any respect. She realizes the words of wisdom of her husband Lord Shiva. She ultimately gives up her body right at the place of Yajna through Her yogic powers. Before doing so she gives a great speech to Daksha, and through that speech to all the people present there.
The following are the words of Sati Devi (through Stanza 20, Chapter 4 Volume 4 of Srimad Bhagavatam):
“It is a fact that the Vedas have explained the deeds and actions in the form of Pravritti (carrying on activities with the object to enjoy material comforts) and Nivritti (cease the activities towards being away from the material comforts).
These two have been identified through the basis of Raga (keeping attached to) and Vairagya (keeping away from attachment).
Again, the Vedas have presented these two depending upon the person who is the seeker (depending upon what he stands for in a given situation in his life and what is his understanding about the ultimate truth).
Therefore, both these paths cannot be converged into a single personality as it goes contrary to the basic principle.
In the same manner, these two different paths of deeds do not at all qualify on Lord Shiva who is the form of Brahman (the ultimate truth).”
Through the very next stanza No.21, Sati Devi goes on to explain that through the path of Pravritti one cannot equate oneself with the position of those who have achieved and are in the position of the ultimate truth:
“ Hey father ! What we have in our possession as our achievements ( meaning the position of Lord Shiva and Parvati ) are not available to you.
You cannot invoke and get these achievements by performing Yajnas in the hall through the human beings, who happily enjoy the food stuff assembled here and who follow the path of Pravritti (the path of fruitive actions and deeds).
Those achievements of ours can be exhibited by us through unmanifested causes (meaning thereby being the source of everything ) and are achieved by those who are fully realized about the ultimate truth.”
Lord Shiva, or for that matter Shri Vishnu or Brahma, are beyond these classifications. Therefore, they are not bound to observe the principles enunciated through any of these two paths. When it is considered that the material elements being offered in the Yajna, the medium of vessels through which these are offered, and the very offerers of these materials are all one and the same principle known as the Supreme Being, where is the question of Maha Vishnu, Lord Brahma, or Lord Shiva getting bound to these conducts, who are the representative forms of the same Supreme Being?
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