From Māyā to Kṛṣṇa - The Science of Becoming Attached
In many spiritual traditions, attachment is viewed as the enemy. Seekers are told to detach, to become desireless, or to make the mind void. However, Śrīla Prabhupāda offers a more practical and psychologically sound perspective. He explains that the living entity is active by nature, and the mind cannot be made zero. We must be attached to something. Therefore, the science of becoming attached to Kṛṣṇa is the only effective way to become detached from the material world. The process is not to kill the attachment, but to change the object of affection from matter to spirit.
Trap of Material Attachment
Material attachment begins with the attraction between male and female. This potent force binds the living entity to the body. Once united, the knot tightens, extending to children, home, wealth, and society. Śrīla Prabhupāda compares the conditioned soul to a monkey captured by a hunter; captivated by momentary sex pleasure, the soul becomes encaged in family life. This attachment is dangerous because it determines one's next destination, often forcing the soul to take birth again to satisfy unfinished material desires.
- The monkeylike conditioned soul first becomes attached to sex, and when intercourse actually takes place he becomes more attached. He then requires some material comforts - apartment, house, food, friends, wealth and so on.
- A chaste woman becomes a very obedient wife. This causes a husband to become attached to his wife, and consequently he thinks of his wife very much at the time of death. This is a very dangerous situation, as is evident from the life of King Puranjana.
- Indeed, his (the living entity's) whole conception of the material universe arises from this false identification with the body, for he becomes attached to the body and its by-products.
Danger of "Fallible Soldiers"
The tragedy of material attachment is that the objects of our affection—family, friends, nation—cannot save us from death. They are described as "fallible soldiers." Yet, without spiritual training, the mind clings to them. Even great personalities like Bharata Mahārāja fell from their exalted position by becoming attached to an insignificant deer. This proves that artificial renunciation is not enough; the seed of attachment remains and must be uprooted by a superior attachment.
- From the spiritual point of view the King (Bharata) was actually falling from his exalted spiritual position and unnecessarily becoming attached to an animal. Thus degrading himself, he would have to accept an animal body.
- If one becomes too much attached to women or to persons who are also attached to women - that is, attached to women directly or indirectly - he opens the tamo-dvaram, the door to the darkest region of hellish life.
- The materialists do not know that the family, society and friendship here in this material world are only shadows, and thus they become attached.
Process of Transferring Attachment
The solution is not to destroy the propensity to love, but to purify it. This is done through the process of bhakti-yoga. By constantly hearing about Kṛṣṇa and chanting His holy names, the mind naturally develops an attraction to Him. This is called āsakti. Just as a girl becomes attached to a boy by hearing about his qualities, the soul becomes attached to God by hearing His glories. This transfer of attachment naturally frees one from material bondage.
- How we can increase our attachment for Krsna unless we know Krsna, at least something about Him? Just like a girl becomes attached to a young boy when she knows about something about that boy. The more she knows, she becomes attracted.
- Bhakti means to be free from the attachment of this material world and to become attached to Krsna. Because you have to attach to something. You cannot become unattached.
- The more one chants the names of Krsna, the more he becomes attached. Thus service by sravanam and kirtanam, hearing and chanting about Krsna, is the beginning. The next process is smaranam - always remembering Krsna.
Role of Association
How does one initiate this transfer? The catalyst is sādhu-saṅga—association with those who are already attached to Kṛṣṇa. Attachment is contagious. By associating with materialists, we become attached to matter. By associating with pure devotees, we become attached to Kṛṣṇa. One takes on the qualities of the person they associate with.
- The question is how to give up material attachment and become attached to Krsna. The process is sadhu-sanga (CC Madhya 22.83), association with a sadhu.
- If one has developed a little bit of Krsna consciousness by hearing from Vaisnavas about the activities of Krsna, one becomes attached to Vaisnavas who are interested only in Krsna consciousness.
- In the association of pure devotees, by constantly hearing such topics respectfully, even a person who wants to merge into the existence of the Absolute Truth abandons this idea and gradually becomes attached to the service of Vasudeva.
Conclusion
Life is a test of attachment. At the moment of death, the mind will naturally fly to the object of its strongest affection. If that object is family or property, one returns to the material world. If that object is Kṛṣṇa, one returns to the spiritual world. The entire Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is an educational system designed to teach one lesson: how to become attached to Kṛṣṇa. Śrīla Prabhupāda advises that if one wants a permanent solution to life's problems, the simple method is to develop this attachment.
Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani
Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Becoming Attached. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.