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Is it necessary to test both attachment to God and detachment from the world simultaneously?

[A question by Smt. Chhanda Chandra]

Swami replied:- If a devotee is known to be absorbed in God, the detachment from the world gives the measurement of his/her attachment to God. Generally, this is a convenient method because absorption in God cannot be known directly. By observing the practical detachment from the world, we can estimate the attachment to God. This is the reason that why the attachment to God is measured by the way of detachment from the world. For example, Radha is not sleeping at night, and this is detachment from the worldly bond with sleep. By this, we can understand how much Radha is absorbed in Krishna. Therefore, attachment to God is named by the detachment from world, which is the meaning of the word ‘Nivrutti’. One may be attached to both God and the world. Such attachment is not absolutely real since it is only partially real. But, due to the attachment to God, if one is detached from the world, we can be sure of his/her perfect attachment to God. The attachment of Radha to Krishna was described through her detachment from the world as we find it in the songs of Jaya Deva in the Gita Govindam. Attachment to anything is abstract and is very difficult to measure it.

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