Vairagya Shatakam

Lessons

• 1. We Did Not Enjoy the Pleasures – Bhartrihari was a poet and, by tradition, a king who turned to the inner life. His hundred verses on dispassion begin with honesty about desire. In one famous verse he says: we did not enjoy the pleasures, the…
• 2. Every Joy Carries a Fear – Bhartrihari observes that every worldly joy has a fear tucked inside it. In enjoyment there is the fear of illness, in wealth the fear of loss, in beauty the fear of age, in praise the fear of blame, in the body the…
• 3. Time, the Great Teacher – The poet looks at time with clear eyes: youth passes, strength fades, friends depart, and the days run like water through the fingers. Seeing impermanence is the root of vairagya. When we truly see that everything…
• 4. The Contented Beggar Is a King – Bhartrihari praises the one who lives simply: the earth as a bed, the arm as a pillow, the sky as a canopy, the moon as a lamp, and a contented mind as their wealth. Such a person sleeps more peacefully than a king.…
• 5. Dispassion Is Not Escape – Vairagya is often misunderstood as hating the world or running from responsibility. Bhartrihari's dispassion is different. It is clear seeing. When we see the limits of what the world can give, we stop demanding from…
• 6. The Quiet of the Heart – In his final verses Bhartrihari longs for the quiet life: sitting on the banks of the Ganga on a moonlit night, remembering Shiva, free of all restlessness. His longing points to something we all carry: a wish to come…