Can attachment to nature be an anartha?

Podcast by H.H. Śivarāma Swami

 Hare Krsna, a question from Shupakarani Devi Dasi,  from Serbia.

She says, can attachment to nature be an anartha?

It can. Anything can be an anartha if it becomes a condition for entering the devotional service. So the definition of pure devotional service is anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ. So we give up all types of attachments, be they for liberation, yoga practice, nature and so on. We're not attached to nature. We're not attached to nature as a condition for serving Krsna. On the other hand, nature as well as so many other things are part of Krsna's creation. Therefore, it's natural that there is some type of attachment for that. But it's not an attachment that becomes the foundation or the basis of my service. But rather it's an attachment because yo māṁ paśyati sarvatra sarvaṁ ca mayi paśyati, because of devotee is supposed to see Krsna and everything and everything in Krsna. We're supposed to see that everything is Krsna's property. Therefore, it's inevitable that there's some attachment there and certainly an appreciation of the beauty of nature which is Krsna's creation by comparison to the ugliness of cities and so on which are human being’s creation. So it shouldn't be nothing should be a condition. I'm only going to do service here. I'm only going to do this type of service. I don't like this. I do like that. So whatever instruction we see from Krsna, from Guru, therefore we render service there and we don't  anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ  jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam, we don't have any preconditions.

This is just like, for instance, Narada Muni. So Narada Muni became very attached to meditating in the forest as he was taught by the Bhaktivedantas. But he sort of equated his meditation with being in a solitary place, in a solitary natural place, in the forest. And that then was an attachment that Krsna didn't approve of. So when Krsna did actually appear in his meditation, he said: In this life, you're not going to see me anymore. Why not? Because those who are impure in heart. So in one sense, Narada was extremely advanced, even as a little boy. But still, the Lord said, but you have this attachment. That's not in the Bhāgavatam. I believe it's in the commentary by one of our ācāryas. So the attachment is that you're attached to this situation. Just like Yogis are attached to going for śānta rasa to go into some solitary, quiet place. No, any place where we serve Krsna that is satisfactory, svargāpavarga-narakeṣv api tulyārtha-darśinaḥ. So whether you go to heaven, or devotee will go to hell. For him everything is all the same. As long as he can actually, or she can actually serve Krsna. So anything can be an anartha if it actually obstructs us from purely serving Krsna, or as I mentioned, if it's a pre-condition.

Okay, thank you for that question. We'll answer another question tomorrow. Hare Krsna.